Chapter 64
The rain had been coming down all afternoon. When the clouds had begun to build, Reno had decided that he'd had enough of watching Cadan's apartment building, and he had gotten home before fat icy drops had fallen heavily from the skies. He'd taken a beer from his fridge, dragged one of his comfy chairs to the large glass doors that looked out over the city, and had seated himself in front of the chilly grey view. He had always liked the rain. Having grown up under the plate, rain always felt like freedom for Reno. Being able to look out at the sky as it split, being able to watch the rain run down the glass; it all just felt so open.
He remembered the first time he had taken Aura out to the edge of the plate after he'd begun working for ShinRa. He'd been awed having seen a thunderstorm on one of his wider patrols, and so had wanted to show her the marvel of it. He'd rented a small room with a clear view of the skies when he'd had several days off, and the forecast had predicted massive storms, and had taken her to stay. Reno had bought a tonne of food so that they wouldn't have to worry about anything the whole time, and the two of them had spent several days in a makeshift fort in front of the double glass doors watching as the massive storm had ripped the sky apart. He remembered watching Aura's face light up with wonder when lightning cut through the clouds and thunder powerful enough to shake the entire building had rolled through them. She had inched forward until her face was practically pressed against the glass, watching silently, and Reno had wished then that he could get her out from under that plate. The day they'd gone home, he'd begun looking for houses for her somewhere she could see the sky.
Cradling the near empty bottle in his hands, Reno tipped his head back against the chair, his eyes still on the rain. How had he been such a moron? If he had realised back then, they wouldn't have wasted so much time. He imagined being cooped up in a tiny room like that with Aura these days. He imagined what they'd do for hours in a makeshift fort, a storm exploding around them. Not that he would have changed the memory he had for anything. The innocence of it all was beyond priceless.
Blinking as lightning lit up the sky and the room around him, Reno realised that it had been dark for a while now. He pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at it. Still nothing. He resisted a groan, shaking his head. Where was she? Reno set the bottle on the table beside his chair and closed his eyes. He hoped that Aura was home and that she was safe. He hoped that she would be back at work tomorrow and that he would be able to see her, to talk to her.
Unable to sit there and just think anymore, Reno got up and went to run himself a hot bath. It was a habit he had picked up in his early days of training for ShinRa. In order to ease the tension in his muscles, he set aside one evening a week for himself to have a nice, long, hot bath, and he had very much come to enjoy the time he got to relax in the heat and just switch off from everything.
When the water was running, Reno went and got another beer from the fridge, and his book from his bedside table. He took both to the bathroom and set them beside the tub and then he collected fresh pyjamas to sit by the sink. Tipping his favourite sweet smelling powder into the water, he watched with satisfaction as the water turned an appealing emerald colour before he pulled his clothes off, kicked them into the corner of the room and stepped into the tub, breathing in the heavenly scent. Sinking into the perfectly heated water, Reno leaned back and closed his eyes in pleasure.
He didn't move until he felt his muscles relax and then he opened his eyes and reached down to pick up the cold beer he'd set down. He opened it and then took a long drink before putting it down and picking up his book. It was an espionage thriller from before Meteorfall, and he had been rather enjoying it lately. Reno opened to where he was up to, and leaned back comfortably again as he began to read.
When he felt the water becoming chilly, Reno got out of the bath. Checking the clock on the wall, he saw that it was approaching eleven and he figured he may as well go to bed. It was still early for him, but with nothing else to do, it seemed like a good option. He pulled his pyjama pants on to move about his apartment, cleaning up briefly putting empty bottles and rubbish in the bins and wiping down the benches in his kitchen, despite not having even made himself dinner, before he returned to his bedroom.
Tossing his pyjamas aside, Reno slid into his bed, his eyes closing before he'd even settled himself comfortably. He listened to the rain still coming down outside, pattering gently against his windows as he allowed himself to drift into an easy sleep.
His easy sleep was interrupted by a firm knocking, and Reno sat up, instantly awake. He sat and listened for a moment, wondering if it had simply been the rain, but a moment later he heard it again, clearly and loudly, and he swung his legs over the edge of his bed and go to his feet. A glance at his clock told him it was just after two in the morning, and Reno paused for a moment to bend and pull his pants on before heading for his door.
Vaguely wondering what it was that Rufus wanted at this time of the night, Reno wasn't expecting to see Aura when he pulled the door open. Yet there she stood, dripping wet and just staring at him. "Aura…?" Reno drew a shuddering breath, not sure what to say as he looked at her. Water ran from the heavy coat she was wearing, and dripped from her hair down her face. Her wide green eyes were still on him and she didn't say anything in response. "Aur… what…" He was trying to ask if anything was the matter, when she suddenly launched herself at him, her arms coming tightly around his neck as she clung to him. Reno staggered backwards, his own arms wrapping tightly around Aura's waist to hold her to himself as he caught his balance. "Aura? Are you okay?" he asked, trying to look at her face. She just pressed herself into him and Reno had to carefully put her on her feet, pushing her hair back from her face in order to better look at her. "Aura."
She just looked at him when he'd stepped back enough to see her. "I'm fine." She said softly and he reached out to push her wet hair properly back from her face again.
"Here…" he moved to take the drenched coat from her and then hung it over a chair. "You're soaked…"
"It's raining." She murmured and he nodded.
"Yeah." He glanced at the window, "Did you walk here in this?"
"Yes."
