Chapter 24

WHAT THE FUCK WAS HE DOING? Reno drew deep breath after deep breath as he walked home. What the fuck? What was he thinking? He had kissed her. Aura. His oldest friend. How could he have kissed her? What right did he have to do that?

"Stupid." Reno growled out in frustration. This seemed to be becoming a habit for him. He was unable to keep his hands off of Aura, he would cross a line, attempt to apologise to her, and end up offending her. He did not want to do that again, he was tired of fighting with her. He hated it. They had only just been on their way to repairing what he had broken before, so why had he ruined it yet again?

Aura had given him no word that his kiss would have been welcome, so why had he dared to do such a thing? He was ashamed of himself, and yet… The memory of her soft lips on his filled him with a sweet warmth. She had not hesitated for even a moment before throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. Perhaps it had been the wine. He could not believe that Aura could truly want him, especially after he had told her about Sector Seven. It had definitely been the wine. He was right to have left when he had, before he had done something that she would have regretted.

By the time he had arrived home, Reno was hot under the collar and in need of a cool shower. He stripped his shirt off on his way up the hallway and kicked his pants into a corner of the bathroom before stepping into his shower and turning the cold tap on as forcefully as he could. His hand moved down his chest, across his stomach and took hold of his cock. Unable to resist a small sigh at his own touch, Reno braced his other hand against the cool tiles and leaned into the wall. He pressed his forehead into the tile, allowing the cold water to cascade down over the back of his neck and shoulders as he set about taking care of himself, unrestrained moans falling from his lips. If this was all he could have, then this is what he would do. Reno's eyes closed as he allowed himself to picture Aura in his lap once more, her dark hair falling over her shoulders as she leaned into him. He could hear her voice telling him that she would do anything for him. The meaning that he wanted to take from those words had surely not been her intention, but as he bit his lower lip tightly between his teeth now, Reno could dream. His blood quickened in his veins and he could all but hear his own heartbeat. His hand moved with determined purpose, and he could not hold back the whispered name. "Aura…"

He collapsed against the tiles and the rushing water washed away any trace of what had just happened. It was several minutes before Reno was able to stand straight and turn off the water, and by the time he could manage that he was resolved to send himself to bed. He dried himself off with his towel as he headed up the hallway to his bedroom. Tossing the towel onto the floor, Reno climbed naked under his sheets and stretched out comfortably. Yet again he would have to find Aura and apologise for his behaviour. This time he would not insult her by making her think she was undesirable. Even though that had not been his intention or his meaning last time, he would be careful to avoid that this time. How could she possibly believe he would think that anyway? Surely she would understand this time. He would make it clear that he recognised his own mistake in his actions and that he would be more respectful from now on. Unbidden flashes of what he had done in the shower with her name on his lips came back to him. Respectful indeed. Reno actually felt his cheeks flush with heat. She would be relieved that a killer like him would keep his distance. Shame filled him, realising that he had actually told her about Sector Seven. She knew. Pressing his face into his pillow, Reno turned onto his stomach. By tomorrow she would hate him. Once she had had time to think about it, and realised what it truly meant, there was no way she couldn't hate him. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. He would deal with it in the morning.

Aura stared at her reflection. Pulling a brush through her hair, she thought back to when the plate had come down on Sector Seven. She had been worried about Reno because she hadn't seen him for ages afterwards, and she had feared that he might even have been dead, one of the many crushed beneath all that rubble. So many had never even been found. She had never dreamed that he had been the one to drop the plate. Even when she had learned that he was a Turk, she'd never thought that he had been the one responsible for all of those deaths. There had to have been a reason. She would ask him, she decided.

