Strings of Lights
By Crystal Snowflakes
Summary: Five times they run into each other during a mission, and the one time they meet back at home.
I.
With her forehead pressed against the cool glass, Yuffie let out a breath of air and the surface misted over. Closing her eyes, she felt the chill seeping into her skin, and she pulled her moogle cape tighter around her shoulders to keep the cold at bay.
She couldn't understand how she could've been talked into coming here, of all places, and during the dead of winter too. Not only was it so cold that she was already freezing her ass off—and she wasn't even off the stupid airship yet—but she was exhausted and tired from stopping herself from emptying out the contents of her stomach all night. Her stomach was still protesting loudly, and her head was pounding painfully in between her eyes.
What she would give to just crawl out of this hellhole and curl up on Tifa's couch with a blanket in her arms and a pillow underneath her head. And maybe a cup of hot tea.
It was only the first day. And she was supposed to be here for at least a month and a half.
Tiredly, she opened her eyes, lifting her head to look out the window. She watched as the sun rose over the edge of the world, casting its golden glow across the steep, jagged ridges of the Great Glaciers, and painting Icicle Inn in an orange hue. Yuffie had spent the entire morning staring blankly at the quickly approaching town, still in disbelief that she couldn't recognize a single building from when she visited almost a decade ago. She knew the old Icicle Inn had burnt down, but she didn't quite believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.
Just then, her stomach heaved, and another pang of nausea hit. A grimace formed on her face as she leaned her forehead against the glass once again, and she took a few deep breaths, her eyes fluttering close.
"Lookin' a lil green there, yo."
Her eyes snapped open as she shot a glare towards Reno, who looked way too perky and smug for this early in the day.
She swore then that she was going to murder Reeve when she got back to Edge.
"Keep coming closer, dickhead," she hissed through clenched teeth, daring him with an open challenge. "Promise you'll look just as green when I'm done blowing chunks on you."
"Just concerned, brat. You look like shit." Reno held his palms up in surrender, though the smirk playing at the corners of his lips made it clear he knew exactly what he was doing to her. And that infuriated her more than anything else. But as much as she would've liked to retaliate somehow, the world started to spin at that moment, and she screwed her eyes shut and tried to catch her breath and not vomit up the meager contents left in her stomach—she hadn't eaten since she had gotten on the airship almost ten hours ago.
She heard his footsteps approach as she tried to get comfortable against the window, and she felt his hand on her back, rubbing small circles into her lower back.
"Breathe," he said, his voice calm but firm.
No matter how much she tried to suck in the air and breathe it out again, it seemed like nothing was working. She felt like she was going to be sick, but she had a feeling that if she began to throw up right now, she wouldn't stop until she ran dry, which, truth be told, she already had.
"That's it, brat," he murmured, encouraging her quietly in her ear. "In and out. Nice and easy."
Her stomach curled with nerves when she realized their proximity, but instead of focusing on that, she followed his instructions, breathing slowly and steadily through her nose as her hands trembled against the glass. She held up her weight with sheer willpower, her legs were shaking, and she felt weak and dizzy as she focused on slowing her breathing until her chest no longer heaved. Still, she held herself stiffly upright with all her might, refusing to show any signs of weakness even though the logical side of her told her he'd already seen it.
It took a lot longer than she would've liked for the nausea to go away—before she slowly regained control of herself. It was then that she noticed the dampness against her neck, and how clammy her skin had gotten with sweat. With a groan of discomfort, she turned around—shaking his hand off her back in the process—and slid down against the glass and to the floor, curling her legs up and pressing them close to her chest.
"Go ahead," she muttered, her face pressed against her knees. "You've got a one-time pass to make fun of me cause I'm too sick to kick your ass." The words came out with more venom than she'd intended, but at the same time, she hated this feeling of helplessness more than anything else. She didn't want to appear weak, especially not in front of someone who would never hesitate to mock and humiliate her if given the chance.
A moment or two passed before she heard him crouch down near her. He made no attempt to speak at all, and she removed her face from her knees, peering up at him. Their eyes locked together; his expression was neutral and unreadable, which only further unsettled her. Normally, he'd be making some scathing remark, or at the very least, laughing about her situation. But here he was, in her face, staring at her; his eyes held a certain intensity that she couldn't quite name, and she felt her stomach clenching tightly—she was sure that this time, it wasn't caused by her motion sickness.
"What?" she snapped, refusing to tear her gaze away from his piercing ones. As if he'd suddenly realized he'd been staring, his jaw tensed for a fraction of a second before his face stiffened back into his usual mocking expression.
She was sure whatever was going to come out of his mouth was going to be downright insulting, and she tried to sit up straighter to brace herself for it.
Except…
"Nothin'," he responded. Then, before Yuffie could even argue back or give another snide reply, he stood up abruptly and walked out of the bridge of the Shera. She felt her own brows furrowed in confusion at his lack of taunts.
Letting out an exasperated—but very baffled—sigh, she dropped her head back between her knees. That conversation—and his unexpected kindness—had been so… weird. And if the look on his face had been any indication, he was just as bewildered by his own actions as she was. So much so, in fact, that she was almost convinced that what had happened had just been a fever dream.
But he did seem genuinely concerned.
And for the first time, even with the queasiness in her gut and her head throbbing in pain, she found herself wanting to hear what he might've said—honestly, she just wanted to know why he didn't respond with his usual caustic sarcasm.
Gawd, why was Reno being so fricken weird all of a sudden?
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II.
The snow crunched beneath her boots, and Yuffie's breath came out in a fog as the chill of the late afternoon settled in. Her gloved hands trembled with cold, and she kept them close to her chest and under her cape as she continued walking and bouncing around. Unfortunately for her, staying active did little to combat the cold that seeped its way into every pore on her body, and the breeze continued to send goosebumps running across her skin.
Letting another huff of air, she looked around, taking in the sight of transportation trucks parked all around the area that carried all the components that were necessary to build the wind turbines that would be used to power the town. By next month, if things went smoothly and Reeve's plan actually worked—though she had to admit that his plans often did—they would have completed the work necessary to power all of the townsfolk. A part of Yuffie was glad that she was the one in charge of supervising the project; it was the first time wind turbines were built so far up north and the idea of it was kind of cool.
Though, truth be told, the other part of her wished that she didn't have to work in the cold because her fingers felt like they were frozen, her teeth were chattering against each other, and her nose was probably going to fall off as soon as she stopped moving. At this point, she'd die from hypothermia before the trucks finished unloading the parts for the construction.
"It's so fricken cold," she muttered under her breath as she bounced on the balls of her feet before she took off running, hoping that would at least keep the chill at bay. The weather felt like it was growing colder with each passing second, and didn't they know that princesses like her should be treated like royalty in the winter? Where was the heat lamp or the fire pit, or the cup of hot cocoa?
"Gah!" she exclaimed as she accidentally ran straight into someone, clipping their shoulders. Her arms flailed to catch her balance, and her face turned bright red from embarrassment when she felt whoever it was reach out and put an arm behind her back to steady her. "Crap! Sorry 'bout—"
Yuffie cut herself off as her eyes focused on red hair and green eyes, and her heart jumped into her throat when his irises met hers, a smirk slowly appearing on his face. It was the first time seeing Reno in a week—the last time was when he had insulted her on the airship before acting weird and oddly kind—which was funny, considering her room in the inn was just a few doors down. That, and they were technically working on the same project, even though she was in charge of making sure the parts went to the right place and that all the components would come together and work; he, on the other hand, supervised the construction. She felt his hand linger on the small of her back, maybe a second longer than she expected—than she was comfortable with—before he pulled away.
