Chapter 32

Drawing shaky breath after shaky breath, Aura ran her hand up and down Reno's back. His skin was slick with sweat and as she continued to stroke him, he turned his head to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Are you okay?" he breathed, his hot breath against her ear. She nodded.

"Yes. Are you?" She didn't move as his eyes flicked up to meet hers.

"I'm fine, Aur…" concern filled those pretty eyes, "… if I hurt you…?"

"You didn't." she told him, her hand moving up and down his back again. She could still feel him inside of her, and as her other hand moved gently through his hair she wondered if he intentionally hadn't pulled out of her yet. "You really didn't." She pushed some of his hair back from his damp forehead when he lifted his head higher to look at her. "I… I think that I have wanted that… you… for a long time…"

"I was just thinking the same thing…" Reno murmured, his eyes moving across her face. "I…" he traced his fingers along her jaw, "kinda lost control a little…"

"You watched me the whole time…"

"I wanted to see…" his fingers moved across her cheek, "… you." He gave her a wry smile, "I wanted to see you enjoy it… I wanted to see ecstasy in those gorgeous eyes… bliss flushed in your cheeks… and I wanted to know that I had done it."

Aura drew another shaky breath, "Oh…" she felt herself blush again, "Reno…" she paused for a moment. "Is… that what it's usually like?"

"… not exactly." His reply was hesitant and she looked at him. "I wasn't expecting that… It was more than…" he blinked for a moment, trying to work out what he was trying to say. Aura just waited, "I've been with lots of people." He said, his voice low, "but… it's always been… fucking…" his eyes met hers warily, "but… that's not the word I would use for what we just did."

"No," Aura agreed gently, "That was more than fucking."

He sighed and looked a little regretful as he slowly withdrew himself and then rolled to the side, lying beside her. Aura curled into him, an arm across his chest as she tucked her head against his shoulder. "You…" she told him softly, "are far too clever with your fingers by half." She smiled as he choked back a laugh.

"Well," he murmured, and Aura felt his fingers move into her hair. "that is a service I am only too willing to provide any time you ask, yo."

"Well, that is good to know." She breathed, her eyes closing as his fingers combed soothingly through her hair. "Because I liked it…"

"Did you?" she could hear his smirk in his voice, "What did you like the best?"

Aura wasn't sure if it was what they had just done, or the fact that her eyes were closed that made her bold enough to say the words that next came out of her mouth. "I liked looking into your eyes as you moved inside of me." After several moments, when he hadn't answered her, Aura opened her eyes to look up at him. "Reno…?" He was looking at her, his own eyes wide and a bizarre look on his face.

"That…" his voice was thick as he dipped his head to press a gentle kiss to her lips, "was what I liked best too." Aura tipped her head back, her lips parting for him to deepen the kiss, and she hummed lightly when his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her more tightly to himself.

"Reno…" she breathed when he eventually broke the kiss. "We should rest…"

"Yes…" he murmured, his hand smoothing down her back. "Yes, we should…" he kissed her again and Aura felt herself melt. "We wouldn't want to be tired tomorrow…"

"That wouldn't do." She whispered, "Tseng would be annoyed with you…"

"Probably." His lips brushed her cheek, "But it would be worth it." Aura's eyes closed and she smiled. It would be worth it, but she was so tired…

Reno tossed his jacket onto his chair before sitting at his desk. He pointedly ignored Rude's raised eyebrows and he just grinned at the big man.

"'mornin' all." He said, leaning back and lifting his feet to the desk.

"Good morning…" Elena leaned forward onto her own desk, looking across at him. "So…" the girl said, "Where did you disappear off to last night?" she grinned at him. "… with Aura…"

"Yes, we went to Aura's place." He said easily. Rude raised his eyebrows again, and Reno continued to ignore the question.

"Her place, not yours…" Elena nodded, "Niice…"

Reno just looked innocently at her. "She had dinner planned."

"Yes… and then did you…"

"Did I what?" he asked, his face carefully neutral.

"You know!" She sighed, "Did you two…?"

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." He said simply.

"You always kiss and tell!" Elena exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Not this time." He took his feet off his desk and pulled the closest file toward himself. "Let's get some work done."

"If you don't tell me, I'll go and ask Aura." Elena said loudly.

"Try it, Laney." He replied, not looking up from his file.

"Fine, I will!"

Reno didn't look up as Elena flounced from the room. "… what is it, Partner?" he asked when he felt Rude's eyes still on him.

"I mean, if you don't wanna talk about it…" Rude shrugged.

Reno gave a half smile, looking at his friend. "Just wanna keep it to myself for a little bit, yo." He winked at Rude, "Not ready to share."

