Disclaimer : I do not own FFVII, Crisis Core, Advent Children, or any of the characters that you recognise. As much as I love these guys, they belong to those other guys.

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Princess Miele : Yes, I'm pretty much updating this daily at the moment haha. I'm too excited to post the next part up! Astray is definitely worth a read. It gets a bit dark, but nothing horrendous. And yes, piercings! I was a body piercer for over 8 years and had a total of 31 myself at one point so it only make sense that I pierce Reno up for my own enjoyment! Hah! The sexual tension is gonna be getting turned up to 11 over the next few chapters! And I reckon Reno made it his mission to reach a somewhat legendary status among the secretarial staff in ShinRa!

Chapter 12 : Chicks Dig Scars

Uh oh.

A warning bell sounded dimly in the recesses of Reno's brain. As usual, he ignored it. When Tifa had grabbed her head, he thought she was going to pass out. Without even thinking, he had sat up quickly, ready to catch her if she fell. The fast movement had caused his own head to swim and he gripped the back of the couch to steady himself. Brilliant, who's gonna help if you both pass out drunk and crack your heads on the way down? Idiot. He thought, closing his eyes for a moment to stave off the dizziness. when he opened them again, he became almost painfully aware of how close he'd moved towards her. He felt his breath hitch in his throat as she turned her head to look at him, his eyes meeting hers. They were impossibly large, the rich chocolate almost swirling with the crimson flecks around her pupils. Maybe it's just the alcohol making them swirl. Reno drunkenly chuckled inwardly. He was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a whoosh of breath leave Tifa's mouth, and his eyes moved down to the source of the sound. Her lips were slightly parted, and he noticed her bottom lip was a little red from her biting on it. How would it look if I was one the one biting on it? Reno had barely the time to mentally scold himself as Tifa spoke.

"Your eyes glow."

"What?" Reno blinked a few times and looked back up at her eyes, his mind yanked back from the gutter it had been careering towards.

"Your eyes. They glow. Almost like there's Mako in there." She almost whispered, still staring right at him. The alcohol had made her brave, and he squirmed a little under her gaze.

"Eh. That's because there is." He answered, causing her to gasp.

"You're Mako enhanced? Why?"

"It's not necessary for Turks. It was more to help with healing..." Reno drifting off. He shifted back slightly and lifted the end of the loose white t-shirt he was wearing. Tifa didn't have time to blush before she noticed a large, ragged scar that started at his right hip bone and trailed all the way across his torso, stopping just below his left nipple. Tifa covered her mouth with her hand.

"How?"

"You guys."

"What?" Tifa stared at him in shock, her mouth hanging open. Reno shrugged.

"The fight at the pillar. You guys really did a number on me. Cloud managed to slice me open, and when I jumped to the chopper, it aggravated it ever so slightly." Reno looked down at himself, chuckling slightly. "Nearly didn't make it. Submersion in a Mako tube was the only option to stop me from dying. Not that I didn't deserve to after... that." His eyes darkened slightly as he looked back up at Tifa, half expecting her to go on a rant that he DID deserve to die. He was surprised to see that she was still fixated on his scar. He froze as she reached forward tentatively, almost as if she was going to touch him. Reno couldn't decide if he was concerned or slightly aroused at the concern on her face. He cleared his throat and she snapped her eyes back up to meet his. You're not the only one of us who nearly got sliced in two by a ridiculously large sword." He grinned, attempting to lighten the mood. Tifa's eyes dropped back to his torso.

"It looks almost like it still hurts..." She commented, noticing the scar was still puckered and pink on his pale skin. Her scar was reasonably flat compared to his. She could barely resist the urge to touch it to see how it felt.

"It doesn't. And anyway, chicks dig scars." He shrugged again and smiled slightly. Including you, it seems. "Touch it if you want. I assure you I won't scream." He couldn't help the wicked grin that spread across his face. Tifa was too busy staring and weighing up how much she wanted to see how it felt. Reno was about to let go of his t-shirt and let it drop back down when Tifa extended her hand, her slender fingers brushing gently against the part on his hip. Reno twitched and she drew her hand back. He cursed himself. "Sorry. Ticklish." He said by way of explanation.

"Sorry." Tifa breathed, surprising even herself as she reached out again and pressed on the scar a little more firmly this time. Reno noticed even though her cheeks were flushed, her hands were cool to the touch and he had to bite his lip to stop a sigh escaping his lips. The pads of her fingers and the tops of her palms were slightly calloused, something he never really considered before seeing as she fought with her fists. The roughness didn't put him off however, instead he found the gentle friction a bit of a turn on and a small shiver ran across his skin. Tifa gently traced the scar upwards and Reno had to used all his willpower to stay still. His skin tingled where he fingers had been. The alcohol hadn't numbed him that much, apparently. And it certainly didn't help when she drew her bottom lip between her teeth as she focused on him, her fingers reaching the top of the scar. This. Is. Torture. Reno groaned to himself as he focused completely on trying to relax, his eyes moving to watch her hand. If she follows that scar back down, it's gonna take a miracle for me to control myself.

When she got to the end, she stopped, her hand still resting on his stomach and her head still down.

"There was a time where I would have gotten pleasure from knowing we did this to you." she spoke softly. Reno tilted his head as he watched her.

