A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content.
Chapter 42:
Reno's eyes flickered as they scanned his unfamiliar surroundings, searching the area as if in a daze. He strained and contorted his face in an effort to remember how he got here and the events that led him to this point. It was as if he had just woken up from a dream, and immediately knew he needed to leave.
It was… surprisingly bright in here, and he squinted his eyes as he surveyed the room he was in. Lots of light, yet he couldn't escape. As he faltered, he felt a searing pain on his chest, just below the left side of his collar bone, and hissed. When he did so he felt pain in his jaw and brought his left hand up to his chin to try and set it back into place. It felt like he had been punched in the face – oh yeah, he had been. He looked down at his chest to see the large, square bandage that did little to protect his wound. Knowing exactly what would happen if he did, but being unable to control himself, he lifted a finger to the middle of the bandage and touched it gently. Another hiss of pain escaped his lips, and his jaw hurt again. What the hell happened to him?
He began looking around again to compose himself while his thoughts returned to a familiar subject: Tifa.
Tifa…
He wondered where she was and what she was thinking, and prayed he'd see her again soon. Last night had been… something else, but now he had to remember why he was here and what he could do to get out and see her again.
The morning before…
Tifa woke up with just the slightest headache – must have been all the sugary drinks last night – and climbed out of bed to stagger into the bathroom. She took a potion and returned to her bedroom to stretch and work out. It was finally time to get back to the real world and return to life as usual. That meant continuing her training in case anything else tried to destroy the world again. Sephiroth was gone, as was Jenova, but Shinra was back up and running – who knew what Rufus might be up to these days.
It was then she decided to check her phone for any messages and found one from Reno – sent at some point in the middle of the night.
"Sure. Meet me outside my building at 4," it said.
"Outside his building? Dinner at 4?" Tifa wondered what the redhead was planning for tonight.
She had made sure to only make herself one Phoenix Flame and drink no more than one glass of wine the night before after she and Elena returned from the club so she wouldn't be hungover today in case Reno agreed to move dinner back. After Rude and Elena finally left, Tifa cleaned up the bar, smiling to herself recalling her evening with the Turks, and went upstairs to prepare for bed.
As she did every night, the last thing she did before closing her eyes and resting her head against the pillow was to check her phone. No texts, voicemails, missed calls, or any other type of message from Reno – or Cloud.
She had felt that loneliness creep back up now that the Turks had left and she was alone with her thoughts – and neither of the two men allegedly vying for her attention had attempted to contact her. She thought about things from their perspective; Cloud wouldn't want to text so soon after their date so he wouldn't look needy (as if that could ever be the case), and Reno was probably playing some game that he knew would cause her to feel this way as part of the competition. Of course, there was also the whole thing where she forgot to even agree to dinner when he texted her…
She eventually fell asleep, hating how weak she had become when it came to her love life. She had always been weak in that department, but now she almost felt like crying after a couple drinks and a lack of texts.
But now she was awake and had received confirmation from the dastardly Turk, and her spirits instantly lifted, though she wished she could get a handle on her emotions. She returned to the bathroom to shower, her thoughts alternating between Cloud and Reno and what she should do about the situation.
When she exited the shower, her hair smelled of hibiscus and vanilla. She reached for her robe and put it on before wrapping a towel around her hair. She strolled into her kitchen for breakfast and coffee, again trying to focus her attention on reopening the bar the next night. When she finished, she returned to her bedroom to dress in her classic crop top and miniskirt, thinking it would be cheap to wear the same outfit she had worn on her date with Cloud just two days ago, although she now realized it had already been cheapened since she bought that outfit to torture Reno.
Just more confusion and guilt to deal with, she thought as she returned to her former daily routine. Now that the monsters had been gone a few days, she wanted to see if the volunteers had started building the theater again. She also needed some hardware to fix some of the damage caused to Seventh Heaven by fiend attacks. The damage hadn't been too bad, and she wouldn't be able to get replacement planks for the outer wall today, but she could pick up some nails and screws to reattach some of the shingles that had come loose.