"You keep runnin' 'round like a headless chocobo, and you're gonna break somethin' you can't afford to break, yo."
Scowling, she took a step backward while folding her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing slightly. She felt like a child again, being scolded by her father after misbehaving, and she didn't like that feeling at all—even though he was probably right and she really shouldn't have been running around the place. That didn't mean she was going to take it lying down.
"None of your business, asshole! And who said I was gonna break anything?" she snapped, glaring daggers at him, though she felt her cheeks heating up when his gaze stayed on her.
She noticed belatedly that for the first time she'd met him, his chest wasn't on display because he was wearing a snug peacoat—thank gawd for small miracles. Somehow, even though the inside of her nose was practically frozen solid, she could smell his aftershave and cologne on him.
"You ain't got the best track record for stayin' on your feet, brat." Reno snorted out a low chuckle, deliberately leaning down closer until his breath could be felt against her cheeks; she had no doubt he was doing it to throw her off balance. Her eyes darted up, up, and up, and she never noticed until that very moment how tall he was because he was always walking with a slouch and he'd never gotten close enough, but now…
He was taller than her by several inches, and more than that, she couldn't help but notice that he looked good too, now that his ugly goggles were off his head and his gaudy hair was half hidden by a dark beanie. It took all of her self-control not to tear her gaze away and step back because he was just so close. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of green with flecks of navy, and she felt her stomach flutter and flip unexpectedly.
Oh, gawd.
What was wrong with her? She sure as hell wasn't attracted to him, but whatever was happening had her reeling, and it was making her feel so flustered and jittery and confused that her palms were beginning to sweat—she didn't want to think about the way she was weirdly excited and terrified at the same time.
Somehow, Yuffie managed not to fumble over her words and stutter when she spoke next through gritted teeth, "I'm capable of keeping my balance, thank you very much."
Reno raised an eyebrow—his expression was one that screamed he didn't quite believe her—looking too amused for her liking. In response, she huffed angrily before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms to turn away.
"So you're telling me," he said lazily, sounding smug and almost like he was enjoying teasing her further—which she didn't doubt he was since he didn't have anything better to do, "that it was another clumsy idiot that knocked over the boxes of ammunition in the—"
The thought of that mishap had her cheeks flaring up once again. He was such an asshole.
"It wasn't me, you jackass!" She'd kill herself before she ever admitted to doing flips, hurling herself in the air, and accidently launching herself against the boxes in the WRO armoury; otherwise, he would never let her live it down. Plus, it really wasn't her fault that they were stacked so precariously. In the end though, nothing of value had been lost, and she'd even volunteered to clean everything up!
With a group of people, of course.
"Oh?" he drawled out, his tone laced with amusement as he gave her a pointed look, and the corner of his lip tugged upwards. "So you're saying that someone else was responsible?" He was clearly enjoying this whole thing a little too much.
"Look," she muttered, motioning between the two of them. "You're clearly upset I ran into your turkey ass, so I'm sorry, okay?"
She was certainly desperate enough to change the topic that she was not above an apology, however insincere she felt about it. But the idea of admitting to that particular disaster was out of the question; it had been such a humiliating and cringe-worthy occurence—one she never planned on ever repeating. So she switched tactics and did what she did best: talking and overloading the opponent with words, hoping that he'd change topics.
"And plus, I was just running around cause I was cold, 'kay?" Yuffie continued, gesturing to the scenery around them. "Who the hell decides to do this when it's almost winter? You'd figure they'd try to find a warmer month to work on this—"
"Didya forget where we were, dipshit?" Reno asked with a snort, cutting her off with a roll of his eyes. She had to force herself not to cheer in jubilation when he took the bait—hook, line, and sinker—but instead, she bit the inside of her cheek and held back a victorious grin. "It snows practically three hundred sixty-five days of the year here, so when d'ya—"
"My point exactly!" she retorted with a casual wave of her hands at the never-ending expanse of snow in every direction for as far as the eye could see to emphasize her point. The snow fell around them, the icy flakes dancing through the air, and she realized then that it was the first time since she'd arrived at Icicle Inn that she wasn't all that cold. Arguing with him had definitely warmed her up somewhat, even if it seemed so pointless to argue with someone who didn't know how to shut his trap.
"They've been fine the last few years running their town on coal energy even though, yeah, it's restrictive," Yuffie continued, just letting her mouth run off without much thought. Her silver tongue had gotten her out of more situations than she could count, and this time was no different. "But it isn't like the town's gonna keep growing much. I mean, why waste all the resources to build a wind turbine for this little town for such a small population? It already burned down, right? It all seems kinda pointless—"
She stopped abruptly, because she knew she'd said the wrong thing as soon as the words had left her mouth, and she wished she could have taken them back and swallowed them down.
Reno had been at the town when it had gone up in flames. The file she had taken a peek at—it was a pastime of hers to dig around Reeve's file cabinets whenever he was out of his office—had kept the details relatively vague, but she knew that the Turks had been at Icicle Inn at the time of the fire. What made her pause, though, was the look of anger and guilt etched onto Reno's face at the mention of this.
"Shit, sorry," she mumbled, immediately averting her gaze from his, her fingers immediately going to play with the hem of her cape. The anger and guilt she saw there was so familiar and she hated it. It reminded her of the feeling of helplessness she'd felt when she thought there was something she could've done to help. Suddenly, her throat felt so tight, and her heart sped up and she replayed the words she had just said in her mind over and over again. "I didn't mean it like—"
Reno turned around and walked away without another word, leaving her standing there speechless and utterly stunned. She stared at him in silence and watched him as he disappeared.
Feelings of uncertainty and regret swarmed her whole.
Maybe she should've just kept her mouth shut.
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III.
The window was cold against her forehead as she watched the snow flurries. A heavy blanket of white covered everything as far as the eye could see, and the wind howled through the town. Somehow, the breeze had found its way inside her room, and Yuffie tightened the covers around her a little tighter. With a sigh, she swivelled her head around to look at the clock on the nightstand.
It was a few minutes past noon.
Closing her eyes, she leaned against the window once more as she freed one of her hands from the blanket and rubbed her temple; a small, tired groan escaped her lips. She had woken up at the ass crack of dawn, and despite trying for the last few hours to fall back asleep because she didn't want to leave the warm comfort of the bed, all she managed was a light doze.
Worst of all, she hadn't had her morning cup of coffee yet. And as much as she wanted to stay inside her room, she knew she couldn't stay for much longer since her stomach was starting to growl.
Normally, she'd already be out and about, but the snowstorm that started last evening had yet to stop and everyone in Icicle Inn seemed to think that it wasn't going to end until at least the following day. That meant that no work on the wind turbines would be done today because everyone was snowed in—the workers and engineers were stuck on the airship, her and Reno, well, they were at the inn. Because of that, she had spent the last few hours cooped up in her room, trying to avoid the inevitable by doing absolutely nothing.
It was really hard to keep herself occupied with anything because she had no access to her phone or laptop, thanks to the lack of electricity in town.
