A/N: Rated M for language and mild sexual content.
Chapter 27:
"Sir?" Rude said as he knocked on the already opened door to Tseng's office.
Tseng grunted in approval as Rude entered. Clearly, this was going to be a conversation of few words. They just needed Vincent Valentine to really have a party.
Rude closed the door behind him and approached Tseng's desk, though he gave no indication he was nervous or that he even had something to discuss privately. He sat down in a chair in front of Tseng and removed his glasses.
"I think we should work with AVALANCHE on this one," he said, taking a cloth out of his pocket to clean his sunglasses.
Tseng sat forward in his chair and clasped his hands under his chin.
"Why?" the leader of the Turks asked.
"They're not our adversaries anymore," Rude said, returning his sunglasses to their rightful place.
Tseng sat back in his chair and considered Rude's proposal. "Does Reno agree?"
"It was his idea. We informed Rufus."
"What did he say?"
"Only to join if necessary."
Tseng sat staring at Rude for a few moments, giving off no expression to explain his thinking. It was true AVALANCHE was no longer fighting Shinra and there was no need to treat them as the enemy, but Rufus was in charge and he made the final decisions.
"I'll talk to him," Tseng said after another minute.
Rude nodded and stood up to leave the room. Though little was said, he knew Tseng was onboard and if anyone could convince Rufus, it was Tseng, though that wasn't saying much. Rufus had his own ideas on how to do things and didn't like input from anyone else. Still, it was their only chance.
Rude returned to his desk and put his headphones on to listen in to Seventh Heaven. He had been tasked with listening live while Elena was forced to listen to the information from the night before. The occasional "aww" escaped her lips as she listened, finding herself looking at Reno in a different light. Maybe he was capable of genuine love.
Meanwhile…
Waking up, for Reno, was like coming to after passing out. He always seemed confused about where he was and how he had gotten there – even when he was in his own home. He opened one eye that morning, as the other was obstructed by a pillow. He was not in his own bed or his own apartment. He studied what he could see of his surroundings without moving anything but his eye.
There was a nightstand with his phone, and beyond that, on the adjacent wall, was a dresser with a bunch of framed photographs on top. He could see just one well enough. Tifa was in it, as was Barret, his kid, and Cloud. Also, three other people. Oh, those friends of hers he murdered. That certainly couldn't be a good reminder for her. Maybe he could steal the picture or put it face down, or place it in the back? Nah, that would all be too obvious. Dammit, she might as well have had a book called "101 Reasons to Hate Reno" on her shelf. She probably did.
He was sprawled across her bed as if he were a rag doll that had been thrown from some height; his legs were spread wide and his left foot as well as his left arm were hanging off the bed. He was face down and his right arm was bent back uncomfortably. The bedsheets were gathered at his waist, leaving his torso and legs exposed and somewhat cold. He knew he wasn't alone, but even taking up as much of the bed as he did, he didn't feel anyone else beside him. He batted his right arm a bit until he felt skin against the back of his hand.
With strained effort, he pushed himself up until his arms were straight and his back was arched down. He yawned like a lion first adjusting to the morning.
Nope, no point in getting up. Try again later.
He flopped back down to the bed but turned his head to look in the other direction. Ah, the back of Tifa's head, a much better view than some of his murder victims. She stirred when he disturbed the mattress but didn't seem to wake. Reno now saw where most of the sheets had gone. She had them clutched in her hands while facing away from him. Sheet thief.
Reno shifted to his side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, scooting up against her and inhaling her scent. She smelled like some combination of beautiful smelling things, flowers and fruits; he didn't know. Whatever was on her soap bottles he had used the night before.
Oh shit, that's right. He smelled like her now too. This would not stand. He couldn't go about his day smelling like a lady and wearing a three-day old suit. He'd have to make a trip home before he started work. Though, to be fair, he had technically been working for about 48 hours straight. Probably wouldn't get an overtime bonus though.
