Parenthood

Chapter 8 - Friday

By Crystal Snowflakes

The tension was tangible between them the moment Reno opened the bedroom door and saw her as she packed up whatever supplies she needed for the day at work. Somehow, even though she hadn't done anything wrong, she felt like she was gathering up her stuff and getting ready to do the walk of shame out of his home. Because really, she had planned to leave before he woke up, hoping to avoid talking to him altogether until later in the day.

With the way he was staring at her with those exhausted eyes, it looked like he hadn't slept well either. And even then, she couldn't stop her pulse from racing, her stomach from fluttering, her nerves from fraying—her feelings felt raw. All night, all she could think about was how close she had gotten to kissing him, how close their lips had been—she had seen the way he had looked at her.

And yet, he was the one who pulled away. Had she jumped to the wrong conclusion?

She cursed Tifa. Because ever since Tifa had brought up the idea of dragging Reno's face down to her and kissing him with everything she had, she could not stop thinking about it. And even now, looking at him with his mussed hair, half-lidded eyes and cocky quirk of his lips, all she wanted to do was pull him towards her.

"Hey," she finally managed.

His gaze flickered over to Sayuri on the makeshift playmat before looking at her again. "Hey yourself."

Pretending to pay attention to the bag as she zipped it up because it was downright embarrassing to gawk at how he was looking the moment, she did what she always did when faced with an awkward situation. "So I'm gonna go to work for a bit and I've got a few errands to run before we send Sayuri off to the middle of gawd-knows-where. And like, I realize I said we would have takeout and cake, but I realize it's stupid and I really don't wanna be wasting your time, so—"

"Lemme know where you are," he cut her off as he walked towards the kitchen, pouring out a cup of steaming coffee that she had made. "I'll come get you so we can pick up some food and cake."

Yuffie blinked dumbly at him. "We can?"

"That's what we settled on last night, yeah?" he asked as he took a sip of coffee.

And then her heart stuttered painfully in her chest again as she thought back to all the things he had done to make her breath hitch. Didn't he offer to help with Sayuri even though he didn't need to? And what about when he volunteered to hold the baby when her back was hurting? She couldn't forget how he had never actually denied Elena's allegations, or the way his finger grazed her lips that morning, or how could he be so charming. All her mind could focus on was last night and how they had been so close...

Was he intentionally messing with her?

No. Reno was many things, but being dishonest wasn't really a trait of his—he was shamelessly straightforward.

"Yeap," she chirped out instead. She never had a problem speaking her damn mind about anything—so what was so different about this?

"I'll drive you to work?"

And as tempted as she was to accept that offer, she knew she had to decline it. The thought of being stuck in a car with him where she couldn't escape for a long period of time was making her jittery and distressed. She needed some time to process everything, plus, the quiet walk would help her gather her thoughts.

There was only so much time left and plenty left to do.

"Nah," she said as she shook her head and placed the backpack down on the ground beside her. "But let's take a picture together before I head out!"

He walked towards the living room, mug still in hand. "All three of us?"

Biting her lips hesitantly as she peered up at him. "That's okay, right? I'll just take a quick selfie. I figure I could get it printed and—"

"Yea," he interrupted again with an exasperated glance sent her way.

She couldn't help but giggle because underneath it all, she saw the amusement in his eyes. "'Kay! Let's go then!" Hoping up from her seat, she scooped up Sayuri from the ground and waited until Reno put his cup away before dropping her into his arms. And then pulling out her phone, she stood next to him and took a handful of pictures of themselves.

As she reviewed the photos, she couldn't help but inwardly squeal at the way Sayuri was looking at the camera, nor could she really look away from the way the corner of his lips lifted up. Secretly, she knew she was being an idiot, but she also couldn't stop her mind from wandering while realizing that they did look like a family.

The morning had passed in a blur between diaper changes, bottle feeds and finally completing her mission report while Sayuri was strapped to her chest—Yuffie figured she could spoil the infant all she wanted since it was going to be their last day together.

The thought never failed to send a small aching pain in her chest even though she knew deep down it was the best option for Sayuri.

Right before the clock struck noon, Yuffie had already packed everything up and had grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria for her trip back to Edge. She made a small list of chores in her head as her mouth rambled on about nothing in particular while Sayuri peered up at her sleepily, listening attentively while slowly dozing in the baby carrier.

By the time they had made it back to Edge, Sayuri was fast asleep and Yuffie made sure to take another picture before reminding herself to have all the pictures printed. With a quick text to Reno letting him know where she was heading and also to remind him to send her all the pictures of Sayuri he had, she went about the two tasks she had planned.