And if she had to be honest with herself, it was because she didn't want to leave her room at all; she had somehow managed to avoid Reno the last two weeks, and she would've been happy to continue steering clear of him. Every time she thought of running into Reno, she thought of the way she had been so inconsiderate in their last conversation, even though she knew she wasn't quite wrong. It wasn't like she was advocating for a town to burn down, but rationally, it didn't make sense to build such an expensive project for such a small population—she still stood by what she said.
Still, if the flash of guilt and anger on his face was any indication, she had hit a nerve. And she wasn't sure how to deal with that. She was never the type to care about what other people thought of her or what she said, but there was something in his gaze that made her feel strangely exposed and small. And that, she wasn't used to.
Despite wanting to allow her mind to wander for longer as she rested her head against the cool window, she decided against it. Unwrapping the blanket around her, she tossed it back onto the bed as she got up from her spot on the windowsill. Her hair tumbled down her face as she made her way across the room, and she ran her fingers through her hair a few times to smooth down the silky strands.
It didn't take her long to brush her teeth and change out of her loose t-shirt and shorts and into a pair of worn sweatpants and a tattered sweatshirt. Slipping her feet into a comfortable pair of runners, she took one last glance out of the window before letting out another soft sigh and shutting the door quietly behind her.
As soon as she stepped foot into the hallway, she could smell the coffee—strong and bitter and probably not at all fresh—from downstairs, wafting up to her nose. It was enough to make her stomach flip a little, and her mouth water at the thought of having something to eat.
While she would normally slide down the bannister, she took the stairs down one at a time to delay getting to the dining room. To be fair, she didn't even know why she was so reluctant to leave her room because as far as she knew, Reno was still in his own room and nowhere near the dining area, so why was she even worried about—
"Oh." The sound came out almost breathlessly and her thoughts stopped dead as she came to a complete halt at the bottom of the stairs, just before entering the dining hall. She felt her heart rate accelerating in her chest as she caught a familiar flash of red hair in the corner of her eye. Before she could even think twice, her eyes flickered over towards Reno's figure, and unexpectedly their gazes locked, causing the both of them to stop short as they froze in place.
A moment passed—awkwardly—and Yuffie blinked a couple of times before Reno suddenly broke eye contact and turned away.
Oh gawd.
He was just sitting at the corner table, alone—it was totally weird not seeing Rude next to him, but Rude was busy playing father of the year back in Edge—as he nursed a beer. At one in the afternoon. And worst of all, the rest of the dining table was completely empty; there were no other customers in sight.
Yuffie swallowed hard, unable to form words as she looked at the table he was sitting at. Her hand curled tightly around the wooden bannister as she tried to will her feet to carry her to the dining hall, but her feet were frozen. And she couldn't stop but stare at the way his eyes were heavily hooded; he looked exhausted. Not to mention, he wasn't in his usual Turk uniform.
Did she pretend not to see him and sit at another table? Did she pretend that nothing happened the last time they saw each other and annoy him like she usually would? Or did she apologize for being an insensitive idiot and talk to him like a normal person and not act as if this was the most awkward thing that had ever happened between the two of them?
Biting the insides of her cheeks, she closed her eyes and let out a huff of air. "The hell is wrong with me?" she muttered under her breath. "It's just Reno."
Problem was, for the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say despite knowing that she should say something—anything. But what could she possibly say? Truth be told, he probably didn't want to hear anything she said anyway, and she felt like she wasn't able to come up with an apology. Just as she was about to turn back around and go up the stairs despite her growling stomach, her gaze caught sight of a few decks of cards by the hostess stand.
Without a second's thought, she snatched up the cards and took a deep breath before taking a step forward. Slowly, she made her way over to the man she used to consider an enemy. As she neared the table—his table—she could have sworn that she saw something flash across his face, but it was gone as soon as she saw it, and the next thing she knew, he was looking right back at her as his bright green eyes met hers.
"Uh… cards?" she asked, holding up the deck of cards.
For a moment, neither of them moved or spoke, but his eyes flicked downwards to the deck before snapping up to meet hers again, and Yuffie felt her heartbeat pick up just a little bit. When he finally nodded, she felt so relieved that she couldn't help but smile and nearly stumbled on her feet as she settled into the seat across from him and dropped the cards onto the table.
"You can play poker, right, Turkey?" she asked, attempting to mask her nerves as much as possible, feeling oddly embarrassed for even approaching him.
His lips tugged slightly upward. "You gonna cheat, princess?"
Yuffie couldn't stop the scowl from crossing her face. "Pssh. I don't needa cheat to win," she stated matter of factly, and the chuckle that escaped from Reno's lips caused her to pause in surprise. She watched as he reached forward and plucked the cards up from the table before shuffling them with practiced ease.
Her eyebrow twitched at the nickname even though she knew she should've been used to it by now. She kept her composure and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. When he began dealing the cards, she took the opportunity to order a small continental breakfast from the waitress who had been eyeing the two of them for quite some time.
The silence stretched on as the two of them played cards, and neither of them made any attempt to start a conversation, which only made her more confused than ever. Her mind was so scrambled that she didn't bother keeping track of the wins or losses, or even pulling her usual tricks of cheating to win. He was calm and collected—a refreshing difference from the cocky and brash personality he normally had—but surprisingly, she found herself missing his usual behaviour.
And the problem was, she knew what she wanted to do—to apologize—but somehow, she couldn't manage to find the courage or the words. And it really shouldn't be that hard to say sorry, but when she glanced at him every once in a while, she'd notice how dark his eyes were, and how tiredness laced his features—
"Wouldya just spit it out?" he asked with a look of exasperation on his face as he shuffled the cards, breaking the quiet tension that had been growing between them ever since she had first sat down.
It caused her to jump in her seat, and she snapped her attention up from the piece of toast in her hands and back towards his face. "Wha?"
Reno rolled his eyes, causing Yuffie to narrow her eyes in return, and he let out a scoff as he picked up his bottle of beer to take a sip before setting it down again. "You've been lookin' at me like you either wanna punch me or like I suddenly grew a third eye, yo," he explained, lifting his eyebrows a fraction before leaning forward slightly and placing one of his elbows on the table to rest his chin languidly on his open palm.
"So you can cut the shit the with your stares and tell me what the hell you wanna talk 'bout before I lose my patience, princess." His voice was firm, but there was a hint of a teasing smirk playing on his lips as he leaned back against the back of the chair again. "Or until ya decide to stop lookin' like a damn stalker or some shit."
Without thinking, she opened her mouth, ready to snap some smartass remark back at him. But then she shut it abruptly. Somehow, without meaning to, he had given her the opening she had been waiting for.
As much as she hated it, she needed to say something; all she had to do was apologize. It would only take a couple of words—or even just one, if she really wanted. A simple phrase that would alleviate her guilty conscience. Pursing her lips, she swallowed hard and took a deep breath through her nose. It took her another second to manage to get her mouth to move. "About last time," she started slowly, "I shouldn't have said what I said. About the town burning down and not—"
"You ain't wrong," he interrupted her spiel, but nonetheless, surprise flashed across his face briefly and his brows rose slightly. "It's a waste of an expensive project." Unexpectedly, his expression softened. Then, as if he suddenly remembered himself, the look on his face turned unreadable, and he gave her a small, indifferent shrug.