He heard Tifa moan softly as she awoke and squeezed her tighter against him. She turned over and smiled at him.
"Morning, sheet hog," he told her.
"Yeah? Well, you were taking up the whole bed," she retorted. She sat up and stretched while yawning. Reno thought she looked cute even when first waking up and found himself with a smile etched across his face.
"Will you be sticking around today as well?" she asked him, sliding her legs off the bed and standing up to stretch again.
"Sure, babe, I just wanna run back to my place to change and get my manly musk back."
Tifa turned sharply to look at him and smiled. He said the weirdest things.
"What, you didn't like my soaps?"
He sat up on the bed and crawled to the edge near her.
"They're fine for a girl, but I can't go around smelling like couscous all day."
She looked down at him in confusion.
"Couscous? Do you mean hibiscus?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever. Men shouldn't smell like biscuits and candy."
She laughed at his lack of knowledge of basic flowers and fruits.
"Okay, well, I'm gonna hop in the shower so I smell like biscuits and candy."
"Sounds good, you make yourself pretty while I—" Tifa's sour expression cut him off.
"Huh?" she asked, looking irritated.
"I mean, make yourself pretty-er," he tried again. Nope, also wrong. Tifa crossed her arms and looked disgruntled. "Shit, I don't know what to say to women in the morning…"
"Excuse me?"
Reno realized he was putting his foot in his mouth – what else was new – and had to get out before completely pissed her off.
"I, uh, I'm just gonna go before I dig this grave any further…"
"Good idea," Tifa said, swatting him playfully on the chest before walking into the bathroom.
Reno started to get dressed but found it difficult to keep from joining her in the shower once he heard the water running. The thought of pinning her up against the shower wall, slipping inside her as hot water rained down on both of them…
No. Stop. He had to get home and change so he could get back to work. It was a rough life, sleeping next to a beautiful woman and flirting with her all day to get information, but it had to be done.
Once he had his weapons secured, he let his mind drift one more time to thoughts of Tifa in the shower before heading downstairs and out the front door.
The sky was clear and pale blue as he walked jauntily down the street back toward his apartment, his hands deep in his pockets and a cigarette hanging from his lip. A rather feline grin stretched across his lips as he kept close to the buildings to avoid monsters. The sun capped the tips of his fiery red spikes with an icy orange glare and he ran a hand through them. He took a deep breath to inhale the fresh mid-morning air. The streets were empty except for beasts, which he preferred to crowds of people possibly smelling his feminine soap.
He figured he was giving off an air that told the creatures that he would burn them to the ground if they came close. And he would. He hadn't really been able to destroy something for a while – not since before Meteor, actually. He was half tempted to go on a rampage against some old computer equipment with a nine-iron. He and Rude had done that once when work was a little slow years ago. Maybe he should ask if Tifa wanted to join? He felt like she of all people needed to let off some steam right now. Of course, he would prefer she use him to blow off steam, but one couldn't be too picky.
It felt odd for a Turk to be out in the daylight alone. They may have compared AVALANCHE to cockroaches – when one is crushed, more will take its place – but the Turks were more like wolves, hunting in packs. Rarely did one Turk appear, though he had to admit he had done some of his most violent work while alone. He took out Sector 7 alone. Maybe he wouldn't have felt so guilty about it if another Turk had been there. Seeing that picture on Tifa's dresser reminded him that he was the real monster in this town, yet somehow Tifa didn't see that anymore.
When he was just a few blocks from his apartment building he felt his phone vibrate. Rufus. He flipped it open and brought it up to his ear, his third cigarette of the morning sticking to his lower lip.
"Yeah Chief?"
"It seems your fellow Turks agree with you," Rufus sneered.
Reno was honestly shocked. They agreed with him? On something?
"They do?"
"Tseng has suggested we work with AVALANCHE to find a solution to the planet's problem regarding monsters," Rufus breathed into the phone, as if he were being told to say this by his superior.
"Uh huh?"