Turning away from the mirror, Aura set her brush aside and moved toward her bed. She knew that it wouldn't make a difference. Whatever he told her his reasoning had been, she knew it wouldn't make a difference to the way she saw him. What she had told him earlier had been true. He was still the person who had taken care of her and was the reason she was alive and she loved him. Settling back against her pillows, she lifted a finger to her lips. Not once, since she had been fifteen years old and he had saved her in that dark alley, had Reno ever kissed her before. They had curled up together like starving frozen puppies in countless shacks and houses over the years and even out of comfort and familiarity. Personal space had never really been existent between them, but he had never done that. He'd never crossed that line. Smiling, Aura traced her finger across her lips thoughtfully, the memory of that kiss making her toes tingle. Her instinctive reaction had been to respond to that kiss and pull him closer, and Aura was sure that her actions could have sent one message to Reno and one message only. She wanted him to do it again.

Would he, though? He had run away pretty quickly. Aura hadn't missed his reaction when she had climbed into his lap. His hands and been on her in an instant, drawing her closer to himself. But Reno's own reaction had been what had caused him to leave. Maybe the reaction had purely been physical and so to avoid that further, he had left. But then why kiss her at the door? His kiss had been light and sweet, but the moment she had responded to him he had pulled away again. She knew that, at least physically, he wanted her. That much had been clear. Perhaps he just needed to process that fact. She hoped that when he did he would decide that he did indeed want her. She would have to face it herself. It was becoming more and more difficult to deny how she felt. The hurt she had felt over his bumbling attempt to apologise for what had happened between them at 7th Heaven and she had thought that he had meant he could never want someone like her, and the devastation that she had experienced seeing Reno with Zena. There was no more pretending, she would make it clear to him, if it wasn't already. She wanted him. She was in love with him.

With one last glance at Elena in her hospital bed, Tseng turned to leave the infirmary. She still had not awoken, although Zena assured him that she would. The doctor had told him that it was a good thing that Elena was still asleep, as her body was taking the rest it needed to focus on repairing her injuries. She had told him that it was what was best for Elena. Tseng supposed that it made sense, he just hoped that it didn't last for too much longer. It was painful to see Elena this way, and he desperately just wanted to be able to speak with her.

Sighing, Tseng closed the door behind himself and headed back downstairs to his desk. With Elena out of operation, he would need to rearrange his patrols. He would split Elena's routes between Reno and Rude. Not having quite made it back, Tseng was surprised to find Rufus heading for him past his Turks' empty desks. "Tseng, there you are."

"Yes, sorry, sir." Tseng replied, straightening his posture. "I was just checking on Elena." He watched Rufus pause for a second before nodding.

"Zena tells me she is doing well."

"So it seems." Tseng agreed.

"Good, I wish to speak with you before you go home."

"As you wish, sir." Tseng straightened his jacket and followed the president into his office. He watched Rufus move slowly around his desk and sink heavily into his chair. For a moment Tseng considered asking his boss how his Geostigma was going, but thought better of it and bit his tongue. He would be told if it was of any importance. Rufus fiddled around for a few moments and Tseng tilted his head, waiting for the man to speak his mind.

"I have heard," Rufus began, "that there is movement happening in Junon in the coming weeks…"

"Movement?"

Rufus nodded. "The connection between the fake cure in Junon and the one that is being distributed here… They are one and the same, apparently. Shipments will be packed and ready to be moved. We need to send someone to Junon to check it out."

"I could…"

"I would prefer you remained here."

"Right…" Tseng scratched at his head. "I have to redo my patrols with Elena… as she is… I'll have to look at how that falls before making a decision."

"Very well." Rufus shifted in his chair. "It is not urgent. We have some time." Tseng nodded and then got to his feet as Rufus gestured that he was dismissed. "Good evening, Tseng."

"And you, sir."

"I trust you are going home, and not back upstairs to the infirmary?"

Tseng blinked. "Yes, sir."

"And tomorrow," Rufus pressed, "More time at your desk and less by Elena's bedside." Tseng stared at him, not sure what to say. "I pay Zena for a reason."

"Yes, sir…" Tseng lowered his gaze, feeling heat rise in his face. He hoped Rufus would not notice. After a moment in which Rufus said nothing further, Tseng turned and strode for the door. He would have a quick look at his patrols in order to be able to present it to Reno and Rude tomorrow, and then he would go home and attempt to get some sleep.