Cid stepped down onto the last step and listened for an indication as to where the Turk might be. He noticed that the kettle had been put on the stove and two cups sat out on the dining room table, but the Turk was no where in sight. Peering around the corner he saw no hint that Reno was in the bathroom or the living room. With a sigh he walked out and into the garage, where the lanky redhead hung slightly out of the engine compartment.

"Thought we agreed to shower and work on it once it thawed."

Reno jumped at the sudden noise and hit his head on the opened hood. With a pained chuckle he climbed down and stood before Cid, grease up to the elbows of his now ruined button up shirt.

"Thought maybe I could try to get some stuff done before my laundry got done."

Cid frowned, "Didn't you do laundry last night?"

"Yea, but I only own two suits and one pair of pj's. All that was left of my apartment was what I had in my travel duffel. I washed my pj's so that I had at least one suit left to wear."

Cid leaned against the door frame and lit a cigarette, "Ya know, you coulda just asked for some clothes. I'm pretty sure that I got some stuff that don't fit me anymore, but should certainly fit you."

Reno gave a sheepish grin, "I kinda figured that crashin' on your couch counted as more of a nuisance than I really wanted to be as it is."

"Nonsense. Fer fucks sake, I've been tryin' ta get rid of the clothes fer years. You'd be doin' me a service. You head to the shower and I'll go dig up the box they're in."

Cid led Reno to the shower and then went upstairs to get the clothes. It took a bit of digging, but he soon found the box that Shera had begged him for years to pitch. He carried it down stairs and stopped in the bathroom doorway to light a cigarette.

"Hey here's the-" Cid was forced to stop midsentence.

Reno stood in the bathroom in naught but his boxers as he washed his greasy hands in the sink and Cid couldn't help but stare. Although it wasn't the redheads dashing good looks that forced Cid's eyes to linger on the Turk, it was the scars. Reno's chest and back were covered in them. There were obviously older ones so pale you almost couldn't tell they were there. There were more pinkish scars that looked as though they had been horrifying wounds at one point. Finally there were those that looked freshly healed, still and angry red. He knew those wounds. He could see the marks Barret had left with his gun, he saw a deep cut across his shoulders left from Cloud's sword, but most importantly he saw a scar that ran jaggedly across his gut. It was a blow from Cid's own spear. He remember how happy he was to fend off the Turk. Now that moment seemed so hollow and empty.

With his stares he almost didn't notice the redhead's embarrassed look when he caught him.

"Didn't mean to be indecent." he said as he opened the box and dug for a spare shirt he was offered.

It was then that Cid saw his arms, the obvious drug use scars and collapsed veins almost made him swallow his cigarette.

"You're still staring."

"You had better not do that shit in my house." Cid said bobbing his head towards Reno's arm.

Reno frowned, "For your information it's hard to get people to sell you drugs if they won't even sell you a pack of cigarettes. Secondly, they aren't from illegal drugs. It's all the mako they pumped into our systems. I have been clean for over a year now, but the veins are so weak from all the injections they collapse on their own."

Cid muttered an apology and looked away. Reno nodded, "Come on, you think I'm mad that you'd assume that? I'd assume that. Besides, kinda hard to be mad at the guy that's letting me sleep on his couch."

The two stood in awkward silence until Cid heard the teakettle whistle.

"You better get in the shower bafore the tea water gets cold."

Reno shot Cid a smile and grabbed a Costa del Sol t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants from the box.

"Thanks yo." he said ducking into the bathroom and shutting the door carefully behind him.

Cid let out a sigh as he walked to the obnoxious whistle, unable to stop the thoughts from racing through his mind. 'Dirty old man. Ya keep thinking like that you'll be doing what you told Shera you wouldn't' he chastised himself. Pushing the thoughts aside he made the tea and waited for the Turk to get done.

~~Here you are, chapter 6 up and ready. Next chapter is extra steamy, so I hope you all are ready for it! Thank you to fetherhd and Namantos for the wonderful reviews. (Especially to fetherhd for going back and reviewing each chapter!) I love getting feedback so Thank You all so much! Hope you all enjoyed reading! ~CR