A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Standard disclaimer applies.
Updated 7/22/2020: Chapter almost completely rewritten due to changes in previous chapters. New scenes with Reno added. I've also slowed Reno and Tifa's relationship down. Slow burns are better.
Chapter 14:
He felt the pounding headache first, like jackhammers trying to bore their way through his skull. No, it was worse than that. This was like the parade in Junon thrown to celebrate Rufus as the new president of Shinra happening right inside his head. He could feel the rhythmically stomping boots of the military grunts and his mind felt as though the horn section was playing that awful song on full blast.
And it was all her fault.
Not the chestnut-haired mouse from earlier in the week; she'd been a fine, fleeting distraction. It was the brunette goddess that had twirled in the recesses of his subconscious day in and day out for the past few months, leaping and kicking and punching as if she were in a choreographed dance. She was as graceful as a ballerina, lethal as a behemoth, and as gorgeous as if she had been sculpted by Shiva herself.
When his eyes finally opened, he felt nauseated. The sun crept into his room around the edges of his window blinds and seared into his eye sockets. Another memory of Junon, only back then the light was orange from the sunset and not blinding white like it was now. He shifted his gaze lower, onto the bottle that had been his sleeping partner for the night. He was lying on his stomach, naked, and spread wide across his king-sized bed in a cruel emphasis of how alone he was. The liquor bottle on the bed next to him was empty, though the cold, damp spot on the sheets underneath its mouth suggested it had not been when he passed out the night before.
The blonde he had bed the night before hadn't helped his predicament, as he thought she would. Find a woman who looks nothing like anyone you know. The blonde with the long, curly hair and hazel eyes had certainly been capable, but she didn't fill the hole he felt in his gut. He had left work right at 5 o'clock, which was no surprise to anyone these days, given his disdain for the information gathering. He suggested to Rude that they go somewhere other than Seventh Heaven, explaining that there would be no point to the date if Tifa saw him every day. Reno also hoped that avoiding her would snap him out of whatever funk he now found himself.
It didn't work, so he tried finding a woman that didn't look like someone he knew that would remind him of her, and the blonde fit that profile.
He didn't notice Elena's face when he and Rude left HQ earlier in the day; narrowed eyes and doubt. Rude still hadn't put everything together, but he seemed to have some suspicions. Elena, however, knew Reno didn't understand what jealousy and heartache felt like, having always been on the other end of the relationship spectrum. She had thought about asking him but knew it wouldn't go over well.
So, Reno and Rude went to a different bar where the redhead made lewd comments about women in the bar as he usually did, only something didn't seem right. He didn't seem sincere in his musings – and he was drinking too much, too fast. Rude knew his partner was in for one of "those nights," but he had a date with his dream girl the next night; he didn't have the time or the patience to peel the redhead off the floor of the bar as he had done so many times over the years.
It occurred to Rude at that moment that Reno hadn't had one of those episodes for months. Reno had been particularly prone to wastrel tendencies after the plate was dropped but had seemingly gotten better after Meteor. Rude hoped his partner wasn't falling back into his old ways, especially since Rude wasn't sure what caused this sudden re-emergence of Reno the Drunk.
He had kicked the sauce for a little while after Meteor, so consumed in the reconstruction effort he had little time to think of anything else. But when the woman both he and his partner secretly and not-so-secretly coveted opened an establishment dedicated to alcohol, he'd returned. She pushed it for survival, and neither Reno nor Rude would let her starve.
Rude bid his partner farewell and locked eyes with the bartender as he left a tip generous enough to have been given to Tifa, as if to apologize for Reno's future behavior that night. Luckily for the establishment, Reno didn't cause any trouble. As soon as Rude left, he spied the blonde and made her his mission for the night.
He succeeded in that part, but when he returned to his apartment he continued to drink, trying to forget something he couldn't even recognize. He hadn't set out to get so drunk that night; he had merely been trying to calm the constant tap tap tapping in his head that had persisted since earlier in the week when a certain bartender accepted a certain best friend's date invitation. At first Reno felt a tightness in his chest and just a slight tap tap tapping at the base of his skull, like when he knew he would need a cigarette relatively soon. Throughout the week, that tap tap tapping became more insistent, rising from a mild craving to an intense reckoning and then last night feeling like he was 36 hours into a cold turkey attempt. He had tried to silence the tap tap tapping with alcohol, which worked, to an extent. Not last night, though. He kept drinking, punishing himself for being unable to support his partner.