Whatever she had expected, it hadn't been this. She couldn't help but feel slightly taken aback, because the last thing she expected was for him to have agreed with what she said. Despite her confusion, she felt herself relaxing as her shoulders finally uncurled from the tension. "Maybe," she admitted, "but it was insensitive anyway."
He let out a snort in response.
Maybe it was the dismissive way he was treating this conversation, or maybe it was her stubbornness, but she didn't want to let the conversation go. She still hadn't apologized, and dammit, it felt like he was just planning to sweep whatever she planned to say under the rug, and something about it rubbed her the wrong way.
"Like I said, I shouldn't have said what I said," she continued, her voice rising steadily. "Especially since I knew you were there—"
"We didn't start the fire,'' Reno interrupted with an arched eyebrow as he placed his cards face down on the table and crossed his arms across his chest. She had gathered that much from the mission report she had snatched from Reeve's desk out of curiosity, but it was interesting to her that he was trying to defend the Turks from the actual fire—understanding though, since Shinra had a nasty habit of burning down entire towns just because. "But we also did nothin' to stop it from burnin' down, if you were wonderin'."
It wasn't often Yuffie Kisaragi was willing to apologize for something she had said out of impulsivity, but it must have been the first time it was so difficult to say.
"I know you guys didn't start the fire in Icicle Inn. But for the record, it was a complete asshole move for not even attempting to help out," she muttered. Her words came faster now, almost out of habit. She had always been good at getting what she wanted with her words, though she had never been particularly good at apologizing, or at talking about feelings—especially her own. Without waiting for his response, she continued, "This totally wasn't the reason why I talked about it though, so would you just let me talk?"
She noticed how his jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth together, and she could see a mix of emotions flitting across his face. He opened his mouth to talk, but she held up her hand to stop him; a large part of her was surprised when he actually didn't argue with her and closed his mouth.
"Look," Yuffie huffed out a sigh, and she ran a hand through her hair. Then she took the plunge. "I'm sorry. For being insensitive and all."
His mouth dropped open slightly, and it seemed that her apology had caught him off guard. But only for a fraction of a second. Before she could even blink, his cocky smirk had returned, and he raised his beer bottle to his lips once more to take a sip. "Well," he drawled, "didn't think the princess in ya knew how to make apologies."
"Y-You—" she spluttered, and she felt her cheeks grow hot as she glared at him. Un-freaking-believable. He was such a jackass, and gawd, she really was going to kill him after they were done with the wind turbines. "Oh, fuck off."
And then he had the fricken audacity to snicker as he began dealing the cards once more. But like magic, the weird tension that had been between them melted away into something less tangible and more comfortable. His lips curled lazily as he surveyed her obvious frustration, and she felt her chest tighten just slightly at the look on his face.
She shook her head, biting on her lip to hide the smile that threatened to break free.
"Asshole."
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IV.
The sky was oddly bright for the middle of the night, and it was as if the sun had somehow come up at two in the morning and decided it didn't want to go back down. There was not a cloud or snowflakes in sight, though if Yuffie had learned anything in the past few weeks that she had been in Icicle Inn, it was that the weather was never predictable around this part of the world. It could be sunny one second, and stormy the next; if she thought she would have gotten used to the weather by now, she was sorely mistaken.
She missed mild winters in Wutai. Hell, at this point, she missed the warm, muggy winters in Edge, and that wasn't something she ever thought she'd miss.
Flopping onto her back, she let out a frustrated huff of air as she regretted her earlier choice—falling asleep much too early in the evening because she was exhausted. She had spent the entire morning trekking through the snow to the wind turbine building site, only to have to make her way back down the mountain when the sun had started setting. The last bite of dinner that had been in her mouth was still in the process of being swallowed when she had fallen asleep in bed. Except sleeping at an absurdly early time meant waking up in the middle of the night with no chance to fall back asleep until the sun began to rise once more.
Lying on the foreign bed that she had yet to get used to, she stared up at the ceiling and allowed her thoughts to drift. Her mind went blank whenever she tried to think about her inevitable destiny—about the responsibilities placed on her shoulders—so she closed her eyes and allowed herself to daydream instead.
She let her imagination flow, and soon, she found herself wondering what life might look like if things were different than they were now—if there were no expectations placed on her, if she was free to pursue the happiness she wanted. Unexpectedly, the colour red flashed through her mind, and worse, the sudden image of Reno's face popped into her head; she bolted upright in surprise and nearly fell off the bed, but caught herself just in time as blood rushed to her cheeks.
Shaking her head, she willed away the thought before it had any lasting impact on her mood. But, deep down, Yuffie knew it was already too late. No matter how much she denied it, Reno had been a constant presence in her life the last three weeks ever since she had apologized—however awkward it was. There were only so many things to keep her company, with the minimal use of electricity in town, and therefore, the lack of cell phone and laptop.
She suspected it was the same for him; they found each other at the only bar in town after work and kept each other company until the candles dimmed and it was closing time. Not for the first time, she wondered if she was going to miss his companionship once their mission was over—once they returned back to Edge. He was amusing to have around, with his crass jokes and sarcastic quips, his bad habits and his inability to keep his nose out of anyone's business. It had been a long time since anyone had made her laugh as much as he had, though there weren't many people in the world who could also get under her skin like he did.
With a groan, she rolled to the edge of the bed to get up, hoping that it would clear her head. It wasn't like she was going back to sleep anytime soon. She got to her feet, wincing as her legs ached from all the exercise she had put in earlier today, and snagged the blanket off the bed to pull it along, her feet dragging across the floor and towards the window. As she sat down on the windowsill, she wrapped the blankets tighter around her shoulders and leaned against the glass pane once more, gazing out onto the quiet snow covered landscape below.
She didn't know how long she sat there, with her gaze fixed on the dusky horizon, but she only realized she had dozed off when she heard a door close and quiet footsteps shuffle outside her suite. When she opened her eyes again, little specks of snow fluttered lazily in the gentle winter breeze, and the sun had just begun to peek through the darkened clouds.
And that was when she saw it—bright, gaudy red in a sea of white.
She blinked and squinted, rubbing away the sleep from her eyes, and she felt her curiosity pique. There was no doubt who it was the moment she caught sight of him, because his tall, lanky figure—slouched and hunched and unmistakable—stood out like a sore thumb amidst the bright landscape as he walked farther and farther away from the inn until he disappeared from her sight. She wondered for a moment if maybe it had been a hallucination—if some part of her brain was playing tricks on her as she struggled to stay awake.
What she did know, however, was that he looked lonely.
Before she realized what she was doing, Yuffie rose to her feet and got dressed in record's time. With her moogle cape pulled tight around her shoulders, she hurried down the hallway, down the stairs, and exited the building to follow the path Reno took. His footprints in the snow were relatively easy to follow, and her boots made loud crunching noises against the snow.
It didn't take her long to notice he was making his way up the cliff. But why?
The trees that grew tall cast their shadows across the trail, and it took what felt like a few more minutes for her to catch up to Reno. By that time, he had stopped walking, and he was standing on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the town beneath them. She paused, watching him as he focused his attention on the buildings, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as his scarf fluttered in the wind.