"And now?"

"I don't feel sorry for you." she said rather abruptly. Reno blinked a few times. "But I'm not glad of it either. It was war. We were both responsible for so many deaths. I guess our scars are a reminder of that."

"I guess. But..."

"What?" Tifa lifted her head to look at him. Her hand didn't move however.

"I'm... well, I'm sorry. For what happened. Your bar, your friends..." he trailed off. Tifa shook her head, her hair whipping around her. Reno bite his lip again as some of the fine strands fell around her and tickled his stomach when she leaned over him. Surely she was teasing him on purpose? It was just getting ridiculous now. He felt a twinge between his legs and hoped to god there wasn't visible evidence.

"Don't. It's done." She replied, looking back up at him with a small smile. Reno couldn't help but smile back even as she seemed to realise what she was doing. She looked down at her hand and suddenly could barely feel the scar. Instead, she noticed taught muscles rippling with each slightly shallow breath under surprisingly soft skin. She could feel his heart beat, and couldn't help but notice it was a little fast. She quickly drew her hand back, feeling like blushing was as regular as breathing for her since she ran into Reno. He simply chuckled softly and let go of his t-shirt, sitting back up a bit straighter which in turn brought their faces a little closer together again. Tifa sat back on her heels, widening the distance slightly. She couldn't help but notice the way his tshirt had fallen back down had still left a little bit of skin on show and it was harder than she'd like to admit not to pay attention to it,

"Thought for a minute there ya weren't gonna let go of me." Reno teased. Tifa snapped out of her haze and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself, Reno."

"Hey, I'm jus' sayin, yo. Almost glad you did when you did." He grinned, the teasing tone still very much present in his voice. Tifa raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"C'mon, Tifa. You're not stupid." He quipped as he leaned over the edge of the couch to pick his glass back up. He took a long drink before he continued. "A beautiful girl like you with her hands on me after a night of drinkin'? There's generally only one way I want that to end."

"What? I wasn't..." Tifa stared at him as he drained the rest of his drink. He looked at her with a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, I know you weren't. But it's easier said than done trying not to react to it."

"I don't understand?" Tifa questioned. Reno nodded downwards suggestively and she gasped. "Really? Because of me?"

"I'm not at full mast or anythin'," Reno couldn't help but laugh as she scrunched up her nose at him "But you're pretty fuckin' hot and you were strokin' me."

"I was not stroking!"

"Well, it sounds better than fingering."

"That's disgusting!" Tifa exclaimed, at the same as she burst out laughing despite herself. Reno grinned again.

"So my language is disgusting, like my piercing is? Any other insults ya wanna fling my way?" He leaned forward, laughing in surprise as Tifa suddenly slapped him on the arm, laughing along with him as he grabbed his arm in mock pain. This was not like the ear-ringing slap she'd given him earlier. This was the kind of slap little girls gave to little boys in the playground. Reno's grin nearly reached his ears. "And anyways, I told ya. Not disgusting. Useful."

"Yeah, yeah. If you were such a stud, you wouldn't need the help." She fired back. Reno narrowed his eyes, his smile still present.

"Nothing wrong with improvin' your game, even if your game is top notch like mine."

"Oh, please. I doubt a tiny thing like that makes much of a difference." The words were out before Tifa could stop herself. Oh god. That sounded like a challenge. What am I doing?!

"That right?" Reno set his glass down and raised an eyebrow at her. Tifa was tired of blushing, so she set her shoulders and tilted her head up. Reno's eyes burned into hers. "Sounds a bit like a challenge, Lockhart. Careful now." He couldn't help but bait her slightly. Tifa snorted and wondered if he'd read her mind.

"You'd love that, wouldn't you?"

"Damn fuckin' right I would." Reno's voice had dropped. His smirk was gone and he looked deadly serious. Tifa felt slightly nervous. She wasn't worried when he had his trademark grin. But that serious look seemed even more dangerous. She noticed his gaze flicking between her lips and her eyes with an almost hungry look in his eyes. Tifa would normally run for the hills at this moment. Maybe it was the whisky, maybe it was the fact that she was sick of chasing after guys she'd never get to keep, but seeing him in front of her with lust burning in his eyes caused her own rush of desire to flare up just below her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had looked at her like that. Sure, she was used to being leered at, but that wasn't the same. There was a want in his eyes that made her brave. She leaned forward, and stared at him through heavy lidded eyes.

"That so?"

"Oh yeah." Reno almost growled. She was killing him. She was in control right now, not him, and she knew it. And that was turning him on even more. He shifted slightly, his blood rushing in his veins and pooling below his waist. He couldn't have taken her eyes off her if Sephiroth himself had burst through the door. A low groan sounded in his throat as the next words left her lips.

"Prove it.

AN: Ooooooo Tifa, you go girl! Turn that man to putty! Chicks really do dig scars, though. Pretty sure my ex used his sizeable stomach scar to get my attention. It sure as hell worked at the time! I like scar stories :)

So yeah, I have written a bit of what happens between these two in all its lemony goodness. However. I do know that not everyone enjoys lemon and it would require me to put the rating up. I've done it in such a way that the entire chapter can be skipped by those not into it and they won't miss any storyline. But I still don't know whether to actually post it. Let me know what you guys think please!