The first stop was a jewelry store—Yuffie knew she was being stupid and sentimental, but she couldn't help but buy a small gift for the baby that she knew she probably wouldn't see again. Her mind drifted involuntarily to a small necklace that her own mother had once bought for her before she had passed—it was sitting in a small jewelry box in one of the drawers back at home.

A lucky charm.

With the shake of her head to clear her mind, she made her way to the next store in mind. While buying a couple bottles of Reno's favourite whiskey because he had offered to help and allowed her to stay the week, she caught sight of a whiskey glass that she couldn't look away from. With a small laughter, she picked it up and threw it into her shopping cart as well.

Needless to say, when Reno's car finally rolled up to the liquor store, Yuffie's hands were full.

"Holy shit, brat. What'd you get?" he asked as he stepped out of the car to help her with the bags.

"Drinks!" she said with a grin as she handed him the bag of alcohol. "Party tonight, right?"

"Are you tryin' to get yourself plastered?" With the bags in the trunk, Reno opened the door to the passenger seat.

Yuffie slid in the seat thankfully, her legs tired from having an additional fifteen pounds on her. It was almost like she had done a full leg workout all day. "Maybe I'm trying to get you drunk, Turkey!"

He muttered something under his breath she couldn't quite catch as he slammed the door in her face. She couldn't stop the cackles from escaping her lips. The awkwardness from this morning could still be felt, but it was clear the both of them were trying to ignore it as best as they could. When he got into the car and started the drive back to the apartment, Yuffie couldn't help but fill the silence with her usual prattles and Reno seemed to relax as she spoke.

The afternoon was spent with Sayuri and her toys as they tried to get her to roll over with her succeeding once before she gave up. When she finally succumbed to her third nap of the day, Yuffie took the time to order the photo prints off her phone before writing what must've been the first letter in her life.

Reno had shot her a few curious glances, but left her to her own devices otherwise.

They still hadn't addressed the elephant in the room.

Yuffie wasn't sure if she would ever get the courage to.

Reno felt like he had been living on the edge of his nerves the last few days. If he was honest to himself, it was worse than any torture he had suffered through because physical pain, he knew how to deal with—at least during those times, he could count on Rude to bail him out. Within the walls of the apartment, there was only him and her because the small infant who had been his shield the entire day was being tucked into bed.

The fleeting glances and physical touches that she had forced on him weren't new to him. What was new to him was how he was reacting to them. He found himself enjoying her endless chatter and the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention.

Who knew the clumsy, scrawny little shit could be so captivating.

It was different when he didn't think anything much could happen, but after last night...

By the time he had finished his shower and settled himself on the couch with the television turned on, ready to finish last night's movie, Yuffie was just closing the bedroom door behind her. It took him a moment to realize she had changed back into his shirt and her small shorts. As she reached up to the cabinets to pull out a whiskey cup, he couldn't stop but stare at the way his shirt lifted up, exposing her midriff—which shouldn't do anything to him because she was always running around in that damn skimpy top of hers, but he couldn't look away.

He continued to study her as she pulled out a bottle of whiskey from the bag and a new whiskey glass he hadn't seen before. "What'd you buy?"

An impish grin. "You'll see."

A few ice cubes and whiskey poured later, she came bounding towards the couch and handed him the new cup.

He couldn't stop the snort of laughter from escaping at the sight of the print on the glass.

"World's greatest dad," Yuffie said with a cheeky grin. "Thanks for all the help this week, Turkey. Would've been a helluva lot harder to deal with without you."

Raising his glass briefly as a toast, he brought the glass closer to him before taking a gulp of the amber liquid and enjoyed the hot, burning sensation as it went down his throat. "Admit it. Ya wouldn't have been able to do it without me, yo," he said with a smug smirk while he placed down the glass and lifted his feet onto the coffee table.

And while he hated to acknowledge it, their banter the entire day felt flat.

Something was off with them—he knew it and she knew it. Was what happened last night going to be what wrecked whatever it was that was between them? After this week, she could no longer really be considered just his drinking partner. And as much as he loathed to admit it, Rude was right—he had thought about her.

Her feet dropping into his lap as she sank into the couch brought him out of his thoughts.

"Your feet smell, brat."

She chortled. "Well that's probably 'cause your body wash smells. I took a shower before dinner, jackass!" With a glint in her eyes, she dug her toes into his sides before he slapped her feet away.

"I've seen you smellin' your arm when you think I'm not lookin'."

Her face turned red. "I do not."

His only response was his smirk widening and the huff coming out from her lips only served to amuse him. Pointing the remote at the screen, he started the movie from last night, his mind inadvertently drifting back to the way she had looked at him before she had been about to kiss him.