"I disagree, but if you must use that as a ruse to get the barmaid to talk, go ahead."
Reno felt one of his nostrils twitch. She had a name.
"Can I remove the bugs from the building?"
"No."
He obviously wanted to ask why, but knew he'd be pushing his luck if he didn't take what he could get from Rufus at that moment. He faked his most appeasing tone while saying, "S'ok, Chief."
As usual, Rufus hung up without saying anything. Reno rolled his eyes and dropped the PHS back into his pocket. Rude had done it. At least he no longer had to worry about undermining Rufus by helping Tifa and her friends – if she'd let him, that is. If Cid fixed that airship, he probably wouldn't be invited along to wherever they were going this weekend.
Reno stopped outside his building and brought his index and middle fingers up to his lips to remove the cigarette, exhaling casually. He took one last short drag off the thing before flicking it away and entering his building.
There were several people in the lobby who looked like they wanted to go outside but couldn't risk their safety. Reno glided past them, hunched over, his eyes straight until he was in the elevator and pushed the button for his floor.
Ah, home. The cleaning lady had come while he was away, which was a relief. Niamh. He paid her extra to keep her mouth shut about anything she may hear or see in the apartment. Couldn't let just anyone into his home, what with all the ammunition and contraband lying around – not to mention the office supplies he'd stolen from Shinra.
He unhooked his weapons and placed them on the couch before unbuttoning his shirt and walking into his bedroom. He hung his suit jacket up on the door to indicate it needed dry cleaning and tossed his shirt onto the floor. His pants joined his jacket while his belt landed on the bed and his socks and boxer briefs went to the floor somewhere. The goggles hooked around the bedpost.
He stepped into his own shower to wash that couscous biscuit smell off of his skin and to be alone with his thoughts. He was rather enjoying his time with Tifa, whether he was mauling her or not. It was an odd discovery for him, learning that he was actually interested in what she said and wanted to know more about her. He figured that'd get old pretty fast. What was there more to know? She was from Nibelheim, knew how to fight, and smelled like crickets. Wait, no, that wasn't right. She helped kill Sephiroth and destroy his employer and she looked good in a skirt. Oh yeah, Sephiroth attacked her when she was 15 and her hair felt like silk against his cheek when he slept.
Nope, not much else to know.
He exited the shower and toweled off, spending a little extra time drying a certain part of his anatomy. He wrapped the towel around his waist and turned his head to the side to smell his shoulder.
"Ahhh, much better," he said as he approached the mirror. He brought his fingers up to his jaw and felt the stubble that had grown while he had been with Tifa. It was prickly, but hardly noticeable. And patchy. Stupid genes.
He lathered up and brought the razor down in one slow, fluid motion from his jaw to his neck. He took some extra time that day to ensure his face was smooth before applying his after shave and brushing his teeth. With his favorite suit jacket in need of cleaning, he grabbed his second favorite out of the closet along with a crisp white dress shirt. He pulled on his underwear, socks, and pants, leaving the belt buckle undone while he buttoned his shirt. As he did occasionally, he tucked in his shirt and checked himself out in the mirror. It showed off how thin he was, but as always, he untucked his shirt and buckled his belt. He just wasn't that guy.
He flipped his jacket over his shoulders and adjusted the collar. Looking good, as always. He grabbed his goggles from the bedpost and secured them to his head – one never knew when one would need goggles. He grabbed his weapons and took one last look around his home to see if he had forgotten anything.
He suddenly realized that it didn't feel like "home" anymore. Previously, the whites, blacks, and grays let him know he was a single, virile man, but now, they felt cold, sterile, and empty. He blinked a few times to see if he could get the original sensation back, but failed, so he locked the door and headed back to Tifa's.
She was in her kitchen when he returned, but she was fully dressed this time and eating a piece of dry toast while sipping her coffee. That delicious, delicious coffee. He wasn't sure if he should do anything differently this time to prevent her from having another panic attack, but he figured he should try to act less casual in her home.
