"What were you all doing when this song was popular?" Reno asked. At some point, he had turned on the radio for god only knows what reason. Its volume could barely be heard.
"Oooh my god, I was bartending and that was the year I qualified for the ballet finals. God, I remember this song. They played this in the bar constantly." Elena said. She was draped across Tseng's lap. "Those were fun times." Elena said remembering her days as a bartender and a ballerina.
"That's right you bartended for a while, didn't you?" Rude asked.
"Sure did! I can mix anything, honey. My stupid ass sister always drug her boyfriends into the bar thinking I would give them whatever the hell they wanted free of charge." Elena said bitterly.
"What the hell! You sail and you dance…why the hell are you so clumsy in everything else you do? And by the way do you still not talk to her?" Rude asked.
"Hell, no! She's still a total bitch and a total slut. Reno don't get any ideas 'cause I'm sure she would give you somethin' that you don't want. And I don't know why I'm clumsy Rude! I don't know!" Elena said. Reno laughed.
"Speakin' of sleepin' around with everything…I was fifteen…me and my girlfriend thought this was the coolest song ever and one night…this song got a hell of a lot cooler because this was the first song we listened to after we lost our virginity." Reno said.
"So touching Reno." Rude said sarcastically. "I remember…and please know…I have no fuckin' clue why I remember this…but I remember being at the Loveless Avenue train station waiting on a slew of Shinra employees to return from a mako mission and one of those employees was Tseng 'case he was a brand new Turk and that was when I first met him." Rude said.
"That's right…you've been a Turk longer than me. How the hell…did I get Director over you?" Tseng asked him. Rude, Reno and Elena laughed.
"Because you actually took your job seriously and all I did was shoot the shit with him." Rude said pointing to Reno. "Hell, I wouldn't want your job, Tseng. There is just no fuckin' way."
"Let's see…my dad died the year this song was popular and that was also the year me and Chanille called it quits after two years…my god how am I not a chronic drinker or drug user? If it was gonna happen, that would have been the year. Yeah, sorry about being a downer and all but I have few good memories of 1994." Tseng couldn't help but laugh at the fact that his memories were in so much contrast from Elena's, Reno's and Rude's.
"Man…shit…what about…1995?" Reno asked.
" '95 was good to me. Yeah, '95 was a much better year in fact." Tseng said thinking about that.
"Hey, 'Lena? If you could would you strip to this song?" Reno asked out of nowhere referring to the next song that he heard.
"What the fuck Reno! No!" Elena said emphatically. For some reason that sent Rude and Tseng into a fit of laughter. "Everyone knows that my official song to strip to is Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics!" Elena said. That sent Reno into a combination of cheers and laughter.
"Actually, Elena…I don't think any of us knew that was your official song." Rude said.
"See! I told you both that when this place was built we needed to request that they put a pole right over there and you both said that was completely stupid! Not so stupid now, huh boss!" Reno said practically yelling. "Okay 'Lena…tell us about takin' your clothes off and then show what ya did. I know, I know, I know…it's his birthday you can just lap dance the whole routine on him." Reno said. "I have my phone, I'll video the whole thing!" Reno said.
"Okay, once upon a time when I was nineteen and my stupid ass fuck sister was twenty-two her friends dared us to enter amateur night and they promised the winner a day of shopping in which the winner could buy whatever the hell they wanted and her friends were payin'. Now, you may be saying to yourself why the fuck would they promise such a thing…well…they thought that my sister would win for sure because they knew I didn't have time to 'doll up'. My sister's friends were going to buy her this whore dress for some stupid thing so that's why they challenged me.
"What do you mean?" Tseng asked her.
"Well, I had just become a Turk and so I met up with her stupid friends right after work. I didn't have time to change and so when I walk in there with a suit and tie, her friends…" Tseng cut her off.
"Time out…did you…go on stage or whatever the hell you call it in the suit and tie?" Tseng asked putting his hands on her stomach.
"Yeah I did. I didn't really have other options." Elena confessed.
"Holy fuckin' hell…that is…." Tseng put his hand over his mouth.
"Don't even say it, man! That's the hottest thing in the whole damn world, 'Lena!" Reno said pointing at Tseng.
"Great, Elena…just great. Now we're all gonna picture you takin' your clothes off every time we see you at work." Rude said.
"Yeah, yeah. Boys will be boys oh yes they will! So anyway…long story short...me and my suit…or….lack thereof…won amateur night. My sister was pissed as fuck as were her friends because they had baited me into it thinking I didn't stand a chance against her." Elena said.
"Oh my god..." Tseng said as he put his head in his hand. Rude laughed at him.
"You're sweatin' boss!" Rude said looking at Tseng.
"You're right...I am."" Tseng said.
"So, did you win anything else?" Rude asked.
"1500 gil from the club, the shopping spree of my life from those stupid bitches, and the humiliation of my dumb ass sister." Elena said happily. "That's the other thing I do better than my sister. Relax, you don't have to sweat anymore. I'll let you see anything you want." Elena said reaching a hand to the side of Tseng's face.
"Are you saying 'Lena, that he pretty much gets whatever the hell he wants but me and Rude are left outta this?" Reno said.
"That's what I'm sayin'!" Elena said.
"Okay, okay, okay, okay...okay...now..." Rude couldn't finish his sentence for laughing so hard.
"You're such an idiot! You just said okay six times!" Tseng told him.
