Sunday Night
If your body matches what your eyes can do, you'll probably move right through me on my way to you.
"There's my song. It better work tonight, damn it."
Reno got ready quicker than he had the previous two nights, barely slowing down to hear his song. To say he was bitter at it's more than lacking charm for his previous two nights of striking out was an understatement.
Now, he just wanted to make sure he was dressed and out the door before anything bad could happen to thwart his going out all together. With a quick look in the mirror to make sure his clothes looked nice and his hair was at its best red headed height, he gave a quick wink to his reflection and didn't even bother waving to Rude on the way out.
He didn't need to see Rude shaking his head to foretell him striking out and going home alone for the third night in a row. He wouldn't let himself be psyched out that easily. Too bad he missed that Rude didn't give the disapproving nod, only tilting his head up as if to say good luck.
"Oh hell no, Reno. You've got to be kidding me if you think you're getting in tonight."
Cloud looked positively gleeful at telling Reno to go away after the previous two nights of crap he had put up with.
"Come on man, don't shut me out!" Reno was this close to hopping mad and it made Cloud even happier, getting the usually frowning man to crack a smile. A smile had to be good…Reno worked with it in one last act of desperation.
"I'll make you a deal. Let me hit on the first woman I see."
"That's it, that's the deal?"
"What more do you want?"
"How about, I let you hit on the first woman you see and when she rejects you, you leave of your own free will."
Reno didn't like his odds but he was at the end of his rope. Cloud's smile grew as he watched the red head contemplate his own fate and that should have been Reno's first sign to stop before saying "Deal."
About as subtle as stampede, Cloud said, "Reno, look over there," and pointed to the first woman Reno would see and have to hit on standing at the nearest end of the bar.
She was short in an athletic way wearing a mini skirt that showed off toned legs that Reno approved of. Her black hair was also short and just as he walked up behind her, he saw something out of the corner of his eye, lurking in the shadows. Ah hell, he'd know that shadow lurker anywhere.
Instead of letting it catch him off guard, he came right out and said it. "Vinny! Good to see you." Oh shit, that means this could only be-
"Hey Reno, what you doing here on a Sunday night?" He actually cringed at hearing her high pitched voice and flinched when Vincent gave him a warning look. It figured the creepy older vamp guy would be with the ninja…how did that even work anyways?
Before he could contemplate the height difference and angles some more, Yuffie snapped him out of his thoughts.
"You better not try to take any of my materia, mister." She poked Reno in the chest with her small index finger for emphasis.
"Where the hell are you keeping it?" He asked bewilderedly looking over her mini skirt and halter top clad body. She might have been able to stuff some down her bra but how uncomfortable would that be?
"Someplace you'll never know." She winked, actually winked in his direction and usually it would be the perfect opening until Vincent stepped out apparently bored from his looming in the corner duty.
"Yuffie, I think it's time we leave Reno to his own doing."
The small ninja looked up at her long haired, coat billowing dark knight with a pout. "But I'm still casing the place, Vinny. You never know what great materia people bring with when they're getting hammered hoping to get lucky."
Reno's face burned a little at the fleeting thought her words whisked away once Vincent took a hold of Yuffie's shoulder and steered her in the direction of the door without so much as a good bye.
Wait, take that back as Vincent back peddled back quickly to tell Reno ominously, "Don't call me Vinny."
"But Yuffie did-" He started saying without thinking, as always.
"That's different." Vincent said with an all knowing look as Reno debated opening his mouth again but kept it shut for once.
As they left, Reno couldn't help thinking how his last chance at getting laid tonight just walked out the door with Vincent. He never saw Yuffie in that way before but when put as the one and only woman to hit on tonight, it felt like he was a man dying of thirst denied that cool drink of water. Like a drowning man denied his life boat. Like a man sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole parole. The last one left a little wanting to the imagination but the point was still the same.
"Can you say jailbait?" Cissnei commented, watching as Yuffie left and the hopeless way Reno stared after her. "Seriously, what is Vincent thinking?"
"She's a young ninja who's flexible morally and more importantly physically?" Reno didn't even know where that came from but it was like Cissnei brought out the old rational Reno, the one who knew how to hit on women before this botched up weekend. Her laughter helped some. He never noticed how pretty her laugh was before.
"Hey, Cissnei, want to get a drink?"
She stopped laughing abruptly as she blinked rapidly which had the same effect as her fluttering her eyelashes and Reno looked on with a smile, realizing how deep her brown eyes really were. He wasn't afraid to look into them tonight and held eye contact with her until she was looking over his shoulder at something or more importantly, someone.
"Cloud. How's it going?"
Cloud? Cloud?! Was she seriously flirting with Cloud just now with the huge eyes and fluttering eyelashes? He didn't want to admit it but Reno felt whatever was left of his hope dashed in that one word that wasn't even a name really. Cloud- stupid trapped condensed air.
"It'll be great once I get the okay to throw Reno out for the night."
Reno blinked, startled out of his inner turmoil. "Oh yeah, that."
"Oh yeah, that, that's right. Will you do the honors or shall I?"
Reno gave a quick look to Cissnei who was looking back and forth between him and Cloud as if to say what's going on? Instead of explaining his embarrassment, he decided to leave with one ounce of dignity left to his name.
"Maybe next time on that drink," he said instead, giving Cloud the nod to lead him to the door.
"Or maybe we could have that drink now," she said, startling all three people involved in this situation.
"Excuse me?" Reno said, his whole form actually perking up. Had she just said yes?
"Cissnei, he made a deal with me tonight." Cloud tried to explain, his happiness dimming down a notch.
"If I promise to look after him, can Reno stay?"
It didn't matter that they were talking as if he wasn't standing right there. His mind wasn't there anyways, instead fixated on that she had said yes. Yes! To him! It was the first yes all weekend that brightened his mood but even he couldn't deny that the fact that it was Cissnei that said yes that added that little extra in extraordinary.
She was looking at Cloud intently now, turning up the wattage on this big doe brown eyes of hers. Reno chuckled thinking of how he had been trapped a couple nights before in their gaze. She knew…she knew full well the effect those eyes had.
Cloud's happy meter dialed down another notch, giving a quick nod to Cissnei and a behave smack to Reno on the shoulder before making his way back to his post at the door.
That left Reno and Cissnei standing in a semi-awkward situation of had she really just saved him and if she indeed had, why had she and what did that mean to their working relationship, his ego and mostly his under serviced libido?
It was written all over her face how she had indeed saved him but was it because she actually wanted to get a drink with him and see where things went from there or because she felt pity for him after watching him these last few nights or maybe a mixture of both?
Leaving the direct questions unanswered, Reno simply walked Cissnei over to a chair at one of the many tables spread out among Seventh Heaven and pulled it out for her.
"It'll never happen," he whispered in her ear and he was rewarded with her smile and what the night held in store for the both of them.