He looked at the clock. He'd slept the day away. The sun was no longer blinding him, replaced by steel gray clouds ominously portending that the coming storm would be epic.
He didn't usually sleep this long unless he passed out; nightmares always interrupting his slumber to remind him he was a piece of human garbage. If not nightmares, pleasant dreams ended too soon of a busty fighter throwing down the gauntlet; of arms gently wrapped around his waist and a cheek against his chest.
A "functional alcoholic," he'd tell his coworkers, though sometimes the "functional" part would take a vacation.
He rose from the bed supporting himself on his hands, inhaling haggardly before hacking up a figurative lung. He considered calling Rude to see if he needed any help getting ready – advice or liquid courage – but decided against it. He was in no position to help and couldn't guarantee his attitude wouldn't betray his secret.
He reached for his EMR sitting on his nightstand. It wasn't its usual perch, but Reno hadn't been in the frame of mind the night before to care. Taking hold of the weapon gave him access to his Restore materia, the quickest hangover remedy. A low-level spell could chase the daggers away, though Reno tried to ride them out as often as he could. He may be a drunk, but he didn't want to fall into a cycle of alcohol and materia remedies. Most people didn't even know that Restore could be used that way.
He had the day off, which contributed to last night's affair. He showered and dressed in his blue Turk suit because even if he wasn't working, he liked the confidence boost it gave him. It also attracted women and warned anyone who would dare cut him off at the bar. He didn't feel 100%, but he still had a few hours until he needed to be anywhere. He convinced himself that, for Rude, he would go to Seventh Heaven around 10 p.m. to see how the date went. If it went poorly, Tifa would already be home. He could make the quick determination to prepare for the fallout without waiting for Rude to tell him, since he knew his bald friend wouldn't divulge the details no matter what the outcome.
It was already pouring when he took his first steps into the open air, opening an umbrella and balancing it in the crook of his shoulder as he lit a cigarette. He stopped for a fresh pack before working his way through back alleys in the dark toward Seventh Heaven. He arrived just before 10 p.m. The lights were out. Didn't mean anything. He stood on the small porch outside the front door under the second-floor overhang to stay relatively dry. There were few cars on the road these days due to the monster population, but every time he saw headlights he ducked around the corner, defeating the purpose of staying on the porch.
Meanwhile…
Tifa sat in the grand dining room of The Golden Chocobo. The room was one of the fanciest she had ever been in, with white and blue marble tiles and columns and a fountain in the middle of the room with a brass chocobo statue at the top. The base of the fountain was stone, with streams of water pouring out from a second tier into the larger pool beneath.
Tifa sat across from Rude at their table next to this fountain and she could see the mosaic tile floor beneath the cool, clear water dotted with gil thrown in by wishful patrons. She looked back at Rude, still surprised to see him out of his typical Turk attire. He was still wearing a suit, but it was charcoal gray with a white dress shirt underneath and a colorful tie. Tifa, meanwhile, wore a form-fitting dress with wide, diagonal white and black stripes.
The murmur of fleeting conversations hung heavy in the air as Tifa picked at her salad. It was good – probably one of the best salads she ever had – but Rude had barely said two words to her since he picked her up from in front of her bar. The most interesting piece of conversation between the two so far was about his tie.
She had tried to initiate conversation multiple times, but he would only respond in one-word answers or, at most, a full sentence. Favorite thing to do after work? Drink. Favorite thing about being a Turk? Can't answer. Where in Midgar did you grow up? Slums. Which sector? Not important. Favorite movie? Don't watch 'em. She was getting aggravated.
She had thought once he was away from Reno he would open up and let her in, but he didn't. She already knew there couldn't be a second date.
Toothpaste, wood polish, a couple new dish rags. Tifa had started making a grocery list in her head to try to pass the time. She mentally kicked herself for running completely out of toothpaste before buying a new tube.
Cloud wasn't the most talkative person, but when it was just the two of them, he would often make jokes about the people around them or engage her in a conversation about ridiculous theories relating to monsters they had fought on their previous trials. For example, they spent one afternoon debating Hojo's title of "professor." Gast was a doctor, but Hojo was always referred to as a professor. Did he not have a Ph.D.? Where did he teach? What did he teach? Was there a generation of Hojo acolytes out there continuing his creepy legacy? The questions went on. They never did decide on any answers.