The circular argument that had plagued his mind the entire day appeared again. Somehow, he had unintentionally gotten interested in the brat despite the fact that he hadn't wanted to. Logic told him he should run far, far away because she was not only insane, she also came with rabid bodyguards that would most likely kill him if he so much looked at her the wrong way. Worse was, she came with a slew of responsibilities he was not interested in having anything to do with.

He liked his life simple outside of work and having her around more than she already was was just inviting more trouble and complications that he didn't want or need.

Not to mention it would blur the lines—not just one line, but all the fucking lines.

Not only was she inadvertently politically tied to his boss because she was next in line for Wutai, she was also Rude's wife's best friend, and the man with the strongest military in the world tended to think of her as his reckless daughter. Just thinking about it hurt his head.

Could he not have chosen to want someone else? Anyone else?

"Turkey?" She sat up suddenly, her face close enough now that he could see the way her lashes curled up.

"What?" he snapped back tiredly as he turned to glare at her.

Her eyes were wide and bright, a questioning look in her gaze. And then her lips twitched into a shit-eating grin like she had somehow stolen all his materia—it was a good thing he didn't usually carry any around or he would spend an endless amount of time looking for them, almost like how he was constantly looking for the numerous lighters he had lost.

"You're touching my leg," she said with a snort of laughter. "Voluntarily."

He realized belatedly that she was right, and that his thumbs had been drawing patterns on her legs and touching her and he wasn't sure he wanted to stop. "So?" he murmured with a shrug. There was something about the way she was looking at him and if she was any other woman, he would've pushed her down against the couch and settled himself on top of her without any qualms. But this was Yuffie Kisaragi, his bar hopping partner, the future Empress of Wutai, a member of AVALANCHE and WRO and holy shit were they all really going to kick his ass if he tried anything.

For a brief moment, he contemplated standing up and dropping her legs on the ground.

Except her impish grin grew wider as her fingers grasped his shirt and she pulled him towards her roughly. With a yelp, he flailed into her and the scent of his body wash and shampoo overwhelmed him as she leaned towards him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he hissed out warily as his hands held up his own weight, careful not to crush her small frame.

Her legs were somehow on his lap still and the shirt on her rode up again, exposing her skin.

A flash of uncertainty crossed her face. But when she finally spoke, she spoke confidently, "Just following a friend's advice. So I'm uh, gonna kiss you, 'kay?"

With her hand still tight against his chest, he could feel his heartbeat pulsing loudly. Was she giving him a way out? Her dark eyes studied his face curiously as her face flushed red and her lips parted slightly.

When he didn't say anything, she bit her lips, the doubt in her gaze returning. "Okay, well, just remember if you hate it to blame Teef cause she told me to do this and—"

Letting out a harsh breath, he pressed his mouth over hers and her eyes opened wide almost comically before fluttering close. And when it was clear to him that she wasn't interested in talking anymore, his kiss grew gentler as his lips explored hers slowly, nipping, tugging, suckling. She tasted like the chocolate cake they had earlier in the evening, her lips softer than he had expected. The soft gasp that escaped before she kissed back stirred something in him—something he hadn't felt before and didn't want to think about.

His hand readjusted her legs so they were on either side of him before he lowered himself to her. His calloused fingertips brushed against the delicate skin of her legs and she shuddered slightly in response. Her hands were warm on his skin as she glided them towards the elastic band of his shorts and he let out a groan. Pressing his forehead against hers, he pulled his lips away from hers and looked into her mischievous eyes.

"Yuffie…" he muttered warningly as their breaths mingled.

"Mhmm?"

"Don't." He forced out the word between his clenched teeth.

Her fingers slid under the elastic and he felt his body stiffen in response. Her other hand pressed against his taut, muscled stomach. "Why not?"

"Because we're on a couch and the kid is inside?"

"So?" Her fingers inched lower.

He bit out a curse as his hand rushed to still hers. "You have no idea what you're doing to me, brat."

She let out another snort of laughter, her eyes crinkling in mirth. "I kinda do. Who knew you were gonna be the responsible one?"

"Between the two of us, I'm always the responsible one." It was a miracle he was still managing to respond to her clearly because she was arching her back against the couch, her body pressed tightly against his and his mental capabilities were quickly disintegrating.

She pulled her hand away from his grasp before tugging on his ponytail near the base of his neck, causing him to hiss in pleasure. "Oh good. That means I can be downright irresponsible then." And before he could truly comprehend what she was saying, she dragged his face down to hers, catching his lower lip between her teeth.

Growling, he pushed back against her, making sure to ground his hips against hers before shifting his weight onto his other arm. His left hand snuck under the shirt, his fingers grazing her side—her skin was smooth beneath his rough fingers as he drew soothing circles just below her hip bone.