"That may be true, but you slept with Elena six times." Rude said. Both Elena and Tseng thought this was hilarious. It was as if he hadn't heard anything that was just said.
"Oh Rude boy, you're killin' me!" Elena said.
"What is today...oh Saturday. By Wednesday of next week that statement will be true but currently, that statement is false." Tseng reminded him.
"Holy shit! You just used the words currently and statement in a sentence...and you've been drinking! You still got the brains, you still got 'em!" Reno said reaching for his phone in the floor.
"Noooo! You're not calling that slutty bitch." Elena said clambering to the floor and snatching his phone away from him. "Besides, Tseng deleted her number earlier." she shoved his phone into her bra.
"Oh, what 'Lena? You think I won't go in there and get that! You think that's outta bounds? Hey, hey, hey, hey...if he can get in, I can get in!" Reno said.
" Hey, I may have played on a pole once in my life but you are not going in after your phone." Elena said pulling his phone out again and going through it.
"What the hell are we talkin' about right now?" Rude asked in confusion.
"And Rude's confusion is exactly why I have to say I'm gonna go crash. It's a hell of a lotta' fun though." Reno said.
"I couldn't agree more 'cause wine makes me so tired." Rude said staring at the ceiling.
"I'm gonna make a rule right now. I know that you two are gonna' get busy later and I don't wanna' hear anything. I wanna' go to bed and I wanna' stay asleep! I refuse to be woken by either of you!" Reno said.
"Yeah, what he said!" Rude agreed. Elena sat up, feeling her head swirl a little.
"Shut up. I hate you both." She said as she now stood up and reached her hands out toward Tseng.
"You don't mean that 'Lena! You love us! Alright, I'm out. Tseng, happy birthday man. If I'm hung over in the morning it will have been worth it.
"Yeah…what he said. I'm just gonna' go along with anything he says because shit my mind is in a whirl right now." Rude said. Reno was first up the stairs as he turned the radio off before he disappeared. Both Tseng and Elena would take care of killing all the lights down here since they were apparently staying together yet neither of them had talked about such. As Rude soon disappeared up the staircase, Elena pulled Tseng up from the couch and turned out the lamp beside the couch.
"I guess you're staying with me, huh?" Elena asked taking him in her arms.
"You know what…I just remembered that all of my crap somehow ended up in that room you're staying in. I never…picked a room or whatever." Tseng said a little incoherently. Had he not been holding Elena up against him the way he was and letting his hands pet her the way they were; that sentence probably would have made a little more sense. "God…that is…" Tseng sighed and buried his face in the top of Elena's head. "Shit, if you're gonna touch me like that…I'm just…gonna let you." He said. Elena laughed sweetly as she felt soft hands on her neck pushing her chin up towards even softer lips. Tseng gently pushed her up against the paneled wall of the hallway as eager hands explored her and tender lips caressed her. Elena's body was erupting in flames as she pulled his hips into her and she felt her knees fall weak.
"You're wet." Tseng whispered to her, clearly stating the obvious.
"Soaked." Was her breathless response. Tseng took her hands in his and led her down the hall further toward their room. He put his arms around her waist as he stood there in the doorway looking at all the stuff they were going to have to move around in here. Elena stood there staring around aimlessly.
"Tseng?" she said.
"Hmm?" he answered her. Elena leaned back into him.
"I am sooo drunk." Her voice was silky soft as she reached her arms up behind her and around Tseng's neck. She had no idea why she told him that but there was a kind of delicate seduction in her voice that drove Tseng insane. She sighed deeply as Tseng pulled her shirt over her head. She didn't care that she knew she would be cold…well…cold for a little while. She kicked her shirt in the door and stepped forward to move Tseng's suit elsewhere. Tseng closed the door behind him.
"You wanna know what you would look amazing in?" Tseng asked her laying on the couch, pulling Elena down on top of him. He could feel his head spinning but it could have been a hell of a lot worse.
"Yes!" Elena said smiling all over as he brown eyes sparkled with anticipation. Tseng pressed her ear into his lips. Elena's face lip up in excitement at what she heard.
"You know I can make that happen." she said digging her fingers into his hair.
"God, I can't wait to see it. Now you tell me something." he asked tightening his arms around her. She laughed.
"Normally, I'd be embarrassed to tell you this…well at least I think I would. Maybe not…but um…every morning before I get ready for work…when I'm still in bed…I umm…" Elena scooted herself up. The words that left her mouth made Tseng sweat again. He squeezed her shoulders tighter.
"Oh my god…I wanna watch you do that like you wouldn't believe." Tseng said desperately.
"Do you wanna watch or do you maybe wanna help…baby?" Elena asked before kissing him. Tseng felt his entire body weakly surrender to her. No woman had ever, ever called him that and it made him want her like he had never wanted a woman before in his life. There was a good chance they would end up falling asleep on this couch like this. They both had seemingly forgotten to pull the couch out anyway. It was as if Tseng couldn't get her close enough to him in the way he held her against him. He unhooked her bra as their kiss turned to pure heat. That was all the answer to her question Elena needed. She moved her hands down his body until she was able to slip her fingertips underneath his shirt. Elena pushed herself away from him and let her bra fall off her shoulders as she shoved his shirt farther up his chest. He pulled it off the rest of the way for her. Elena laid back down as they resumed their kiss exactly where it had left off only with slightly less clothes involved. Thank goodness Rufus had told Tseng on the phone earlier that the condoms were on the top cabinet shelf in that very room.