They could laugh and flirt easily, but Tifa supposed that came from the comfort they had in each other's presence from a lifetime of friendship.
"So, that thing in Nibelheim…" she tried again. Rude made no indication that he had even heard her.
"I can't talk about that, sorry," he said.
"What can you talk about, Rude?" she was getting frustrated at this point. There had to be more to him than grunts or silence.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, talk to me," she said, exasperated. "You asked me out for a date, but you've hardly said anything."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she sighed. "I just want to know the real you, outside of the Turks. You have to have things you want to talk about."
"I, heh," Rude began. "I really don't talk. Reno does the talking; I do the fighting."
"That makes sense for work, but when you're not on assignment, what do you guys talk about?"
"You've seen how it is at the bar."
"That's seriously your relationship? He picks up women while you silently stare into your drink?" Tifa supposed it made sense.
There were probably chatty girls who would love to have a man who simply listened all the time and went along with whatever they wanted, but Tifa needed something else. She needed to be challenged, to have discussions, and to be sure the person she was with was interested in her. A man sitting in silence just wasn't enough, even if she knew he liked her.
"Well, no," Rude said.
Tifa reached across the table to grab his hands for emphasis.
"Then tell me what's in that bald head of yours," she said, squeezing his hands.
Rude was definitely thrown by her action. He had never felt her touch; how soft and warm her hands were. Even though she was a fighter, her skin was smooth and silky to the touch, as if she had never used her hands before. He wanted to savor the moment, but knew he needed to start talking soon to keep her from getting too bored.
"I'm not bald," he said reflexively. "I shave my head."
"Hey, there's something," Tifa seemed pleased with his admission. "Why do you shave your head?"
"Because I'm going bald."
It wasn't some big joke, but the way Rude said it made Tifa laugh. He wasn't bald, he just shaved his head because he was bald. It was just simple enough to tickle her. The sound of her laugh made him actually smile a little.
"Okay, I guess it's little comments like that that make you a good match for Reno."
"I can be quite delightful," Rude said, losing any emotion he may have just had. His statement made Tifa laugh even harder.
The conversation passed and the two fell into an uncomfortable silence before their entrées were delivered. They ate in silence for a few minutes, until Rude remembered he never showed Tifa those photos of Reno after he was electrocuted. Bringing up Reno when Rude had some suspicions about his relationship with Tifa might not have been the smartest idea, but the bald Turk knew she would probably get a kick out of the pictures.
"Oh yeah, I meant to show you these before, but then Nibelheim happened…" he trailed off as he pulled out his PHS and found the first image in the series. "We recently came into contact with some electrified doors. Reno, naturally, couldn't keep his hands to himself."
He handed a confused Tifa his phone, knowing it was a gamble but wanting to make her laugh more than protect whatever information she might snoop. She took it from him slowly, careful not to drop it as she moved it over the table with food and beverages. When she looked at the first picture Rude saw her face light up with laughter.
"His hair looks like a trickplay!" she exclaimed as she scrolled through photos showing Reno with his hair frizzed out and ponytail puffed like a mu tail. The final entry was a short video of Reno struggling to walk as his limbs twitched. Tifa tried to stifle her laughter, knowing the scarlet-haired Turk was in agony. His cocky attitude, however, made him due for a good takedown. "Poor Reno," she giggled as she handed Rude his phone.
The rest of their dinner actually ended up being rather pleasant. Tifa didn't leave feeling that way about Rude, but she had at least come to see him in a different light. He was funny, in a deadpan sort of way. He didn't have a lot to say, but he could crack her up with the way he phrased his answers.
Oh, and the food at the restaurant was just as good as Tifa remembered. The menu had changed since she had been there a year ago, but the sorghum-glazed dual horn short rib was equally as delicious, and the blueberry lavender mini cheesecakes molded in the shape of a moogle's face were quite charming.
Despite the food and the agreeable conversation, Tifa ended up depressing herself as the night went on. In retrospect, suggesting The Golden Chocobo was a bad idea, given her previous experience with Cloud. They laughed and flirted the entire time. Back then, it was so easy for her to be with Cloud. His headaches were mild and his nightmares weren't so severe. By the end of her date with Rude, Tifa was realizing she had chosen the restaurant to try and recreate one of her happiest moments.