She approached the theater cautiously, still prepared for a fight around every corner. But the fiends were no longer in the street, run out of town by the people of Edge as soon as it became clear the crisis had lifted. Tifa reached for the door handle to enter the lobby, and just as she was close enough to touch it, she heard the sound of a saw and other tools with muffled voices. She excitedly opened the door and entered the lobby before running back to where she heard the sounds and voices. There weren't as many people here as there used to be, but she figured – hoped – they would return eventually once they were no longer afraid to leave their homes. She found someone she recognized and cheerfully greeted them.
"Tifa! You came back!" the woman said, holding her arms out for a hug, which Tifa accepted.
"Yep! I missed you guys," she responded, looking around to see if anything had been damaged when the fiend population had grown too large.
"We missed you too, and the theater," the woman said, looking around nostalgically.
"Where can I help today?"
"How are your sewing skills?"
"Good enough, I suppose. I used to mend children's clothes back in the slums," Tifa said, referring to all the tears Marlene would get in her clothes from life under the plate, surrounded by machinery and scraps of metal.
"That should work, can you help me sew curtains today?"
"Sure, I'll try."
Tifa found the curtains to be much easier than Marlene's clothes, since they were just massive rectangles that needed to be hemmed. It was monotonous but she found the tediousness soothing, so she was actually surprised when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket as it snapped her out of her concentration.
She flipped it open and noticed that it was already 3 p.m. She needed to leave to get back to the bar to get ready before walking to Reno's. Her eyes widened when she saw the alert staring at her from the screen.
"One text message from Cloud."
He never texted, and Tifa eagerly opened the message.
"Wanna go out again tomorrow?" it said.
She sat back against the chair she was sitting on to sew as a goofy grin graced her lips. Her fingers hovered over the buttons on her PHS as she prepared to type, but she stopped herself. Would she come off as too eager? Did that matter right now to Cloud? What if she responded back immediately but then he didn't respond back to her immediately after that? Why was she so concerned in the first place?
She had given up trying to contact him by phone a long time ago, but he reached out to her. She took a deep breath and texted him back. Should she flirt? Keep it simple?
"Would love to, but I really need to open the bar back up," she said.
Dammit. She should have offered an alternative instead of just shutting him down. Now she was worried she had hurt him just like she thought she hurt Reno when she forgot to respond to his dinner invitation. Why must she feel this way about both of them?
Her phone vibrated in her hands as she was wrestling with her thoughts. Another message from Cloud. He had now doubled his record for most texts sent to her in a single day – a record that had been set just 10 seconds earlier.
"Would you like some help with the bar?" it said.
Tifa nearly fell off the chair. Not only was Cloud texting her, but he was responding and asking to help her run the bar in lieu of a date. Back before his headaches got too bad, she wouldn't have given his help another thought, since he always assisted her with the bar at night. But now, when they were rebuilding their relationship – maybe – she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter at his question.
But how to respond? How could she show she was happy but not desperate? She didn't know, and instead of racking her brain and leaving him waiting, she texted back: "Sure! See you tomorrow."
A moment later, Cloud texted back. "Great, it's a date."
Was he flirting with her over text messages? She smiled again and put her phone back in her pocket. Better not to risk saying something dumb or annoying. She sat for a moment continuing to overthink the simple exchange before she remembered that it was after 3 o'clock and she needed to get home.
She bid farewell to the woman who was sewing with her and walked back to Seventh Heaven at a brisk pace. It took her significantly less time to get home than it used to since she didn't have to battle any monsters, but she never wanted to be late for anything and thus made accommodations that usually made her much too early.
She entered the bar and walked upstairs to freshen up and put on just a touch of makeup. After her date with Cloud, she had thought tonight she'd be telling Reno she couldn't see him anymore, and she still knew she needed to do that, but she decided to prepare as if she were going on a date with Cloud. She put on a little mascara and covered up her perceived flaws. She spritzed a little perfume onto her wrists and looked into the mirror. She needed to psyche herself up. She needed to make a decision between the two men and she needed to make it soon.
