~~This Chapter goes out to KissofJudas. She is amazing and helped out immensely with Tseng's text wording because I sometimes cannot handle Tseng's formality and how he says things. She's my "Tseng expert." Thanks for the rewording! Go check her out, she's awesome and writes great things. ~CR
I do not think it wise for you to be staying with Highwind. You do recall that he was a member of the team that tried to get us killed numerous times? You still remember the scar you have from his spear, and the several other battle wounds we acquired from that last battle? We are enemies, Reno – and now you tell me that you now sleep in the house of a man who gave you an injury it took you weeks to recover from. Honestly, I almost have to wonder what he expects from you in return. You know as well as I do that nothing in this world comes for free – don't let him take advantage of you or your past. I want to think you've learned...but a reminder never hurt anyone. If you need help, call. I will get you and take you anywhere you require.
Reno angrily slammed the phone shut and wanted nothing more than to go punch something. Did Tseng seriously bring up his past and ask if Cid was demanding "services" for letting him stay? He stood and walked out of the den. Cid looked up from a cup of tea at the kitchen table questioningly.
"Well that was a short na-"
The door opened and shut before he could finish. 'Well, I guess Tseng managed to piss him the fuck off.'
Reno stalked across town in the sleet, he wanted a drink and he'd be damned if he was going to be denied by the bartender.
He walked to the Inn and stepped inside. He turned immediately to his right and walked into the bar. He sat on the closest bar stool and ordered a Scotch on the rocks. The bartender started to argue, but
Reno put two hundred Gil on the table.
"I'll give you whatever price you want, just please give me the fucking drink."
The gruff man looked around, on a night like tonight the bar was empty. Nobody wanted to travel through the storm to come in for a drink. He took the two hundred and slid down a glass of scotch to Reno, who caught it without looking up.
The redhead drank it in a swift motion and reached into his pocket for his wallet, but before he could get it out another one slid down the bar.
"As long as you leave once someone else comes in, you can drink at the regular price. I don't want to be seen serving a Turk. No offense."
"None taken." Reno said finishing off his second glass with little to no grimace.
"You're the one staying with the Cap'n?" the bartender said as he poured another round.
Reno nodded and accepted the third glass that had been slid down.
"My wife thought she saw the Cap'n get out his truck and bring back a chopper."
Reno sighed, "Yes, the chopper is mine. I am sorry to seem unsocial, but I kinda have a lot on my mind and I am not really in a talking mood. You dig, yo?"
"Sure, sorry to intrude on yer bad mood."
Reno nodded and nursed his scotch allowing his thoughts to consume him. It finally was sinking in, how honestly fucked his life was. He had nowhere to go, no ride to take him anywhere, and one of the only people he had depended on had just implied that he was sleeping with someone for favors. That he had resorted to a previous chapter of his life. Reno sat at the bar and stewed. The bartender looked at Reno expectedly when the door swung open but the person who entered waved a hand to say it was okay. After a bottle of scotch the Turk almost didn't notice the hand on his shoulder.
"You know drowning your sorrows isn't exactly the best method of forgetting. It only gives you a headache to add when you wake up in the morning."
Reno looked up and sighed at his blonde pilot friend.
"I know, but ya know what? It fucking feels good ta jus' let the booze take me away."
"What did Tseng have to say?"
Reno looked away and muttered something unintelligible swallowing the last of what was in his glass.
"I didn't catch that."
"It's fuckin' nothing. He just felt the need to remind me of my past and warn me that no kindness is free."
Cid frowned at the Turk who was swirling the ice in his glass. The bartender mimed pouring Reno another, but Cid waved him off, the man was drunk enough.
"What time is it?" Reno asked, looking around for a clock.
"Almost seven in the evening. Ya've been here since three this afternoon."
Reno lay his head against the bar and looked at his empty glass collection, "It seems so surreal. Like none of this is actually my life. That I'll just wake up in a hospital bed and Tseng will yell at me for scaring him and tell me I've busted another chopper."