"Hey babe," he said as he approached her slowly.
She turned to look at him and smiled but didn't get up.
"Mind if I grab a cup of coffee?" he asked, heading to the cabinets.
She nodded. "Mugs are on the third shelf next to the fridge," she said, as if he hadn't learned where they were the day before.
Perhaps that really had been the problem; he was just too familiar in her home. He didn't mean to act like he had been coming there for months, it was just so easy with her to feel comfortable. Compared to his apartment now, this felt much warmer and homey to him.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and timidly sat next to her at the kitchen island.
"Whadya need help with today?" he asked.
Tifa had just bitten into her toast, holding her hand under her chin to catch the crumbs that fell when she broke the crisp bread. She held a finger up to Reno as she chewed to make him wait, so he took a sip of coffee. Nectar of the Gods, indeed.
"I need to stock up," she said.
"On… alcohol, thongs, Reno time?" he asked. She placed her hand over her mouth politely and laughed.
"Supplies," she said through another bite.
"Condoms?"
She swatted him with her hand on his shoulder, hard. He gripped his arm and winced.
"Geez, lady, get those things registered, yo."
"No, I'm out of potions and ethers and some other stuff," she informed him.
Great, she gave him an opening.
"For your AVALANCHE reunion?"
"It's not a reunion," she said unhappily. A reunion would require Cloud.
"I can help you carry stuff, if you need," he said to try and get her to switch gears. "And I'm proud to offer you Turk service on your trip."
Tifa looked at him with one eye squinted in disbelief. What were the Turks up to?
"Heh, no thanks," she said, returning her gaze to her coffee and taking another sip.
"Hey, come on, we're past all that."
"We've moved past a lot but trusting the Turks to work with AVALANCHE is a bit of a stretch."
Reno brought a finger to his chin and looked up to the ceiling.
"What if I told you Rufus no longer wanted to be adversaries?"
"I'd think there was some deception afoot."
Reno put his hands up defensively. "No deception. Rufus wants to help heal the world any way he can, and AVALANCHE knows how to do that better than anyone else."
Tifa narrowed her eyes at him. "Thanks for letting me know, I'll take it under advisement."
"Has Cid fixed his airship yet?"
Tifa sighed. The Turks weren't interested in helping her and her friends. Even if Reno had gotten close to her for personal reasons, his job always came first. That suspicion she used to have of them playing one long con was creeping back up her neck again.
"No."
"Sounds like you could use a chopper pilot. I come with an excellent first mate."
Tifa chuckled at his wording. There was no way the other members of AVALANCHE would accept or trust Turk help. Well, except maybe Yuffie. Vincent might not care. Wait, what was she thinking? She wasn't seriously considering this. Best case scenario, the Turks helped them search the Forgotten Capital for the information they need and then scamper away with what they found.
Reno turned to her and took her hands in his. She continued to look at him skeptically, assuming he would snatch her up like he had done the other night. Instead he just held her hands and looked deep into her eyes.
"Tifa, listen to me," he said, more serious than she was used to from him. "The Turks are not going to give you trouble, I swear. We really do want to help."
Tifa's expression didn't change. He sounded sincere, but could she really trust him or his organization yet? He hadn't done anything nefarious since Nibelheim – that she knew of – but that didn't mean they weren't just waiting for an opportunity.
"I would have to clear it with the others…" she said slowly.
"I understand," he said, squeezing her hands. "If it makes it any easier, you can tell them you want to bring your lover boy along to play with."
Tifa laughed and punched him in the same arm she had smacked earlier. He again rubbed his arm and winced.
"Look, you don't want to drive or walk wherever you're going, so at the very least the helicopter will be useful."
"That's for sure," she sighed.
He smiled sweetly at her. It didn't seem right, coming from him. She was much more comfortable with him looking devious. That look she could trust. This… sweetness… just didn't feel natural.
"Well, let's go get supplies anyway, I can call everyone later," she said, getting up and taking her mug and plate to the sink and running the water over them.