She brushed her hair once more and locked up, taking a deep breath before heading in the direction of Reno's apartment building. It felt so good to be able to walk through the streets of Edge again without having to fight for her life every step of the way. The crowds were returning and the shops were reopening. It was as if the sun was shining again after a long, dark storm.
As Tifa passed one house, a mother and daughter emerged, shielding their eyes from the evening light and staggering out for what must have been the first time in weeks for them. The little girl clung to her mother's leg, shaking, until she saw the streets were clear. She let go and began running up and down the sidewalk in front of the house, cheering. Her mother smiled and took a deep breath, watching her daughter play safely. Tifa nodded her head at them with a smile as she passed, and the mother returned the gesture while the little girl nearly ran into the bartender's leg.
Tifa took in a deep breath of fresh air and closed her eyes just to feel the warmth on her skin. A cool breeze blew her hair softly and briefly gave her goose bumps. She hadn't stopped walking when she closed her eyes, and even though it was just a couple steps, she managed to bump into someone.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" the man said angrily as his shoulder collided with hers.
Good ol' Edge.
She rounded the corner onto the street where Reno's apartment was. The building was a few blocks away, but she could see a figure standing outside with unmistakable flaming red hair. As she approached, she noticed he wasn't wearing his usual dark blue suit. Instead, his suit was black, all fitted to emphasize his slim physique. She couldn't help but examine him as she got closer. The white dress shirt he wore under his suit jacket was unbuttoned even lower than usual, and Tifa could only giggle to herself as she thought he was dressed as the male equivalent of Scarlet. She had to admit her eyes were fixated on his exposed chest, even though she could now see the smirk upon his face.
Backed against a wall. Reno's hand on the underside of her thigh, lifting her leg up to his waist as he pressed his concealed erection against her panties.
Lust.
Tifa shook the thought from her head. She couldn't let hormones take over tonight. She had managed to hold back the other night with Cloud, even though they did kiss outside their hotel rooms. She remembered how badly she wanted to invite him into her room and how alone she felt knowing he was so close, but still not with her. It had felt like when they first reunited back in Midgar and his room was next to hers. She had hoped each night that he would come into her room and join her, but he never did, and she knew there was no way he would even if he had wanted to back then. Why would he take the chance when they hadn't seen each other in so long?
"See something you like?" Reno said, snapping her out of her thoughts and her eyes up to his face. He had that half smirk that told her she had been caught as he discarded his cigarette butt.
"New suit?" she asked to cover her embarrassment.
Reno shifted his weight onto one leg and placed his opposite hand on his hip, gesturing in the air with his free hand.
"New Shinra, new Turk uniform, I guess," he said. "It was Rufus' idea."
Now that Tifa thought about it, Rude had been wearing a dark suit last night, as well as a darker shirt than the usual white. Tifa had thought it was just what he'd wear when not in uniform, but she now realized that might have been a dumb assumption. They must have just gotten the suits, though, because Elena had still been wearing her dark blue one.
"No more dark blue then?"
"Heh, we can still wear them, but not during our new special assignments."
"Special assignments?"
Reno chuckled. "You a reporter now, Lockhart? Askin' a lot of questions, yo."
He started walking down the street in the direction where she had come from, and she lowered her head as he passed her.
"I'm sorry," she said. "You look good, is all."
Reno stopped and turned back to her just as she lifted her head to see his ponytail was gone.
"I'm only teasing," he said before she could say anything about his hair. "C'mon, we've got an errand to run."
"Your hair!" she said as she stepped toward him.
This was too much. She had so many questions and now she was worried he would refuse to answer. Wait, isn't she still a little mad at him? Why is she worried about annoying him? He's been trying to chase her; she shouldn't have anything to worry about.
With renewed determination, she began to walk in the direction he was heading, and this time he joined her.