Cid set a hand against the Turk's shoulder, "Ya know what my Ma told me whenever I felt down? Ya gotta hit rock bottom before you can climb to new heights. You will find a way to make do. Yer a Turk right? You guys are known for being able to take a beating and keep on coming back for more."
Reno sighed and sat up, "You're right."
"Fucking straight I'm right. Fuck Tseng. He wasn't man enough to ignore the pressure he might feel from his home town. He hid behind his God when he hit rock bottom and lost something he shouldn't have ever chosen to give up."
Reno gave a smile and stood shakily, "I think it's time I break the seal and then we should head back."
"Well, maybe I'll join you fer a few. I haven't been here since-"
"Last week?" The bartender offered helpfully.
Cid shot the man a look and waved his hand, "I'll take the usual Marcus."
Reno, Cid, and Marcus talked and joked over drinks and bar food until late in the evening. When Reno and Cid stumbled out the doors with a wave back at the man who smiled as he locked up the bar, they hardly noticed the cold. Cid had been careful not to get too drunk and Reno had only had enough to keep him as drunk as he had been when Cid arrived. The two stumbled into the house, Cid helping Reno walk into the den and laughed when Reno tripped over the hem of the carpet. Reno pulled the shirt he had been wearing off and sat in Cid's armchair, waiting for the man to quickly throw down the blanket that Cid had folded on the back of the couch for him.
Cid smoothed out the blanket and turned to face his housemate, when suddenly Reno was very close.
"Ya know Cap'n. I can repay you for your kindness if you want."
Reno gently pushed the Cid down onto the couch and sat on his lap. The blonde swallowed hard and stared at the man that sat on him. Those slightly bloodshot aqua eyes seemed to bore into his soul and steal his breath from his chest.
"Reno yer drunk."
"Very."
"Reno, although you make a very tempting offer. I don't want to take advantage of you while yer like this."
"It's not taking advantage if I offer." Reno said as he gently placed a kiss on Cid's neck.
Cid let out a slight gasp at how soft the man's lips were. Tseng was a very foolish man indeed. Yet however nice the sensation was was completely nullified by the sudden waft of scotch that met the older pilot's nose. Carefully, Cid shifted and set the Turk on the couch.
"I'm sorry Reno, but not tonight. I don't like my men to regret me in the mornin'."
Reno frowned, "I wouldn't-"
"No Reno." Cid said firmly and stood.
He walked to the door and left without looking back. He didn't want to see the sad look of rejection, but he would much rather it be that then the regret the man would feel the morning after.
Reno lay back against the pillows, suddenly very angry with himself. Had he just proven Tseng right? Had he just offered to sleep with Cid for all he had done for him? More importantly, Cid had proven to be the stronger man and tell him no.
'I could just pretend that I was drunk and meant nothing by it. Drunk and horny is believable right?' Reno sighed after pausing in his thoughts, 'No. He was a gentleman and I was doing what I used to do when I got drunk and want to be with someone. How sad is it that a killing machine like me needs a fucking drink to flirt with someone.'
That however raised more questions than Reno wanted to think about with a few too many in his system. What about his family and Tseng? Did that mean he was giving up on the man he loved for another? What if he got reinstated as a Turk? What if the reason Cid said no was because he didn't honestly want to be with Reno? Reno frowned and burrowed deeper into the pillows, trying his hardest to ignore the questions that picked at his thoughts.
~Here's Chapter 10 and after editing..it's not as long as planned. However it is full of goodies and promises of progression in the story. Thank you to fethrhed, Namantos, bettina1959, 6WaysToSunday, and Lee-lee-999 for the reviews and again I love seeing reviews in my inbox, so please keep'em coming. Also, if you want to know what Tseng knows about Reno's past, pop on over to my other fic, "Christmas in the Slums." You'll know some things about Reno before Cid does. Next chapter I will do my best to make longer, but I think that shooting for at least 1000 words per chapter isn't too terrible. Thank you for reading and thank you for the reviews. ~CR