Rude dropped Tifa off in front of her bar just after 10 p.m., feeling pretty good about the date, but not good enough to move in for a kiss. He thought he had broken new ground with the woman he had admired from afar for the past several years but worried he just hadn't said enough to captivate someone like her. Perhaps they were just too different. He wasn't used to women actually wanting to have a discussion. Usually, they just talked his ear off. But of course, the woman he was interested in wasn't like that, and he just wasn't that much of a conversationalist, even if he had managed to make her laugh a few times.
It was raining hard when he stopped his car in front of Seventh Heaven. With his windshield wipers on full blast, he had to raise his voice for Tifa to hear him over the storm outside.
"I wish I had more to say," he told her, looking into her eyes through the sunglasses he was wearing even though it was night.
"It's okay," she assured him. "I had a lovely time."
She leaned over the center console and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"See you at the bar soon?" she asked before she opened her car door.
Rude nodded his head and grunted in his usual fashion. Tifa felt relieved that things might be able to go back to normal after what was a mediocre date.
She rushed to her front door, though that hadn't helped keep her any drier, but immediately threw her head back and groaned.
"Toothpaste!" she yelled out loud as if she were scolding her own home.
She checked the time on her phone – four minutes until the nearby general store closed. She could make it if she ran right now but she had no umbrella. Unlocking her door and going inside to find her umbrella would probably mean the store would close, and she was not about to go to bed without proper dental hygiene.
Fuck it, she'd just run. She bolted from her doorway and down the street, entering the store with one minute to spare. She had fortunately decided to forgo heels that night in favor of some stylish black leather ankle boots with a slight chunky heel. She had considered heels, but she felt it was safer to be ready to fight. Going into the date, she thought there was still a slim chance that Rude had been faking his feelings for her to play some kind of long-con. Can never really trust those Turks.
The cashier at the general store glared at her, pissed that she would have to deal with a customer after closing time. Tifa quickly found the items she needed (might as well pick up the rest of what she needed while she was already here instead of making another trip in the morning) and paid for them, leaving the store just two minutes after closing time and quickly running home.
By the time she reached her home a second time she was soaked to the bone. Her hair stuck to her face, continuing to drip down her body even after she was under the cover of her doorway and her clothes clung to her skin.
She fumbled with her keys and they slipped from her hands. When she bent over to pick them up she heard that annoyingly familiar voice that always came too close for comfort.
"Wrong night to wear white, eh?"
Tifa spun around toward the direction of the voice with her fists raised, poised to strike. In her haste to turn on her stalker, she hadn't actually listened to what he said, instead preparing for a potential fight. Of course, it was Reno again. He just kept showing up when she was alone and on edge.
At the sight of him, she flung her arms toward her sides, the way a child would when stomping their foot, only without the stomp.
"Why do you keep following me?" she hissed.
It was really starting to get annoying. It was like he was stalking her, always appearing out of nowhere with some snarky comment.
Reno tried to keep his eyes on Tifa's face, but they kept wandering south. He found her angry expression downright cute in the moment even as his maleness dictated he look elsewhere.
It was clear she hadn't worn a bra with this particular ensemble, and he could see the pink forms of her nipples underneath. She was flashing him without her knowledge, something that caused heat to pool in his loins. He of course wanted to see them without the coverage of a wet dress – and in a scenario where he could freely touch and suck on them – but this was a nice step forward, especially given his belief that he would never be in a position like that with her.
He leaned against the front wall of her bar with one ankle crossed over the foot bearing his weight and removed a rumpled pack of cigarettes, his eyes now avoiding her. He removed the last one in the pack, which had been spotted with rain drops (but he couldn't just throw it away) and placed it between his lips. She continued to stare at him questioningly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter. Without any consideration for how much time he was taking, he brought the lighter up to the tip of the cigarette and lit it, watching as the tobacco burned into an orange nub sticking out from the paper that had once concealed it. He took one long drag of the cigarette and exhaled out the side of his mouth to avoid blowing smoke in Tifa's pretty face.
As she watched him take his time with the cigarette, she noticed that he was soaking wet as well. His once lively red hair now hung limply toward his ears, his bangs soggy against his face. His suit was wrinkled and clinging to his thin frame, the collar of his white dress shirt looking even more disheveled than usual. He certainly looked pathetic, though Tifa imagined she must look similar.