"So, first thing's first," she said, bringing her hand up to the back of his head to feel the trimmed hair where his ponytail used to be, "what happened to your hair?"
Reno laced his fingers behind his head where her hand had just been and sighed.
"Ahh, yanno, one of those things…"
"One of those things?" Tifa's tone was innocent and lighthearted, and it was making Reno excited.
"Yeah, it was time for a change," he said, not looking at her as he continued to walk to wherever they were going.
"Hmm, I think I can understand that," she said. "I've thought about cutting my hair a bunch of times, but I was always too scared."
At the mention of cutting her hair, Reno swiveled suddenly and closed the space between them, looming over her as if he were about to scold her. He lifted a finger between them, pointing up to the sky.
"Cut your hair?" he asked, shocked that she would ever consider cutting that gorgeous mane. "Babe, don't ever do it. You'd look hot no matter what, but that long hair of yours…"
He balled the hand he was holding between them into a fist, trying to control his own hormones. At that moment he wanted to slam her against the wall of the nearest building and bury a hand in her tresses while groping her with his other hand. But he had to behave. Needed to be cautious; show her he wasn't all about sex.
"You sure?" Tifa teased. She grabbed the end of her hair where it was bound and pulled it up over her head so that it folded to show how she would look with shorter hair. "You wouldn't like me with a bob?"
She grinned as she watched how uncomfortable Reno became. She could tell he was fighting just as hard as she was right now, and she found herself enjoying torturing him.
He opened his mouth to say something but closed it before the words fell out. Instead, he gave her a "humph" and looked straight ahead. Tifa giggled.
Point: Tifa.
"Okay, moving on to the second question," she cooed.
"What, we're way beyond question two now, yo!"
She laughed again. "Fine, moving on to question whatever."
"Go on."
Tifa rolled her eyes. "What're these new, 'special assignments,'" she made quotation marks with her fingers for emphasis.
Reno shifted again and crossed his arms. "It's actually really boring," he said.
"Tell me anyway," she said so sweetly Reno felt like spilling his heart right then and there – almost.
"Eh, Rufus misses running the world, but he can't get back on top with Mako, so he's getting' into the oil and coal game," Reno began.
Tifa's expression changed to one of concern. Shinra was trying to change? There had to be a catch.
"…and he's trying to buy up land where oil has already been found, and he's sending a Turk along with the lawyers and negotiators just in case."
"In case of what?"
"In case they don't wanna sell," Reno said flatly.
"What do you do if they don't wanna sell?"
Reno sighed and Tifa could tell he wasn't that enthused about this new job, even if she suspected his answer would be more along the lines of what the Turks were known for: Cracking skulls.
"We make them."
"That's terrible, why can't Rufus buy other land?"
"Because he's Rufus. He has scouts out looking for other land to buy but he also wants what has already been discovered," Reno said. "By the way, I have to go with a team next week to visit your friend with the gun arm."
"Barret?"
"You know another guy with a gun arm?"
"Actually, yes, but he's dead."
"Interesting… Anyway, here we are," Reno said as he came to a stop and motioned toward the grocery store they were standing in front of.
"Our errand is… groceries?" Tifa asked.
"Only the freshest ingredients for my lady," he purred, deciding to take a little chance with the pet name.
He knew he could call her Tifa now, or at least, he thought he still could, but now it felt weird. Better to go back to the way things were than risk a scolding.
"Alright, show me what you know," Tifa said as if she were challenging him.
"I can see you doubt me," Reno replied, leading her into the store and grabbing a cart. "That's fine, I thrive on doubt."
Tifa followed him while trying to conceal her grin. Never in a million years could she picture Reno shopping for groceries – with a cart no less. The one time she had been in his apartment she hadn't seen anything fresh – just leftovers in the fridge and bags of coffee in the cabinets. And of course, liquor.
Reno pushed the cart into the produce department and grabbed a sack of small red potatoes. He held it up to look over the individual potatoes, not sure exactly what he should be looking for – Rude said a lot when they went shopping – but figured he'd know it if he saw it. Satisfied, he put the bag in the cart and moved on.