Even with his back against her, she could see the tension coiled in his shoulders as he remained perfectly still and motionless. While part of her wanted to do what she always did, which was to barge in obnoxiously and fill in the silence—she probably could have annoyed him until he snapped at her to piss off so that things could go back to normal—Yuffie refrained. But at the same time, she was unsure of what to say or what to do.
What exactly was she supposed to say to someone she barely knew? At least on a deeper level.
It was at that moment that the sun broke over the horizon, and she cleared her throat.
Slowly, Reno turned his head slightly to the side as he glanced at her, and she took it as an invitation to step closer toward him, before he turned his attention away again. There was a strange expression on his face—open and vulnerable—as he stared intently ahead of him at nothing in particular, and if it wasn't for his clenched jaw and his lips pressed together in a hard line, she would've thought he looked almost bored.
"You okay?" she asked with hesitation as she shifted her weight awkwardly from foot to foot. As curious as she was, she also wondered if she should have just left him alone with his thoughts instead.
"Looks nothin' like it used to," he muttered as he motioned towards the town. There wasn't much else he needed to say; Yuffie understood where he was going because those were the thoughts that often swirled in her head as she wandered the streets of Icicle Inn. "But you're right, yo. It was a complete asshole move to not help them evacuate."
A lump formed in her throat, and a wave of guilt washed over her. "I—"
Reno cut her off. "We were in the middle of saving the Boss' brother. Half-brother." His voice was quiet, almost nonchalant, but she could hear the slight waver in his tone.
"Townshend, right?"
He chuckled softly as he looked back at her. "Boss didn't even care. But ya know, family's hard to come by in our line of work." She didn't doubt it, but at the same time, the only example she had of family was her father, who was a shitty human being and an even shitter father who hadn't cared enough about her for years and years, leaving her only in the care of strangers. When she didn't say anything, he continued, "I ain't got family, so—"
"I get it," Yuffie interrupted. Her chest tightened painfully for a moment and impulsively, she stepped closer to him, reaching out tentatively to place a hand on his arm. She felt him tense momentarily before relaxing underneath her touch. "Kinda."
The corner of his lips curled upwards, and he turned his attention back to the town below. There was a stillness that stretched between them, and it wasn't uncomfortable—quite the opposite—though it was unusual for either of them to be so quiet for such a long time.
"You ever wish you could turn back time?" Reno asked, his voice barely audible to her even though she was right next to him. She noticed that he was staring straight forward and was carefully avoiding eye contact with her, and she, herself, glanced down at the townspeople who were slowly starting to wake and bustle around.
His question surprised her. Unwittingly, she thought of all the times in life she wished she could do all over again—of Sonon and of Aerith. And then she recalled Sector Seven and how helpless she had felt at that very moment; she couldn't help but wonder if the Sector Seven Plate had even crossed his mind.
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of his jacket as she let out a breath. "Yeah, I guess I kinda do." She would've asked him the same question, but she doubted he'd ever give her a straight answer.
A snicker slipped past Reno's lips. "Figures."
She frowned at his comment and released her hold on him. "The hell does that mean?"
When he finally turned to look at her, a small grin tugged at his lips. "Just that you're so damn predictable with your hero complexes, yo."
It would've been so easy to take offense to what he said, but for some reason—maybe it was the quirk of his lips, or maybe it was the glint in his eyes, or maybe it was both—she let out a short laugh instead. "Sorry my bad traits are so predictable to you, Turkey."
"Who said they were bad?" he shot back wryly with a cocked eyebrow.
Yuffie couldn't stop the warm flutter in the pit of her stomach at the unexpected comment—a backhanded compliment—nor could she suppress a small smile as she shook her head. Feeling her cheeks grow warm, it was now her turn to avoid eye contact as she stood there beside him and watched the town below them. It was so peaceful in the early morning sunlight as snow drifted down from the skies above and glistened in the light.
She let out a huff. "Whatever."
.
.
.
.
V.
The snow beneath her boots was at least ten inches deep, and it crumbled with every step Yuffie took. It was a beautiful evening, and the storm that had been raging for hours seemed to be finally settling down. Still, the wind continued to whip against her face, cutting through her moogle hood like needles as she walked the streets of Icicle Inn to reach the center of town.
Even then, her gaze flittered around, appreciating the scenic beauty surrounding her—the quaint and cozy building, the snow-covered trees, the snow capped mountains. That didn't mean she wanted to stay though; she had been counting down the days until she could finally get out of here and go back to Edge just so she could take off her winter gear and feel warmth. She was constantly so cold that she felt like she would die of frostbite; the chill that lingered inside of her each time she spent outdoors was something she couldn't shake, no matter how many blankets she layered on, or how many hot showers she took.
Worse of all, she couldn't believe that she had already spent almost two months trapped in this place.
The sight of hopeful villagers grew more numerous the closer she got to her destination, and they were all bundled up in fur coats and scarves as they looked up at the tallest fir tree she had ever seen; it stood in the midst of everything, and it looked monstrous. Strings of lights had been strung all along its branches, and at the top of the tree sat a star; the sight made her heart beat with excitement. Her steps slowed as she stood below the tree, looking up at it in awe before taking a step back to take it all in again.
It was beautiful, though it made Yuffie a little anxious. Her eyes flickered to the distant town clock. In less than ten minutes, they would be flicking on the switch to turn on the lights—the first non-essential light to be used in the town ever since it had been rebuilt. They had spent the last few weeks working hard to bring in electricity to the small town, but what if it didn't work? Despite having spent the last few days retesting the wind turbines and batteries and being reassured that everything was on the right track, she couldn't help but worry that all the work they had done would be in vain.
"Yo."
Yuffie nearly jumped five feet into the air as she felt a warm breath against her ear. Without hesitation, she spun around with a scowl and extended her leg to kick, though she couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat. "What the hell?"
Reno snickered and dodged easily before putting his hands up. "A little jumpy there, brat."
Letting out a huff of mock anger, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "First of all, I'm not jumpy. Maybe some people just need to learn about personal space! Also, why're you still here? I saw your copter at the edge of town this morning—"
"Rude looked ready to fall over after flyin' up, so he's gettin' some shut-eye. Apparently kiddo hasn't been sleepin' through the nights."
"Oh," she let out. Poor Tifa. She must have been exhausted. Yuffie had been so busy that she hadn't even considered calling Tifa to check up on her; the inability to use her own private phone certainly didn't help. "I thought you were gonna miss the show."
Reno let out a scoff. "I said I'd be here, didn't I?" he asked with a lazy smirk as he stretched his arms behind his back. At this, she felt her cheeks flush slightly, and she hoped he didn't notice. "But I'm headin' back to Edge as soon as Rude's up from his cat nap."
"Oh," she repeated, and she wondered if she managed to keep the disappointment from her voice. As boring as this mission at Icicle Inn had been, she couldn't deny the fact that she had enjoyed herself—and that Reno had been her main source of entertainment for a large part of it. While she couldn't help but feel dismayed at the thought of him leaving, he didn't seem at all bothered by it. In fact, he gave off his usual air of nonchalance—
"You alright there, brat?" The feeling of his hand against her forehead brought her out of her thoughts, and it was then that she noticed how close his face was to hers. Immediately, she backed away with a stuttered breath, and her cheeks burned much hotter this time.
"Uh… Y-yep!" Her mind raced as she attempted to come up with a response, and she tried desperately to regain her usual equilibrium. "Gawd. I thought I just talked to you 'bout personal space!"