Reno removed the cigarette from his lips using his index and middle fingers and brought it to his side. At this point, Tifa considered just entering her home and not entertaining whatever game he was currently playing. She sighed heavily and crossed her arms under her chest, which just made things worse (better) for Reno.
"Because, I…" he couldn't finish the sentence. "I'm sorry, I can't concentrate when you have your headlights on me." He didn't even try to hide his amusement.
"Excuse me?" Tifa asked, placing her hands on her hips.
Reno took one last look at her chest and the thin white material that was clutching her breasts, before looking into her eyes again, quickly. She caught on to what he was indicating and looked down, horrified to find that she could indeed see her own nipples through her dress.
Mortified, she immediately hugged her arms around her chest and turned away from him, crying "oh my God," as she did so.
Reno thought he probably should have kept his big mouth shut, but if he said nothing and she figured it out on her own, she might have been angrier. At least he was being informative, right?
"You're a jerk!" she said with her upper body turned away from him toward her door as she again fumbled with the lock.
"I know, but at least I let you know, right?" Reno asked, continuing to lean against the wall outside Seventh Heaven.
Tifa whipped around to face him once again – arms covering her chest – to shoot him an indignant look.
"Eventually," she sneered. "Get a good look, pervert?"
"Not really, that porch light is pretty dim," Reno replied, glancing toward the dim bulb.
His humor was not welcome.
"What are you doing here, Reno?" she demanded, backing into the corner of the small porch next to the front door.
"I wanted to know how your date went."
"Why don't you just ask Rude?"
"That's not how I roll," Reno explained. "I want to be ready for whatever he needs tomorrow, and based on how early it is, I'd say he needs alcohol."
"What would he need if the date lasted longer?"
"Alcohol, but we'd be happy drinking," Reno said with a smirk. "Tell me something, Lockhart. Why'd you go out with him?"
Tifa held her arms tightly across her chest, wanting nothing more than to go inside, get away from Reno, and change. She leaned her shoulder against the front of the doorframe to answer the redhead's question before making her move inside.
"You made it clear I should, and I wanted to."
Reno brought his right forearm to rest on the wall next to him in order to prop himself up and moved closer to Tifa.
"Did you know when you agreed that you weren't really into him?"
"I didn't know that," she replied, "for sure. I wanted to give him a chance."
"He's not your type," Reno said, his eyes heavy as he spoke. "You like the thrill of the chase Lockhart. You want a lost soul you can turn around."
"That's not true," Tifa insisted. Reno was not convinced.
"He's not dangerous enough for you," the Turk said.
"He's a Turk."
"You know what I mean. You know he likes you. There's no ambiguity there, and that bores you," Reno said, searching her eyes for that glint of acknowledgement to prove he was right.
There it was.
"Then why were you so insistent that I go out with him?"
Reno rubbed the back of his neck and looked toward the wooden planks of the wall, focusing on a splintered section that had been damaged by a fiend.
"I hoped I was wrong. He's been carryin' a torch for ya for so long, I wanted to help," the redhead said.
"You're just that good of a friend?"
"I had to try. I'm not like Rude though, just liking someone from afar, yanno? I had to give him a push. I mean, if I really wanted to be with a girl, I'd…" he stopped short, realizing he had just given himself away.
It was Tifa's turn to smile.
"…Wait in the pouring rain for her to return from her date with his best friend?" Tifa said, now appearing a little smug. Reno's expression didn't change. Instead, he just exhaled smoke slowly and deliberately, as if he hadn't even heard what she said.
"Oh this? Nah, I was just in the neighborhood…" he sounded cool, but Tifa had this self-satisfied smile on her face and kept nodding her head in amusement. "… and figured I'd see if the date went well, yo."
"Mmhmm," Tifa smiled.
Oh, he had been caught. He had been caught red-handed.
"I think you were jealous," she teased.
Reno's body language gave no indication that he was listening. He took another long drag from the cigarette.
"No way, I don't get crushes," Reno's voice was cool and low, almost disinterested.
"So, all those confessions and nights helping me after closing…?" Tifa asked.
Reno's eyes lit up, a flare from the mako that Tifa could see even on the dimly lit porch. All this time he had told himself he didn't have a chance with Tifa Lockhart and that to get past his sexual desires for her, he should try to set her up with his best friend. Her comment just now suggested she had seen something in his flirtations, possibly even welcomed them. It was another little drop in the bucket where he had been collecting evidence of her potential reciprocation.