"Ooo, potatoes, does this mean you're cooking for me?" Tifa asked.
"Nothing gets past you," he said slyly, with no hint of arrogance.
His next stop was in front of the herbs. He couldn't remember what rosemary looked like, so he acted like he was deciding which herb he needed while he read the labels. Finding what he was looking for, he grabbed a small bundle of sprigs and held them in the air as he turned back toward Tifa.
"And as every good assassin needs: A sprig of Rosemary."
Tifa found herself giggling yet again. It had only been a week since she and he had… but so much had happened since then that she had forgotten how easy and fun it was to be around him. She almost hoped he would start a fight with her just to give her a reason to let him go.
"You know at least one herb. Impressive," Tifa said, genuinely surprised that he had any knowledge of cooking ingredients.
She remembered when she and Cloud first moved into the house in Edge, how she learned he didn't know the names of most vegetables. At first she was surprised, but then she realized that it shouldn't surprise her based on his life up until that point. Nibelheim was a pretty isolated town with limited crops. It was rare even for her family to get their hands on fruits and vegetables that weren't grown nearby, let alone Cloud and his mom, who had far less. She thought maybe he should have learned about more foods during his time in Shinra, but she supposed cooking and farming wasn't part of the agenda – and then those years he spent in captivity…
She snapped out of her memories when Reno grabbed a bundle of asparagus. He must be making a full meal. She would have been satisfied to know he could cook a potato, but now he was throwing asparagus into the mix? She was definitely impressed.
"You like asparagus, right?" he asked, bashfully. He had figured Rude would have studied Tifa enough to know what she would like, but now that he was picking it up he grew worried.
"Of course," she said.
She did like asparagus, but she preferred broccoli, though it was clear Reno had a recipe in mind and she didn't want to throw him for a loop when he was going to so much trouble. He seemed to relax with her answer and pushed the cart onward.
He had enough oil, seasonings, and garlic back home, as well as butter, but he wanted the main ingredients to be fresh. Plus, he could impress Tifa with his domestic skills – "skills" he had just learned from Rude the other day. Hopefully she wouldn't try to test him beyond this meal.
"So, tell me more about this meeting you have with Barret," Tifa asked as they crossed the store.
Reno groaned inwardly, knowing he shouldn't have told her about that. He hadn't seen her in days and was trying to play it cool, yet as soon as she started asking him questions his façade faded and he just gave in. Well, not anymore.
"They're just meetings," he said, resting his forearms lazily on the handle of the cart as he hunched over it to push. "Just one more thing!"
Without letting her ask a follow-up question, he pushed the cart forward and used the momentum to step up on the bottom bar, riding the cart straight toward the opposite side of the grocery store. Rude hadn't let him have any fun when they were here together, and Reno hadn't pulled that move since he was a kid and his mom was still alive. She would always yell at him to stop, of course. But now he was an adult, and he could do what he wanted.
"Hey!" Tifa called as she trotted behind him to catch up.
"I win," Reno said.
"You never said we were racing."
"Honey, we're always racing."
"Oh, that explains some things…" she said coyly, giving him a devious grin.
"Hey! Now you know for a fact that ain't true," he said, pretending to be angry as he turned toward her and pointed a finger. "Take it back."
"Okay, okay, wouldn't want any nasty rumors to start," Tifa said with a smile.
Reno nodded his head and returned to the cart, turning it and walking toward the meat counter. He looked over the different types of steak cuts behind the glass, again pretending to be thinking about what he should get even though he already knew.
"Can I help you?" the burly man behind the counter asked.
"Ah, yes, the two ribeyes in the back, please," Reno said with confidence.
Tifa smiled at his little charade, amused that he actually used the word "please." She didn't think it was in his vocabulary.
"Ooo ribeyes, good call," Tifa said as she watched the butcher collect the steaks and put them on the scale.