In return, he chuckled again, but this time, she felt like there was something about it that she couldn't quite put a finger on. She had to admit that his closeness hadn't exactly been uncomfortable, and to be completely honest, his touch hadn't exactly been intolerable either…
Instead of thinking too deeply about it, she bounced on the balls of her feet and started to ramble, hoping that it would disperse whatever awkwardness there was between them. "Man, aren't you lucky! Your job's all done, and here I am, the future Empress of Wutai, three-time Savior of the Planet, and the Head of Espionage and Intelligence at the WRO, still stuck here for another week—"
It was at that moment that the countdown began, and whatever she planned to say was drowned out by the loud cries of 'ten' by the inhabitants that surrounded the both of them. Both her and Reno's head swivelled away from each other and towards the fir tree that stood in the middle of the town.
Seven!
Six!
All the work in the past month and a half culminated in this—a Christmas tree being lit up. Her gaze flickered momentarily to Reno, and she looked at him briefly out of the corner of her eyes before returning her attention to the tree.
Two!
One!
She heard the countdown coming to an end, and before she knew it, lights filled every inch of the fir tree; the cheers that erupted from the crowd was deafening, and the sound echoed in the streets. Her heart soared with joy and relief at such a wondrous sight, and she let out a breath of a laugh before turning back to him—only to see him already staring down at her with an almost childlike grin upon his face.
Their gazes locked, and she tried to ignore the way her chest fluttered and the way her stomach was tied up in knots. His green eyes were bright and vibrant under the ethereal glow of the lights, and his face reflected the same elation she felt. A million thoughts came to her mind then; her mouth felt dry, her brain was malfunctioning, and her heart was pounding erratically against her ribcage as she tried to make sense of her own thoughts—it was all a jumbled mess.
It was hard to think straight because she suddenly found his proximity too close, but at the same time, not close enough. For the first time in her life, she found herself incapable of making any type of sound—her entire body seemed frozen beneath the weight of his gaze. What the hell was wrong with her?
Her eyes dropped to the ground, and she kicked mindlessly at the snow beneath her boots before she managed to find her voice. "So…" She cleared her throat. "Guess you're heading off now?"
"Yeah. Got stuff to do back in Edge." His usually cool tone sounded a little strained, and she tilted her head back up. Reno was digging inside the pocket of his jacket, and he pulled out a handful of receipts and bills before he found what he was searching for and handed it to her. "Had Rude bring you somethin' on the way here."
"Huh?" Her fingers wrapped around the item and her mind struggled to process what was in her hands. It was a bottle of pills, and she couldn't figure out why he was giving them to her. "For me?"
He motioned towards her. "For your motion sickness. Unless you like hackin' out a lung on the trip back?"
A nervous cackle escaped her lips, and her hand tightened around the bottle. She felt the blood rushing to her head when she recalled the way he had rubbed her back the last time they had been on the airship together—when she had been a stomach-churning mess. Why the heck was he being so thoughtful all of a sudden?
"Thanks," she mumbled, unsure of how else to respond. "I, uh, I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it," he said, shoving one of his hands in his jacket pocket before turning around—he looked almost uneasy—and giving her a backward wave. Without another word, he began to walk, but before he could get more than a few steps away, she found herself calling after him.
"Hey!"
Reno paused in his steps, and his head turned around to look at her with a raised brow. "Whaddya want, brat?"
"Uh… You'll be there next week, right?" she asked, and she regretted it the moment the words left her lips. From the look on his face, it seemed like he didn't know what she was talking about. "At Teef's, I mean. She asked me to bartend even though most of the time, people just end up getting their own drinks, and, well…" she clarified, trailing off, not sure how to continue the sentence without sounding weird or stupid or awkward.
Gawd, she already sounded stupid.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." A small smirk graced his lips.
"Ah… Okay. Bye!"
"See ya, brat." He grinned once more at her—she had a feeling that he knew exactly what she was thinking and that he was amused by it—before finally walking away.
She stared after him as he made his way through the crowds and no doubt closer to the inn. A few seconds passed before she finally released a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding onto. Her stomach had twisted itself into a knot, and with a huff, she stuffed the bottle of pills in her pocket before looking back up towards the tree once more.
A slow smile crept across her face despite her attempts to quell it.
"Stupid Turkey."
.
.
.
.
VI.
With her tongue sticking out in concentration, Yuffie shook the drink in the mixer as vigorously as she could before reaching for a clean glass. There was something incredibly fun and satisfying about bartending, even though it was extremely stressful because Tifa's drinks were nothing short of perfection, and it was impossibly hard to live up to expectations.
Her eyes flickered to the rest of the bar as she continued to mix the drink, and she couldn't stop a grin from forming when she watched the gang mingling together. It hadn't taken long for the party to be in full swing; they were either chatting at the tables or throwing darts or entertaining the children, and watching everyone so relaxed and happy made her feel a familiar warmth in her chest.
Unfortunately, she couldn't help but notice that someone with obnoxiously red hair was missing. Not wanting to think too much about their conversation last week—she had to admit that part of her didn't want to get her own hopes up—she pushed her thoughts away and focused on the sound of the ice clanking against the metal cup in her hands. Tilting the mixer, she poured out the drink and let out a triumphant huff upon seeing the shade of amber liquid before sliding it across the counter.
"Cosmo Canyon as requested!" she said with a grin before leaning both elbows on the counter and looking at him, waiting eagerly with anticipation for his next words. "Whaddya think, Spikey?"
Cloud looked at it with a critical eye before reaching for the glass before taking a cautious sip. The corners of his lips curled slightly. "It's…" he started to say before trailing off as he took another sip, "not bad."
Beaming, Yuffie felt her lips stretch wider, and she knew it was as good as she was going to get out of him. Curious, she poured whatever liquid there was left in the mixer down her throat. It was slightly bitter and strong, but there was a hint of sweetness and citric that made it just bearable. Satisfied that it didn't taste like crap, though it was definitely not a drink to her taste, she grabbed the mixer before turning towards the sink to wash it.
When she finally washed whatever glasses were in the sink along with the mixer, she turned around, ready to tease Cloud mercilessly about his love life—or lack thereof—because it was always fun to make fun of Cloud. Except she froze, and the words died in her throat as her mind stopped short. Because next to Cloud, wearing that infamous blue suit and leaning lazily against the counter with that damn smirk was none other than Reno.
She stared at him, dumbfounded, and it took all of her self-control not to allow her mouth to fall open. It wasn't as if she hadn't expected him, but now that he was in front of her, she didn't know what to say or how to react. Did she pretend that their exchanges the last two months didn't happen, or should she instead thank him for the motion sickness pills that no doubt saved her from emptying out her stomach contents on the trip back? Almost as if he could read her mind, his mouth crooked into a stupidly attractive grin, and it was only then that she realized that her brain was taking an embarrassingly long time to catch up.
It was always him that somehow managed to render her speechless, and it frustrated her beyond belief that she couldn't manage a simple sentence, let alone keep her wits about her while he was near. Her pride wanted nothing more than to pretend that she wasn't bothered by his appearance, but she couldn't help the smile from tugging on the corner of her lips as she caught sight of his face. Nor could she stop her cheeks from heating up.