He decided that he needed to know for sure. If she pushed him away, he could move on with his life and return to his womanizing like nothing had ever happened, but if she accepted…
He took a step toward her with his eyes locked on hers. He smoldered, answering her question with his expression. She, however, was now backed against the door, keeping one arm across her chest while moving her other hand to reach for the doorknob.
Reno kept her pace; close enough for her to feel the heat from his body on the arm that was still covering her breasts. He hovered over her as her right hand gripped the doorknob, keeping her eyes locked on his to figure out what he was about to do. His face closed in on hers and she realized she was no longer trying to get away. She had never imagined kissing Reno – certainly not in any way except against her will – but now that it was about to happen, she felt butterflies in her stomach. The pain and anguish that had consumed her heart these last few months subsided for a split second, before she felt herself falling backward.
As Reno had leaned in, Tifa absentmindedly let her right hand fall from the doorknob, but in doing so, accidentally twisted the knob. When Reno was close enough to kiss her, she had moved to brace herself against the door, causing it to open and both her and the redhead to tumble inside. Reno, with his inhuman reflexes boosted by a mild amount of mako combined with what she assumed was already catlike agility, quickly wrapped his right arm around Tifa's back and reached out his left to brace their fall, keeping the barmaid from making full contact with the ground. When they landed, Reno still had an arm under Tifa while his left elbow was to her side, their faces so close he could feel the tip of her nose against his own.
A rush of wind and rain followed them in, making them each shiver before closing the door as it left her establishment. They could hear the door slam behind them as the wind left the building as quickly as it had come.
Tifa stared up at him as her heartbeat slowed from its height during the fall. She could feel Reno's chest pressing against hers as he, too, continued to breathe heavily, the cigarette smoke on his breath filling her nostrils. He could practically taste the cheesecake she had for dessert – with Rude – as she caught her breath.
Tifa knew she was getting caught up in Reno's… charms? That wasn't the right word. More like antagonistic flirting, but she had developed some kind of feelings for him, nonetheless. It wasn't what she felt for Cloud, to be sure, it was more like a watered-down version of the heat she felt in her chest every time she was around the blond swordsman. A dull ache for Reno's attention, even though she didn't want to feel this way.
"Reno…" she said softly, her voice breathy and belying her desire.
She knew nothing could happen between them no matter what she was starting to feel. If her relationship with Cloud had been complicated during their previous adventure, any relationship with Reno would be even more so. She couldn't imagine trying to explain to her friends – especially Barret – such an encounter.
"I've wanted to hear you say my name like that for so long, yo," he said, bringing his forehead to rest against hers. "Reeee-no…" he mimicked her as best he could, though his own voice was raspy from cigarettes.
And there it was. Confirmation that the redheaded Turk wanted her; physically, she assumed. But she couldn't. Cloud may have been gone for five months, but she wasn't ready for anyone to even attempt to take his place. She'd loved the man since she was a teenager; the heartache was too fresh.
Tifa fidgeted underneath Reno and sat up as she again covered her chest with her arms. Reno sat back on his heels as she did so, kicking himself for making such an admission. She looked at him again without saying anything, though her eyes were watery, the life he had just seen in them a moment ago deflated.
Reno knew that look, even if Tifa thought he couldn't see it in the dark of the unlit bar. He hopped to his feet to turn the light on. Tifa turned her head from him and closed her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice the tears threatening to release. Reno walked back over to her and offered his hand. Tifa sensed he was close again and looked up to his hand, releasing one arm from her chest to accept his help.
Reno then did something he never imagined himself doing. As he pulled Tifa up, he brought her to him so he could wrap his arms around her. This time it was Tifa's turn to hesitate awkwardly. She still had an arm covering her chest as Reno embraced her and let her free hand fall to her side. Reno held her tightly, not quite sure what he was doing, but knowing what had happened the last time he saw Tifa cry. After a minute passed, Tifa struggled to remove her arm from between them and slowly, tentatively, reached her arms around Reno to hug him back. She leaned her head against his chest, both shivering from their soaking wet clothes.
Reno knew what – or who – was holding Tifa back, but there was nothing he could really do about that. Strife was an ass, and an idiot, who did this to one of the most caring women Reno had ever met.