"Yeah, well," Reno then leaned over her shoulder so he could sensually whisper in her ear a little too loudly, "I know how you like your meat."
Tifa turned a brilliant shade of crimson and swatted Reno in the chest with the back of her hand while looking at the man behind the deli counter to see if he had heard. He gave her a look that indicated he had, indeed, heard the comment but was pretending he hadn't. Great, now someone else knew she slept with Reno. It's not like it made much a difference at this point, since the most important person already knew, but Tifa was still worried about the tabloids and what kind of awful lies they might print.
Point: Reno.
Reno just laughed as he collected the steaks from the butcher and put them in the cart before heading to the counter to pay. He had definitely miscalculated. Rude had used a cart, so Reno thought he would need one, even if he didn't have to purchase most of the items – like cookware – again.
"Can I help?" Tifa asked as Reno took out his wallet.
"No way, lady, tonight is on me," he said as he paid the cashier. "I'm carrying everything too."
It was just two bags; probably could have been one, but it was two, and he held them in one hand so he could use his free hand to smoke a cigarette as they walked back to his apartment building.
"When did you learn to shop and cook?" Tifa asked.
"This is the dumpster conversation all over again, isn't it?" Reno asked teasingly. Tifa's expression fell and she looked worried that she had insulted him again.
"No, no! I didn't mean it like that!"
"Uh huh, sure Lockhart, sure," Reno continued to josh. "Let's see, adding this all up: You think I live in a dumpster covered with dirt and bullet holes but only own suits and can't even feed myself."
Tifa's cheeks turned pink. "You're the worst," she said.
It didn't escape her that he hadn't called her "Tifa" at all so far, even though they were alone and she had told him he could last week. She knew things had changed but being back to square one seemed wrong. Now the only other man she slept with wouldn't even call her by her first name.
When they were inside his apartment, Reno put the groceries on the counter and immediately spun around to face Tifa, placing his hands on the slab of granite behind him and leaning against it. Tifa looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Before I start cooking, I just wanna say something," he said.
Tifa's stomach did a flip as she considered what he might say and how she would respond. Reno scratched the back of his head where his ponytail used to be, clearly still not used to its absence.
"Eh, I'm not very good at this," he continued, looking down and slightly to the side as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Not good at what?"
"Apologies."
Tifa's mouth fell open slightly as she was taken aback.
"You… want to apologize for something?" she figured he would let the text be all he said on the matter. "But… your text…"
"Was just a text, yo," Reno looked completely uncomfortable. Apologies were definitely something he was not used to providing in person, if at all. "I shouldn't have said that shit, yanno? I was just, uh… dammit!"
Tifa approached him again with a sweet smile that said she understood and he didn't need to be afraid to say what he wanted to say. He met her gaze and almost smiled but remembered what he was doing and furrowed his brow instead. He wanted to just apologize and get out of this conversation with what little dignity he had left.
"I'm sorry," he lowered his head and stared at his feet like a little boy in trouble. It made Tifa's smile widen.
"I know how difficult that was for you," she said, placing a reassuring hand on his arm and looking at him with wide, accepting eyes, which he finally met with his own.
"Nah, that's not good enough," he said. "It needs something more."
Tifa's eyebrows arched down as her look changed to one of confusion. Was he talking about his apology or her response?
Reno snapped his fingers. "Got it! I'd feel better if you, like, hit me for what I said."
"Uh uh, no way," Tifa responded. "I know you get turned on from fighting me."
Reno couldn't help but grin. He hadn't thought about that, he really thought he deserved a good punch in the face for what he had said to her the other day – and for bugging her home and allowing all the Turks and Rufus to hear her pleasure screams, even if she didn't quite know about that last part.
"I wasn't saying it because of that. Just hit me, right here," he turned his cheek toward her and pointed to his jaw. "I deserve it."
"I'm not going to hit you, Reno. We were all exhausted and cranky that day."
Reno shifted his eyes toward her as a thought popped into his head. "We?" he thought. Was she referring just to herself or… wait! The flowers, the trip out of town… Strife must have been an ass to her as well. Reno chuckled at the realization.