"Yo, brat. It's been a while," Reno greeted smoothly with a slight nod. Yuffie blinked and tore her eyes away from Reno to look at Cloud, who was meeting her gaze coolly. He didn't seem at all affected by Reno's presence, but he probably wasn't opposed to throwing Reno out on the street if she asked him to. Truth be told, she wasn't sure she'd blame Cloud if he told Reno to get lost; she was surprised she actually didn't mind the jerk's presence herself. How things change in two months.
"Yep," she responded chirpily instead. "Whaddya want, Turkey? Whiskey?"
The corners of Reno's lips twitched upwards, amusement glimmering in his eyes, and she couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat. "Sure."
She knew from their nightly visits to the bar that he liked his whiskey chilled, but without ice. Nodding, she grabbed the mixer that she had just washed out of the drying rack before filling it with ice and a generous pour of their top-shelf whiskey. It didn't take long for the liquid to turn cold, and when she finally poured it out into another clean cup, she handed it to Reno with a small grin.
His fingers brushed against hers when he took the glass from her, causing her heart to skip another beat and her skin to tingle. She tried hard not to outwardly show signs of being affected by his mere touch, but she could tell from the way his eyebrows quirked that she had failed miserably.
Just as she was about to turn around to avoid him by washing the mixer once more, he spoke up again.
"You here the entire night, brat?" he asked casually, taking a careful sip of the drink. It drove her crazy that his voice, as usual, gave nothing away at all; it remained smooth, unaffected, and unbothered.
"What's it to you?" Yuffie replied easily. Two could play at this game.
They hadn't seen each other since Icicle Inn, and it had taken her a few days to get used to his absence. Seeing him in front of her again made her heart flutter uncomfortably as she stared into his eyes that had no doubt captivated so many others, and she forced herself to not to show any reaction or look away.
Shrugging, he flashed a cocky grin her way again. "We gotta talk, yo," he drawled casually. His tone betrayed nothing, and curiosity gnawed at her and burned in the pit of her stomach. What the hell did they have to talk about? Other than their cooperative mission that they had been forced to work on together, they barely had anything in common.
And yet, despite all of that, she couldn't deny that there was still some sort of inexplicable pull between them.
A sudden spike of anxiety threatened to overwhelm her. Did he realize that she had missed him? Oh gawd. Was it going to be an awkward conversation, and did she need to start actively avoiding him, starting now? And why the hell was he being so damn cryptic? Did they teach them how to do that in Turk school or something?
"Uh…" she muttered under her breath as her brows furrowed, and she bit the inside of her cheek, struggling to find words. "About what?"
"Just don't go till ya let me know, alright?" Before waiting for a response and before she could get another word in, he turned around and sauntered towards Rude, who was carrying little Lily, his and Tifa's newborn baby, in his arms.
Yuffie could only blink in confusion as her gaze trailed Reno's swaggering figure, her mind reeling with slight panic and apprehension. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Cloud glance up at her curiously. But he didn't ask what was wrong and didn't try to pry, and she was forever grateful for that because at that very moment, she didn't quite understand anything herself.
What the hell was happening?
Before her thoughts could continue to spiral, Tifa's sudden appearance distracted her from her thoughts derailing into chaos.
"You okay, Yuffie? You look a little pale." Tifa's eyebrows were knitted together, and her eyes were filled with concern. "Are you feeling sick?"
Mustering the brightest grin she could, she shook her head. "Just peachy, Teef!" she exclaimed with false cheerfulness and even let out a laugh—though it sounded nervous even to her own ears—and for one moment, she swore her heart stopped altogether because she didn't even think Tifa would accept her answer.
Tifa nodded, though there was a hint of scepticism on her face. "Let me know if you need a break, okay?"
"Sure thing, boss!" Yuffie said as she gave a mock salute.
With a final worried glance toward Yuffie, Tifa moved quietly over to where Rude was sitting and started to fuss over Lily. With a heavy sigh, she leaned against the edge of the countertop and watched the scene play out in front of her. Except her gaze strayed the slightest bit away from the picture perfect family—
And her eyes met Reno's—only for a fraction of a second—before she forced herself to look away. A soft blush crept up to her cheeks, and she cursed herself silently for even looking near him. When she heard Cloud let out a snort of disbelief and barely concealed amusement, she shot him a glare—one that would've scared a lesser man shitless.
"Shut up, you loser," she muttered under her breath.
"I wasn't talking," Cloud retaliated dryly.
Yuffie let out a huff of annoyance as she glared sideways at him with narrowed eyes before turning around towards the sink, determined to ignore him and focus her attention towards her bartending duties.
She spent the next few hours mingling with everyone else, laughing and pretending that Reno's presence didn't bother her—didn't make her heart beat faster. When she wasn't being a social butterfly, she was either playing darts or staying behind the bar to mix a few drinks. Unfortunately for her, despite all the busyness of the evening, she couldn't seem to focus on anyone else's conversation for more than a few minutes at a time before her eyes would wander back to Reno as he continued to socialize with Rude, Tseng, Elena, and occasionally Reeve at their own little Turk table.
And it wasn't until almost two in the morning when the party finally started dying down. As she tidied up as much as she could so that Tifa would have less to do later, her gaze flittered past the bar to see who was left. Cid and Barret were lingering at one of the tables, and Reno was still at the corner table—by himself now since Rude had gone up earlier to put down the baby.
Everyone else had either gone home or gone upstairs with Tifa as they sorted the sleeping arrangements. And while she would usually give up on going home and decide to stay in the guestroom instead because she could still feel the alcohol swimming through her system, it wouldn't be a possibility tonight because of all the out-of-town guests staying over.
With a final look at the practically empty bar, she took off her and headed upstairs to let Tifa know she was leaving. Tifa had shot her a thankful glance before giving her a parting hug and a small smile; she looked beyond exhausted, but her eyes shone with happiness and joy. Seeing the entire gang together for their annual Christmas Eve party had clearly meant a lot to Tifa.
The stairs creaked underneath her weight, and her steps paused halfway down the flight, standing there for several seconds to gather her wits. Suddenly, the tension she had felt throughout the night came back in full force; her nerves felt raw, and she felt exposed and distressed. Did Reno expect her to go up to him and ask for a chat? Or was she supposed to be a bit more discreet—though let's be honest, subtlety was not a strong suit of hers.
Her fingers tightened around the bannister; she was beyond curious what he wanted to talk about, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if she was ready for whatever he had planned. With a huff of resignation, she reminded herself that she was Yuffie Kisaragi, and that she was ready for anything that Reno had planned. Then, shifting her feet, she hesitated midstep before she continued her way down.
Upon reaching the bottom step, a strong feeling of disappointment and annoyance filled her. Only Cid and Barret were still at the bar, and the table that Reno had been at mere moments ago was empty.
"We gotta talk, my ass," Yuffie grumbled under her breath as she tried desperately not to feel too upset. She felt like an idiot, thinking that he would wait for her at all, especially since she had been hyping herself up for their conversation all night. Chances were, he had forgotten that he'd practically demanded that she tell him when she would leave so that 'they could talk'. Stupid drunk Turkey.
Waving to Cid and Barret one last time, she turned on her heel and pushed open the entrance door. Immediately, the stench of iron and cigarettes filled her nostrils, making her wrinkle her nose. It wasn't exactly an unpleasant smell, especially since she had gotten used to it now that she'd been living in Edge for a few years, but that smell of cigarette smelled so distinctly familiar—
"Yo."