Against all odds, Tifa Lockhart had seemingly forgiven him and Rude – the most loathsome men on the planet, in Reno's opinion – for their past. He knew how she had been there for Cloud even as he pulled away from her. It made him want to punch the blond in the face. He thought back to the times when he was able to electrocute that bastard and smiled briefly.
"You can't hold on to the past so hard," he whispered, squeezing her a little tighter. "I've been there. It almost killed me."
Tifa wasn't sobbing into his chest like last time; the tears never fell. She was too shocked by Reno's tenderness to let her feelings get the best of her again. Yet again, Reno had managed to rescue her from her pain. She pulled back from him, her expression sheepish.
"I should change…" she said, again covering her chest. "I'll… I'll get you a towel."
Reno watched her disappear up the stairs. A white stripe of her dress also fell over her backside, giving him a decent view of her white thong beneath the thin material. It really was the wrong night to wear white.
He strolled over to the bar and sat at his usual stool, trying to calm his wandering mind that was causing his pants to become a little tight. He rested his forearms on the bar and picked at his nails until Tifa returned and tossed a towel over his head. He was actually a little surprised she came back at all; perhaps even more surprised that he didn't follow her upstairs.
He dried his hair as Tifa walked behind the bar and grabbed two glasses, setting one in front of him. When she turned back around holding his favorite scotch she paused. Reno had removed his jacket and was wearing just his wet dress shirt, which must have been as see-through as her dress had been. The soaked fabric clung to his skin, showing off how lithe he was even underneath his fitted suit. He reached up to the top button he had fastened, which was the third button down and started to undo it before noticing Tifa was staring.
"Uh, mind? Kinda cold," he said. She nodded and turned back to the bar cabinet; her cheeks flushed. She didn't notice Reno's prideful smirk.
He removed his shirt and placed it over the back of the bar stool next to him, his jacket carefully laid over the counter beside him. Tifa, he now noticed, was dressed in her usual attire – a white crop top and black leather miniskirt. Her hair was still wet, but she had it pulled up into a thick bun, her bangs still falling messily about her forehead. Her outfit did nothing to calm the heat in his loins.
Tifa turned around to pour Reno's scotch before grabbing a bottle of Corel wine and pouring herself half a glass. She stayed behind the bar, fearful of what might happen if she dared to sit next to him; whether she could control her hormones - or if he could control his. She smiled at Reno, who now had the towel draped around his shoulders like an old woman's shawl. He took a large sip of his scotch, the brown liquor burning his chest as he swallowed. Satisfying.
"Still cold?" Tifa asked, taking a sip of her wine.
"Not anymore," he said, his eyes trained on her with a hint of sensuality hidden behind the mako.
He knew he should have left while she was upstairs or even before they fell into the bar. Hell, he knew he shouldn't have come here in the first place. If Rude had seen what had happened tonight, their friendship might be over. Reno couldn't live with himself if he lost Rude, but he also was enjoying his time with Tifa too much to walk away from her, even if nothing had actually happened between them.
They stayed silent for several minutes, each nursing their own drink.
"Still upset over Strife?" Reno asked, though it was a question to which he already knew the answer and didn't want to hear.
He was becoming "that guy" who kept comforting a girl while she pined for someone else. He ran a hand through his hair and down to his neck, wishing he had another cigarette to focus on. Why didn't he make a snarky or flirtatious comment? He could kick himself, again.
"I think I'm getting better," she replied, her voice unsteady. "Like you said, I can't hold on to the past, right?"
Reno was surprised she quoted his words back to him, assuming she hadn't heard them earlier or had simply dismissed them.
"That's right, Lockhart," he said, the corner of his lip curling upward.
As another silence passed, Reno decided he had done enough to damage his friendship with Rude. He started to slowly rise from his stool, noticing again how wet and cold his pants were, and began to pull on his still soaked shirt.
"I could lend you a T-shirt so you don't have to walk back completely drenched," Tifa said.
Reno chuckled. "Don't think I'll fit into one of yours, Lockhart."
"Very funny, but Cloud left his clothes here… I could let you borrow one of his…"
Had she really just suggested giving something of Cloud's to Reno?
"Don't worry about it, it'll just get rained on anyway. Besides, it's a warm night."