"Ah, come on, Tifa, you know it'll feel good. And I'm just such an asshole."
"That's true sometimes," Tifa seemed to be pondering his offer.
"One free punch, nothing like last time…" though he had to admit he would love to spar with her and have it turn into something more. The thought of how their last fight ended with her pressed against the wall as he came dangerously close to penetrating her was not lost on him, and he felt movement in his loins. He had to control himself. One punch probably wouldn't get him going, even if it was from Tifa.
"Promise?" she asked.
"Scout's honor. One punch, I'll even keep my hands behind my back."
Tifa narrowed her eyes to study his expression for signs of a lie.
"Fine, if that's what you really want."
"It's what I deserve, babe."
Tifa tilted her head and gave him a look that said she wasn't buying it. Reno pushed himself off from the counter and walked into the living room with Tifa close behind. He again tilted his head to push out his cheek and prepared for her punch. Luckily, she wasn't wearing any of her serious weapons, even though he knew her fists alone were deadly.
Tifa pulled her arm back and balled her hand into a fist before giving Reno the weakest punch she could manage that wouldn't cause him to call her out. Even holding back, he still twisted from the impact and grabbed his cheek as it began to turn red. He hunched over and tried to catch his breath as a mixture of pain and hormones coursed through his body. Damn, even a weak punch from her could turn him on.
"Why'd you want me to punch you before you ate?" Tifa said in a chastising tone. A quick flash of multi-colored light sparkles answered part of her question, as Reno cast Curaga on himself before smirking at her. Tifa rolled her eyes.
"Can we cook now?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Reno huffed and stood back up straight, still cradling his jaw. He cracked his neck from side to side and smiled.
"We aren't cooking. I'm cooking for you, babe."
Tifa blushed and shook out her fist. Reno's jaw was apparently designed to take punches. She rubbed her knuckles as she followed him back toward the kitchen. Reno stopped behind his couch and unbuttoned his suit jacket, draping it over the back of the sofa gently. He then removed his fingerless gloves and tossed them on the cushion before rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows. Tifa was instantly drawn to his muscular, veiny forearms, a part of him she rarely got to see.
"I assume you'll want to supervise?" he asked her as she stood toward the entrance of the kitchen so she wouldn't get in his way.
She nodded.
"Gotta make sure you don't lace it with anything," she said.
"Babe, seriously, your low opinion of me cuts to the core," he said while fumbling around in the kitchen, gathering pots and pans. He didn't look at her when he made the comment, and while his words seemed negative, there was no hurt in his tone.
Before he continued, he opened a cabinet and pulled out a tumbler and a wine glass. He then walked to his liquor cabinet and grabbed his favorite bottle of scotch and a decanter filled with Corel wine. He poured their respective glasses and handed Tifa hers.
She leaned back against the counter furthest from where Reno would need to prep and cook, sipping on her wine. She watched him for a few minutes as he pulled out cutting boards, cookware, and utensils before gathering all the ingredients he needed. A little smile formed on Tifa's lips as she watched him. He knew what he was doing, but it was clear he had recently learned how to cook this meal. He was a bit spacey and forgetful, not quite sure of himself or the recipe, and he stopped making cocky comments toward her.
Tifa knew he must have come up with this idea to impress her, and it had worked. She'd seen Reno hit on women before, but she couldn't imagine him going these lengths to get a girl to like him. It made her feel oddly special. The comfortable thoughts swirled in her mind and she casually looked toward his small dining table. For the briefest of moments, she thought she saw four people, almost ghosts, sitting there.
A young girl with brunette hair and a young boy with wild red hair, sitting on either side of Tifa and Reno as they all laughed at something she couldn't hear.
Family.
She squeezed her eyes shut and quickly shook her head to dismiss the thought. That was weird.
For his part, Reno was trying to make everything exactly as Rude taught him. The bald man's flat, emotionless instructions kept ringing through his head.