"Why?" he asked, moving closer again. He'd just gotten her back within reach, he didn't want to stop touching her now. "What's so urgent?"
"I wanted to see you." She was looking up at him again and Reno reached a hand out. She took it and the knot Reno had had in his stomach the last few days began to ease.
"I thought you didn't…" He shook his head. Aura frowned.
"I needed to think."
"About what?" he asked, "Me?... if you want… me…"
"No." She said, her voice firm. "Not that… I… I needed to figure out what I was feeling. You said you thought I was jealous and I said I wasn't… but that wasn't exactly true." Reno watched her talk, her eyes moving back and forth across the room as she did so, "It… hurt." She murmured, "And I wasn't sure why…" she looked at him then, "I knew that it was years ago, that you hadn't done anything wrong… so I needed to work out why it hurt me."
"And what did you find?" Reno asked, almost hesitantly.
"What I already knew. I love you." She said, "Always have…" she moved toward him, and Reno wrapped his arms around her when she reached him. He smiled as she leaned into him. "Nothing is going to change that."
Not wanting to push it, or risk her reacting again the way she had the other night, Reno hesitated before speaking. "I… don't understand what happened, Aur…" He felt her tuck her head up under his chin as her arms tightened around his waist.
"I'm sorry." She said gently, "For how I acted… for what I said... It wasn't fair…"
"Okay." He rubbed his hand up and down Aura's back.
"Like I said before…" she began, "I'd always figured you'd had loads of people to fuck… but I guess I'd told myself that was all it ever had been. I don't think I would have coped thinking they'd been anything more than that. I'd convinced myself that they hadn't been. But then … she wasn't… was she? She wasn't some random you took home from a bar. She was someone you knew, someone you worked with, cared about."
"I suppose."
"She was important enough for Rufus to throw in your face…" Reno felt her let out a huff. "I guess it kinda… gutted me…" He rubbed her back again, "That… I wasn't the only one you've…"
"I never loved her, Aur."
He felt her nod. "Okay…"
Reno slid two fingers beneath her chin to lift her face to look at him. "I mean it."
"I know." Her eyes moved across his face, and when she spoke next Reno had to lean closer to hear her whisper, "But she wasn't nothing to you and you never told me about her…"
"I'm sorry." He breathed, "That was my mistake… I'll not make it again." She shuddered and he lay his palm gently against her cheek. "You're freezing, Aur." She leaned into him again, and he could feel her now cold and wet clothes cool against his bare chest.
"Mmm, and you're warm."
He felt her cold hand against his back and he shuddered. "Ah…"
"Warm me up." He could hear the amusement in her voice and Reno grinned.
"And how would you like me to do that, Sweetheart?"
She looked up at him, and Reno met her green eyes, his arms still around her waist. He could see the uncertainty in her face, the hesitation she was trying to hide. "If you can forgive me…" she murmured, "For how unfair I was to you…"
"Aur…" he pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose, "It's forgotten."
"Okay then." She smiled gently, and he felt her hands slide up his back. "I'm sure you can come up with a way to warm me up…." She told him, "You're creative…"
Reno pressed her to himself, his eyes still on her face. That hesitation was still in her eyes, and he decided that he was going to make it go away. Slowly, he bent until he could press a kiss to her lips.
At first, he felt her smile softly, her hands still cool against his warm skin. But then her lips parted, allowing him to deepen the kiss, her hands moving around to clutch at his upper arms, pulling him to herself. Reno kissed her again, his own hands coming up to cup her cheeks as he pressed forward. As she opened to him, Reno took the space she granted until he had backed her into his dining table. Now that she had let him back in, Reno wanted to take full advantage of that. He wanted everything he had not been able to have the past few days, he wanted to taste her, he wanted to touch every inch of skin he could find, he wanted to run his fingers through her long hair, and he wanted to hear her say his name, and hear the smile behind it.
"Reno…" laughter bubbled from her and Reno lifted his head enough to look at her, his hands still holding her face as she smiled up at him. The hesitation was gone, and that pleased him. He felt Aura's hands slide up his chest and around the back of his neck as she tilted her head further back. He just looked at her, his thumb stroking her cheek. After a few moments, she spoke. "… the table…" He noticed then that he still had her pressed against it, and he stepped back, bringing her with him. She jumped at him then, and Reno caught her, letting her wrap her legs around his waist as he held her. "Thanks…" she murmured, her eyes meeting his in the dim light, "For… not being angry with me."
Reno turned, still holding her. "I think I should be saying that to you."
"You didn't do anything wrong." She murmured, one of her hands moving through his hair.
"Then lets forget about it." He replied, noticing that her dress was still quite damp. "Not warm yet?" he asked, and she grinned.
"Well, I'm gettin' better, yo."
"Are you stayin'?" he asked her and she raised an eyebrow at him.
"You goin' to try and make me leave?"
"Course not."
"Then it's time you warm me up." She said to him, and Reno tried to keep the smirk off his face, "I'd like to lose the wet clothes."
"Would you?" he asked mildly, turning to carry her up the hallway. She nodded, smiling. "Have to see what I can do." He pushed his bedroom door further open and felt her kick her shoes off, her legs still around his waist. Reno came to stand before his bed, still holding Aura, and wondered if he could get her out of her wet clothes without putting her down. "This what you came here for?" he asked softly, and Aura lifted a hand to his cheek.
"No…" her voice was quiet and he met her gaze when he raised his eyes to hers. "But… I'm betting it'll probably be a highlight."