Her head whipped around and towards the sound of his voice, and she felt her lips subconsciously twisting into a scowl. Reno was leaning against the wall of the bar, one of his hands stuffed in his pockets while his other hand casually tapped the ash against the rough brick wall. His usual smirk was firmly plastered on his face, and he seemed completely unaffected by her glare; out of irritation, she briefly considered turning around and leaving him behind. But her curiosity…
"Whaddya want, jerk?" Yuffie asked, her arms folded in front of her as her foot tapped impatiently against the cracked concrete, not daring to move closer. Even though she was trying to seem dismissive and aloof, her heart pounded erratically in her ears.
Reno cocked an eyebrow in her direction, chuckling lightly as his eyes darted towards her tapping foot, probably amused at her impatience. His grin widening, he flicked his cigarette away and pushed himself off the wall to saunter toward her until he stood directly in front of her.
"C'mon, brat," he drawled, his voice amused, and she felt her shoulders tense. "Let's take a walk."
Even with his tall lanky frame towering over her, she held her ground with stubborn defiance. "Why?"
"Gotta show you somethin'." He grabbed her wrist firmly and tugged gently, and all she could focus on was the way his calloused fingertips pressed against her delicate skin, sending an involuntary shiver through her; she only resisted for a moment before following willingly, her nosiness getting the best of her.
"A Christmas present?" she asked, her tone light, teasing. "For me? Jeez, you shouldn't have, Turkey!"
The only response he gave was a backward glance, but the way a wry smile twisted his lips told her she might've hit the mark closer than she thought.
Instead of letting him drag her all around Edge, she caught up to him; his hold on her wrist loosened, but to her surprise, he didn't let go. Their strides matched as they continued side by side in relative silence, and he led her down the street, further and further away from the city center—away from tall buildings and towards the more prestigious part of town. Walking through the usually bustling city, she would've never known it was a festive time of the year by just looking at the streets; there was a distinct lack of decorations and holiday cheer, especially when compared to Icicle Inn.
As she followed, she couldn't help herself from stealing quick glances in his direction, and she admired the smooth slope of his strong jawline, the blue of his eyes, and even the small scar underneath his chin. He was handsome—always had been—but the dim lighting of the concrete jungle made him look more menacing, and she had to remind herself who he really was beneath the snarky comments and sarcastic quips.
He glanced at her sideways, catching her stare, and she felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she looked away quickly. Not for the first time tonight, she wondered why she wasn't putting up more of a fight, and her mind reeled as she tried to understand her own feelings—to clear her muddled thoughts.
Realistically, Yuffie knew she shouldn't even contemplate any sort of relationship other than a strictly professional and working one with Reno. He wasn't the type to even do any relationships, and she was the type who would be forced to, sooner or later—and definitely not with someone like him. But she knew that there was also no denying what she felt for him, because every time he looked at her with that indecipherable look in his eyes, she would feel blood pounding in her ear, and it would make her feel lightheaded, almost dizzy. But then again, whenever she felt that, she would have the urge to run as far away as possible.
She didn't know how long they walked for, or how long she had been lost in thought, but Reno stopped walking, and she paused suddenly, startled by the fact that they had arrived. Finally, he released his grip on her wrist, and she couldn't stop herself from feeling disappointed at his loss of contact. For a moment, neither of them said anything.
And then Reno cleared his throat and spoke, nodding vaguely towards their surroundings, "Thought you'd like it, yo."
Yuffie blinked at him owlishly before turning to look where he was gesturing. Her eyes grew impossibly wide when she took in the sight of the playground. The swings and slides looked newly built, the artificially lush lawn stood tall and straight and perfect, and in the middle of everything sat a beautiful detailed gazebo, all sharp angles and smooth lines. She could only stare incredulously at the structure and the sheer amount of fairy lights that hung throughout the structure, twinkling and sparkling against the blackness of the sky.
The lights made the playground almost glow with an unnatural beauty, and part of her was mad because she hadn't even known about this place, and shouldn't everyone in Edge have equal access? But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel in awe. There wasn't any snow around, it was warm and muggy in a way that made her want to sweat, and other than the strings of light that hung on the gazebo, nothing else looked festive, but…
"It's beautiful," she breathed, looking back at Reno, who was watching her carefully. Not for the first time though, he wasn't hiding behind his usual smirk, and instead, the corners of his lips were curved upwards in the slightest hint of amusement.
"Yea," he murmured. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Yuffie nodded as he looked at her with that same indecipherable look again, and she tried to read the expression on his face. Her cheeks grew warmer under his gaze, and she felt her heart flutter once more. It felt intimate, this closeness between them, like they both knew something the other didn't.
And maybe they did.
But what she did know was that she'd probably regret it if she never said anything. Worst case scenario, she could blame her impulsivity on the alcohol if it all went to hell in the next five seconds, but at this very moment, she wasn't sure if she cared at all.
"Merry Christmas, Turkey," she said quietly, attempting to buy herself time to decide what her next step was.
Finally, she gathered her courage and tiptoed to close the distance between them until she felt Reno's warm breath against her skin—until they stood toe to toe, barely an inch apart. Their noses almost touched, and she leaned forward, almost closing the small gap that separated them before she paused as every muscle in her body tensed.
Her mind was racing at full speed, and her heart pounded painfully in her chest. Was she making a mistake? Before she had a chance to regret her recklessness, she felt the rough tips of his fingers brushing against her hip bone. His hand lingered as his thumb drew circles on her skin, and they were close enough now that she could smell cologne and cigarette smoke on him.
"This is probably a bad idea," she whispered, her eyes flicking up to meet his gaze that seemed darker with emotion. Her breath stuttered in her throat at the look in his eyes.
"Probably," he agreed lowly, not breaking their eye contact. "But do you really wanna stop?" She didn't miss the way his other hand drifted to her back before settling on the small of her spine—his palm hot against her skin—to pull her even closer. Her hand gripped his shirt as he inched further into her space.
She felt like she couldn't catch her breath, and the warmth radiating off his body was intoxicating and addictive. He was too close for comfort, but not close enough.
"Merry Christmas, brat."
And then he kissed her, mouth hard and demanding. He tasted like smoke and alcohol, and against her better judgement, she let go of every last thing that she had been worried about—that she had been overthinking. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair as she pulled herself closer to him. All she really cared about at this second was the warmth of his mouth, the firm press of his fingers at the small of her back, the way his chapped lips moved against hers.
The world melted away, and she wanted nothing more than to be selfish; afterall, selflessness had never been one of her strong suits. She allowed herself to get caught up in the moment, ignoring the fact that this was the last thing she should be doing, that she had her responsibilities and duties—that she was probably going to regret it tomorrow.
For now, she couldn't bring herself to care; she tossed her common sense to the winds, ignored the consequences and let herself be swept away.
Author's Notes: Merry Christmas! This was such a fun experience, posting once a day. I have a New Year's Eve Reffie fic planned, assuming I can finish it on time, and I'll be working on my Reffie longfics once more (after two months of hiatus *cough*) :D
Also, I just wanted to say that it's been such an amazing experience seeing so many new Reffie fics lately! 3
Completed: December 24, 2021