"Yes ma'am, official Turk assistance starts right now!" Reno said in that mock formal tone.
The item shop was just down the street from Seventh Heaven, but it took them nearly 20 minutes to get there due to a pack of Kalm fangs. The bastards wouldn't stop coming.
Tifa was punching two at a time, leaping off buildings, and stomping on the damn things while Reno whittled away at them with his mag rod and pistol. Still, they kept coming. Tifa performed Beat Rush, Somersault, Waterkick, Meteodrive, Dolphin Blow, Meteor Strike, and Final Heaven, taking out no less than seven of the beasts, yet still found herself backed against Reno and surrounded.
"Glad you weren't out here by yourself today," Reno told her over his shoulder. He was struggling with her, he couldn't imagine what would happen if she were alone and he and Rude hadn't passed by at the right moment.
"I think we're gonna have to run for it," Tifa responded as one of the fangs snapped its drooling, diseased mouth at her.
They took off side-by-side, plowing their way through the creatures and taking out as many as they could until they were able to dive inside the item shop. Reno leaned back against the door to keep them from getting inside.
"Gettin' rough out there?" the shop owner asked them.
"Just a large pack," Tifa said as she picked up a basket and walked toward the section she needed.
Reno came up behind her once the door stopped pounding behind him and took the basket from her. She smiled sweetly at him and started dropping items into it as she looked at her list.
"Thirty more hi-potions, 26 more ethers, twelve phoenix downs…"
"Geez, you guys going to the Northern Crater or something?" Reno asked, mostly out of confusion, but somewhat to pry.
"Nope, I just like to be prepared," Tifa said.
"What are you preparing for, another Meteor?"
Tifa laughed and looked at the shelves a little longer before walking to the counter, Reno struggling to carry the basket with two hands.
"Couldn't have gotten a cart, huh?" he asked as he heaved the basket onto the counter and picked up the items that dropped out. First the Kalm fangs, and now that; he was a little winded, but he tried to hide it.
"That'll be 51,600 gil," the cashier told her.
Reno's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? You're going to drop that much on this junk? Is all of AVALANCHE going?"
He grimaced at his last sentence. He meant to make a joke but he knew it was the wrong thing to say.
"Oh, I thought you looked familiar, miss," the cashier said. "I'll give you a 5% discount for saving the world. It's the least I can do."
"Tell me about it," Reno said under his breath, crossing his arms. Tifa shot him a look.
Remembering why he was here, he reached in his pocket and removed a stack of gil. He licked his thumb and started counting the bills until he had a smaller – but still sizable – stack. "Here," he said, dropping it on the counter and pushing it toward the man.
Tifa put a hand on his and pulled the money back.
"No," she said. "I've got it."
Reno insisted. "No way. If the Turks are helping, the Turks are paying."
"The Turks?" the cashier asked angrily.
Reno sunk back a little bit. He'd been so focused on Tifa he forgot he was in public and couldn't identify himself. He didn't usually have that problem, since most people recognized the demeanor and the suit.
"Here's 50,000," Reno told the man. "Keep the change."
"Th, thank you, sir," the cashier said excitedly as he pulled the stack towards him in case Reno decided to take back his offer.
Reno insisted on carrying all the bags back and loaded them up onto each of his arms, the plastic handles digging into his wrists painfully. Tifa objected vehemently, leading him to allow her to carry one bag on her own. He was a man, dammit, he would carry all the items himself.
They got outside and noticed the Kalm fangs were milling about nearby.
"Uh, let's try to pass quietly," Reno whispered. "Otherwise you're gonna have to fight them."
Tifa rolled her eyes at him. He just had to take all the bags.
They were able to sneak by the fangs without being detected and keep to the shadows for the trip home. Reno was losing feeling in his wrists and just a block away from bleeding when they reached Seventh Heaven. He quickly shuffled to the bar and lifted the bags onto it with his last ounce of arm strength.
Tifa laughed.