"Fair enough." Rude nodded once and flipped a file of his own open. Reno looked back down to his own file, unable to wipe the grin off of his face. He wondered for a moment what Aura would tell Elena. They hadn't discussed what they would tell people, and really, he didn't mind what she told people. It wasn't that he was opposed to the others knowing, he just didn't feel like combing through all the details with Elena. He didn't want to share what had happened last night with anyone but Aura.

Reno had worked his way through three files before Rufus called him into his office. Elena still had not returned, and Reno winked at Rude as he passed the big man on his way up the hallway toward Rufus' office. He knocked once before letting himself in. "Yo, boss?"

Rufus sat behind his desk, as usual, his suit and hair immaculate as he surveyed Reno with a patient expression.

"Reno, take a seat."

"Sure, boss." Reno sat in a chair opposite the blonde man.

"Has Tseng spoken to you about Junon?"

"…the shipment?"

"Yes. Has he told you that you will be the one to go?"

"Yeah."

"And how do you feel about that?"

Reno shrugged, leaning back in the chair and resisting putting his feet up on Rufus' desk. "I'll do what needs to be done, yo. I always do."

"Yes, that is why Tseng has chosen you."

Reno shrugged again. "Fine."

"You're to get in and out without detection." Rufus told him, and Reno nodded. Obviously. "If it's made known that ShinRa destroyed a shipment of a supposed cure, we'll lose the public."

"Makes sense."

"You have access to whatever you want to take." Rufus told him, rolling his sleeves up. Reno eyed the bandage on his boss' arm. "Try not to overdo it, however."

"Sure thing, boss." He watched as Rufus leaned toward the phone on his desk and pressed several buttons.

"Aura, I'm ready." The man's pale blue eyes landed on Reno then. "…it's time for my treatment."

Reno didn't move. He knew that Rufus was finished with him, but he didn't get up. "I see."

Rufus smiled at him. "You can stay if you like."

"Maybe I will." Reno replied evenly.

Rufus watched him silently for a few moments before tilting his head. "So, have you fucked her yet?"

Reno kept his face very carefully blank. "That ain't your business, yo."

Rufus' smile turned savage. "I think it is."

"No…" Reno shook his head, "You promised me that you wouldn't touch her. If I was good. And I have been. I've done everything right."

"So you have, Reno." Rufus nodded, "But I never said we wouldn't talk about her."

"I don't want to."

"I do."

Reno clenched his teeth, trying to control his face. He saw when Rufus realised that he had won and the man leaned onto his elbows on his desk. "Right," his boss said, "So… have you fucked her?"

Reno ground his answer out through his teeth. "Yes."

"Excellent!" Rufus exclaimed, "How was it?"

Reno looked away, twisting his hands in his lap. He had no idea why Rufus was doing this. He had done everything he had been asked of late. There was no reason for his boss to punish him. "Fucking exceptional." He growled.

"Wonderful." Rufus grinned more widely and then looked toward the door when it opened. Reno turned to see Aura come in, her eyes lighting when she spotted him.

"Good morning…" she said, looking between them.

"Aura… come here." Rufus said, and Reno flicked a quick glance at the man.

"What are you doing?" he asked warily.

Rufus just looked at him, before his pale eyes returned to Aura. Reno turned to watch Aura move across the office, a large jar of ointment in her hand. "Oh," Rufus said, "Silly me… you two…" he waved a hand at them, "Aura has to give me my treatment, while Reno needs to go on patrol. He has work to do… Go on and kiss goodbye."

"What?" the surprise in Aura's voice pretty much mirrored Reno's own reaction. He looked to the President who was watching them obviously highly pleased with himself.

"Go on." Rufus said, looking steadily at Reno. "Kiss her."

Reno got to his feet when Aura reached him. He took the tub of ointment from her hand and set it on his boss' desk. She looked up at him, clearly as confused as he was. "It's okay…" he murmured, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. Trust was clear in her eyes as she nodded, leaning into him. Reno cast one glance at Rufus before he bent and pressed his lips to Aura's, his hand moving down her arm as she leaned further into him.

"There, wasn't that nice?" Rufus said, smirking again when Reno had straightened and turned to face his boss once more. "Fucking exceptional. Wouldn't you say so, Reno?"

"Yes." Reno's tone was flat. He still had no idea what this was about.

"Perhaps we'll expand on this later." Rufus said, "Now you have patrol. Go."

Reno glanced at Aura who was opening her ointment. "You said I could stay."

"Now I'm saying ' Go'." Rufus replied.

Clearing his face of any of his thoughts, Reno gave one last look to Aura before turning on his heel and stalking out the door.