Tifa nodded and watched as Reno slipped back into his shirt and jacket, wincing as the cool fabric slid across his skin. She walked around the bar to follow him to the door so she could lock it after he left. He paused before opening it and turned back toward her. He didn't know what to say and even though he knew he should say nothing and simply walk away to keep his cool exterior, he wanted to say something to her.
"Thank you," she said, her hands clasped behind her back and her gaze not meeting his.
There was that innocence in full view. She looked almost like a scared teenager, afraid that she was embarrassing herself. Reno felt his left eye twitch just once.
"Just do me a favor, wouldja, Lockhart?" he asked, causing her to meet his eyes.
"What?"
"Don't let me see you sad anymore. You're too hot to be hung up on some guy."
Tifa's eyebrows squeezed together in confusion – not over what Reno said, but the fact that he said it. If she didn't know any better, the Reno she experienced tonight was unlike her previous image of him. He almost seemed… caring, but she knew better.
She nodded and smiled anyway, tilting her head slightly. "I'll try."
He continued to stare into her carmine eyes for a second too long and she thought he was about to try and kiss her again. She could practically see the gears turning in his head, yet he turned suddenly and again opened the door. She found her heart dropping a little as that odd feeling of rejection returned.
Lightning struck somewhere in the distance, illuminating the light sky for a brief moment and silhouetting Reno. His hair was dry enough to begin regaining its natural spikiness; suit rumpled from moisture. He paused and slumped his shoulders as he stood in the doorframe. He couldn't leave like this. He almost had his chance, he needed to take it, even if it was so, so wrong.
He spun back around to face her and without another word and with little tenderness, he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her. She squealed with surprise into his mouth but did not struggle. This was actually happening. She was actually kissing Reno – a Turk! What would AVALANCHE think? What would Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie think?
She realized her arms had reached up to wrap around his neck and she was standing on her tiptoes as he deepened the kiss, snaking his tongue into her mouth and reaching around her back. His arms were so long, and she was so thin, he could reach his own elbows. He leaned forward to dip her back slowly, knowing that his wet clothes were ruining her fresh shirt, and wanting nothing more than to slide his hands down her back to her ass and then to her thighs to lift her up and carry her to the bar, or maybe upstairs.
But he didn't. She pulled out of the kiss not long after it started, her fingertips lingering against his jaw and her lips still slightly parted. She was surprised, but not unhappy, as he thought she might be. Her lashes fluttered as she stood up straight.
To be honest, Tifa hadn't expected the kiss to feel so good. As her mind quickly raced to interpret what just happened, she realized she should have known he would be a good kisser, what with his reputation. She suddenly hated herself for getting caught up in the moment, even if it her heart was racing.
"Goodnight, Reno," she said when her heels returned to the floor.
"Goodnight, Lockhart." This time he actually left, his hope that she would leave his system immediately retreating.
He strolled home with a cocky grin plastered to his face that he couldn't shake. He couldn't get his mind off her until he entered his empty apartment and it all hit him. There was no turning back for him now, he just hoped Rude wouldn't find out.
Meanwhile…
The excitement of the evening quickly turned into an extreme feeling of guilt and Tifa rushed upstairs to shower. Scrub as hard as she could, she couldn't get the hot tinge of guilt from rising up her spine.
What she had just done was unforgivable. She had betrayed Cloud, AVALANCHE, and even Rude. Even if Cloud did come back, would he take her back knowing what she had just done? Would he forgive her? Or see her as a slut that turned to the enemy the minute his back was turned?
She sunk to the floor of her shower and started to cry as hot water tried to sear the sin from her body.
What had she done?
After her skin had turned red from the heat – and after she had stopped crying – she stepped out of the shower and pulled on a pair of pink cheeky underwear and a black camisole. She made it back to her bed before collapsing in the fetal position and crying once again until she fell asleep with the covers pulled up over her head as if to shield her from the world's accusations.
When she awoke, she found a text message had been waiting for her all night.
"Sleep well, Lockhart" it said.
End notes: This chapter took me a long time to write and I'm not sure I'm totally happy with it. I actually liked the way it was written before, but since I'm making Reno less cruel in this version, I had to tone things down. I've saved the deleted scenes and might adapt them for future chapters, or create a separate fic for the deleted scenes.
I prefer the more callous Reno, I'm worried he's becoming too sappy in this fic. I guess that's necessary, though, to make him a realistic option for Tifa.