"Not such a great idea, huh?" she asked as she placed the bag he let her carry on the bar as well.
Reno sneered at her while rubbing his arms. He still looked manly, right?
Tifa started to put the items away in the back storage room. Once Reno regained feeling in his hands, he picked up a few potions and brought them back. He hadn't been in the back room before. It wasn't very impressive, but he was interested in the shelf where Tifa kept all her potions, ethers, and other health items. With what they had just purchased, the shelf was perfectly full, with each type of item in its place and arranged in rows. There were potions, hi-potions, ethers, phoenix downs, softs, hypers, you name it. Reno even noticed some mega elixirs.
"Sweet," he thought to himself. At least he knew where to come the next time he burnt his finger on a cigarette – which was a surprisingly common experience.
"So, when do you all leave?" Reno asked after Tifa placed all the plastic bags inside one of the plastic bags to take up to the apartment with her. What did she need all those bags for?
"Soon," she said, cryptically.
"Aww, come on, I'm flying, aren't I?"
"Maybe, I still have to call the others."
"I still think you should go with the 'lover boy' cover story."
Tifa held up a sly warning finger to him and smiled.
"Fine, I'll call them, but can you take the chairs off the tables and place the drink menus?"
Reno looked at her like a deer in the headlights. She wanted him to do bar work? He stared at her as if she'd spoken another language.
"Oh come on, you know how chairs are supposed to look, don't you?"
Reno blinked a few times before laughing with a "yeah, yeah, yeah, you boss me around…" as he staggered to the tables.
Tifa took out her PHS and dialed a number as she walked into the storage room. She hugged herself with one arm while holding the phone to her ear.
"Hi, Yuffie?" she said quietly, hoping Reno wouldn't hear. "Would you be upset if the Turks flew us on Saturday?"
She had to hold the phone away from her ear as Yuffie screamed something about how cute it was that Tifa's new boyfriend offered to fly.
"He's not my boyfriend," she corrected. "They just, want to help, apparently."
"Well, it's still a-DOR-able," Yuffie swooned. "Of course your boyfriend can come."
"Yuffie…"
"I'm just messin' with ya, geez, take a joke!"
"I'll see you Saturday then. You'll be our last stop, probably, before we head over."
"Saving the best for last, I see," Yuffie said proudly. "I'll see you soon! AAAAAHHH I can't wait to see you two act all awkward around each other!"
"Bye, Yuffie," Tifa said before hanging up on her friend, who was still screeching.
Tifa scrolled up in her phone, looking for Vincent's name before remembering he didn't even have a phone.
"Well, it'll be a surprise for him then," she said out loud as she scrolled for the next name and pressed it.
"Nanaki?"
"Tifa, hello," the red beast said. "You almost ready?"
"Yes, but there's been a change of plans. The Turks say they want to help us and fly us out there."
"The Turks? Didn't they steal everything you and Vincent found in Nibelheim?"
"Yes, but…" Tifa didn't really know what to say. She knew Nanaki would be the one to push back out of him and Yuffie. "They promised they wouldn't this time."
"And you believe them?"
"Sort of," she said, peering out from the storage room to see Reno arranging the chairs as if he were an interior decorator, taking a step back after each one was turned over and examining it through his hands, which he formed into a rectangle. "They've been helping me a lot since Nibelheim without issue."
She could hear Nanaki sigh on the other end of the phone.
"I guess we don't have much of a choice without the airship. Unless you want to spend a week traveling."
"I really don't," she replied.
"Okay, see you Saturday, Tifa."
"Bye."
That call didn't feel good at all. Tifa wanted to believe Reno but knew that for the Turks, their loyalty was with Shinra. Even if he wanted to help AVALANCHE, what if Rufus told him something else? Would he betray her in the end?
She put her phone away and remained in the storage room for a moment to gather her thoughts. She really didn't want to put AVALANCHE in danger by trusting the Turks. She hugged her arms to her body and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Reno had seemed sincere, but he had tricked her before.