"Reno…" she whimpered, letting go of his lips.

He lowered his face to hers again and her lips parted as he nipped at her lower lip before leaving a burning path of kisses up to her earlobe. And then his teeth teased her lobe, earning a soft moan in his ear. Turning her head towards his face, she left kisses on the hollow of his neck. His teeth scraped over her slender neck with a greedy roughness and he felt her heart racing frantically beneath his lips. He inhaled the faint scent of her skin and listened to the sounds of her sighing his name breathily—it was intoxicating.

Without expecting it, her hand snuck back down between them as her fingers wrapped around him. His head fell against the crook of her neck in surprise—his breath stuttered and he couldn't stop his hip from rocking into her grip before exerting his self-control and stilling himself.

"Fuck," he gritted out. "Yuffie, stop."

He couldn't remember the last time someone touched him. Somewhere along the way, one-night stands and booty calls had lost their appeal and as much as he had spent his life running away from meaningful relationships, he had been secretly envious when Rude had found someone to spend the rest of his life with. And while he had never expected to find someone himself, the princess had dug her way into his life with her brash mouth and annoying quirks and he'd been happy to just have her around as a companion.

Except at the very moment, she was lying down on his couch with his body pressed against her, her breathing shallow. Her fingers gripped around him as she stroked him.

"If I don't wanna?" She asked with an arched eyebrow—he lifted his head to look into her defiant gaze..

"You don't wanna know." Whatever she was doing to him was filling him with an urgent and burning need and he was trying to hold onto whatever little control he had left.

Her hand stilled. "...Is it gonna change things between us?" she breathed out, uncertainty tinting her voice.

He sucked in a hard breath as he stared at her. All he wanted to do in that moment was wrap her legs around him and lose himself in her touch and her taste. "A little late to worry 'bout that, princess." He didn't think he could forget the way her body melted into his or the way her kisses made his blood rush south.

Her laugh tinkled out and it made his heart leap. "In that case, why're we stopping?"

"There's a fuckton of reasons why we should be stopping." He watched the way her cheeks were flushed with a soft pink glow and the way she was looking at him, eyes glimmering. The bright light of the television illuminated her figure and he realized idly that his palm was now splayed across her lower back, holding her firmly against him.

Her hand released his ponytail and she twirled pieces of hair around her fingers instead. "Are there also a fuckton of reasons why we shouldn't be stopping?"

"No," he responded curtly. And even then, he didn't push himself off of her even though he very well could have and should have.

"I want you," she said boldly as her lips twisted into a cocky grin before her fingers tightened around him—his breath caught in his throat before a guttural groan escaped. "Pretty sure you want me too." Her bluntness was like a breath of fresh air—the women he involved himself with usually played mind games.

"The fuck gave it away?" he bit out sharply and it took all his self-restraint to not jerk himself forward. "You're gonna be the fuckin' death of me, you little shit."

"I just needa know…" she trailed off and the brash quirk of her lips wavered slightly. "Is this gonna be a one-night stand?" He didn't think he'd ever seen the arrogant brat with such a vulnerable gaze before. "I mean, it's totes fine if it is, but I just needa know, cause ya know—"

Unhesitantly, he bent down to capture her lips with his again—he realized that she was giving him an easy way out after she had practically laid out her insecurities and bared herself to him. His heart hammered loudly in his chest and Yuffie stayed absolutely still for a few moments, seemingly shocked that he had kissed her.

"I don't want a one-night stand," he murmured against her lips.

"'Kay," she whispered. "Cause I don't want one either." He felt her lips smile against his.

The way her fingers hooked around the waistband of his shorts and underwear made him shudder and lightheaded. Just as he was about to bunch up the hem of her shirt and pull it off her, the distinct sound of a baby whining could be heard.

They froze.

When it was clear Sayuri wasn't going to fall back asleep on her own, Reno groaned in exasperation as his head fell back against her collarbone. His cheek brushed against her sweat dampened skin and the underlying hint of his soap on her wafted up his nose. "You've gotta be shittin' me."

Her loud snickers didn't help.

"Is this what parents always have to fuckin' deal with?" he rasped huskily as he lay a nip at her collarbone.

"Don't you wish you didn't tell me to stop?" she asked, turning her head to place a kiss on his temple before she pushed him away gently. Disentangling herself, she rolled off the couch gracefully and shot him a backward glance.

Her alluring hips swayed as she walked away and he didn't think any other woman had driven him insane quite as much as she had.

His body collapsed into the couch in frustration—it was time for another freezing cold shower.

Author's Notes: Welp, it was supposed to be a peck, but then they got carried away...

As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!

Completed: Nov 12, 2020