She returned to the bar area to see that Reno hadn't even finished taking the chairs off the tables. She walked over and finished the rest while he acted hurt.
"Hey! I was designing!"
Tifa rolled her eyes and grabbed the drink menus to place them on the tables, since Reno clearly wasn't cut out for preparation work. Maybe if she needed a customer killed…
A little later…
Rude and Elena were some of the first people in the bar once it opened. He looked like he really needed a drink; she looked rather bubbly. Tifa poured Rude a glass of the expensive scotch and placed it in front of him. Reno was already seated next to him sipping from his own glass.
"Long day?" she asked Rude in the same tone she used for all her patrons, though it was slightly more familiar with him.
Rude grunted and nodded. It was not pleasant sitting around all day listening in to Reno and Tifa's conversations hoping to hear something remotely useful. He had a notebook on his desk to take notes on any nuggets of information and so far he learned that Reno didn't know how to say "hibiscus," called himself Tifa's "lover boy" and might be flying AVALANCHE somewhere this weekend. Elena hadn't fared much better, but she was keeping a separate notebook of – as she claimed – "romantic" things that Reno was doing to tease him with in the future. She said something about a "girl talk" conversation between Tifa and Yuffie but didn't give details.
"What'll you have, Elena?" Tifa asked cordially.
"Vodka-soda," the blonde responded.
Elena had been jealously listening to Tifa and Reno's evening-through-morning conversations all day, and though she hadn't learned anything useful for Rufus, she did feel she was listening to a relationship develop. Tifa and Reno were both crazy about each other and refusing to admit it, Elena heard, and it was driving her crazy. She felt like she was listening in on a soap opera. She was loving it but found herself wanting to reach through the recording devices to strangle the lovebirds when they didn't say what they needed to say.
Tifa poured Elena her drink and set about helping other customers, who were filtering in little by little and taking up the tables. It wasn't usually too busy Wednesday nights, but there were enough to keep her from the Turks for long periods of time. She was still nervous about being able to hide her relationship with Reno from the others. She now knew Rude knew about her and Reno but didn't want to look like she was rubbing it in his face.
She also couldn't help the feeling that Elena wanted to talk to her about something, but figured she was just seeing things.
It was awkward for Rude and Elena, predictably, since they knew things about Tifa now they'd rather not know and couldn't bring up things they heard on the tape. Elena was dying to ask what Reno had done for her to make those noises and why she was still hung up on Cloud.
Rude would rather have not heard anything. Reno was technically his superior and wished the redhead could remember the apartment was bugged. Or maybe he did remember and couldn't help himself. Either way, it was the worst thing Rude listened to since that time one of the junior Turks tried to introduce him to "today's" music. Damn kids.
Reno tried to focus on his coworkers, but he was already scheming for what he could do with Tifa after the bar closed. With the bugs still installed – he didn't understand Rufus insisted they remain in place if they were going to help AVALANCHE – he wouldn't be able to have any fun.
Or maybe he should give her the night off… gah, he had never gotten to this point before. He didn't know what to do. He just knew what he was feeling.
In the end, he figured it was best to just leave when Rude and Elena did. What would he have done in the past? He wouldn't be aching to spend several nights in a row with a girl, that's for sure. So, he bid her goodbye, taking note of her expression – a mix of hurt and acceptance – and left with his colleagues for the long, dangerous walk back to his place.
It was for the best. He needed to give her time away from him to miss him, even if it meant he'd miss her, too. Besides, if he stayed away it meant no one could hear what they were saying.
When he entered his apartment again it felt even emptier than earlier in the day. His bedsheets felt like ice and he couldn't get comfortable, tossing and turning all night. Well, this would not stand. He needed to spend less time at Tifa's. He was losing himself in that girl and he needed to resist it with every fiber of his being.
End notes: So, another chapter that didn't really go anywhere, but we're still building something. I have almost the entire ending already conceptualized, but I'm still working on how to get there. Hang in there.