Generously season with salt and pepper.
Toss potatoes with oil and rosemary.
Trim asparagus.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Sear on high heat.
Flip.
It was at that point Reno became completely flustered. He had the asparagus and potatoes roasting in the oven while he was searing the steaks and praying everything would finish around the same time. He knew the oven timer was close to chiming, so in a moment of panic he flipped one of the steaks over too roughly and dropped it back in the pan, splashing hot oil.
He heard Tifa gasp and turned to look at her with wide, fearful eyes. "Oh God, I burned her," he thought as she leaned against his counter with her hands covering her mouth.
"Are you okay?" he asked. She wiped at her thigh a moment but then met his gaze.
"Yeah, it was nothing, just shock," she said with a smile, which quickly dropped when she saw Reno's chest. "Reno! You're burned!"
He followed her eyes and noticed he had a rather large, round burn mark on his chest just under his collar bone. He hadn't even felt it, but now that she pointed it out, it really started to burn.
"Grab my glove, it has a Cure materia in it," he said, hissing in pain.
Tifa did as she was told and cast Curaga on him. The burn mark closed considerably, but she could tell he was still in pain.
"You keep cooking, I'll go get some first-aid," she said, already heading toward his bathroom.
He didn't object – knowing it would be futile – and returned to the steaks, which he splashed with the garlic and rosemary-infused oil in the pan before decided they were done. He plated them just as Tifa returned and the oven timer beeped.
"Perfect timing," he said, hiding the pain he still felt. He wished he had an Ice materia laying around, blizzard would feel so good on the burn right now.
Tifa waited patiently as he removed the side dishes from the oven and placed them on the stove.
"Okay, let me see," she said, motioning with her hands even though his back was to her.
Reno turned toward her and took a step forward. The food couldn't get cold that fast, could it? Tifa reached out to tug the collar of his shirt even further toward his shoulder. Reno'd be lying if he said even her innocent touches didn't excite him. He was close to her, and her hands were on his chest, thankfully not over his heart because she'd be able to tell it was beating faster.
"I'm surprised you had antibiotic ointment, to be honest," she said as she squeezed some of it onto the cloth part of an adhesive bandage before ever-so gently pressing it to his chest while avoiding the actual wound.
He brought his hand up to cover hers on his chest, feeling her delicate fingers between his own while looking down at her. At first, she was still focused on his burn, but once he placed his hand over hers, she looked up into his eyes. His aquamarine irises seemed particularly warm and bright in that moment, and she felt the corners of her lips trend upwards. Reno, on the other hand, seemed to regard her with an almost sadness in his expression, despite the brightness in his eyes.
She knew what would happen if she let this moment continue, however, and couldn't let that happen. Just as she couldn't let things become physical between her and Cloud, she wouldn't allow it with Reno.
"We should eat before it gets cold," she said softly, glancing over his shoulder toward their dinner.
Reno gave her hand an inadvertent squeeze before releasing it and turning back to the pans he had removed from the oven. He took out a pair of tongs and portioned out some potatoes and asparagus on each plate, trying to arrange it in a way he thought Tifa might find pleasing. He then reached into a drawer and pulled out some place settings, drawing a sound of surprise from Tifa as he walked to the dining table and set it for dinner with a bit of waiter-like flare. Tifa heard herself giggle, unaware it had escaped her lips. Reno motioned for her to sit, pulling out a chair for her, which she took. He then stood behind her and reached around her to grab the cloth napkin, flipping it open and setting it on her lap, relishing one last look at her bare thighs before he did so. He returned to the kitchen for their plates and brought them out to the table, placing Tifa's down first.
"Need anything?" he asked as he retrieved his glass of scotch.
"I'm good," she said. "This looks delicious, by the way."
Reno sat down in his own chair and placed the napkin on his lap. He was rather accustomed to fancy restaurants, given how many important, yet clandestine, meetings he took as a Turk. It was nice not to have to be "on" though when he was around Tifa this time.
"Oh! One moment," he said, jumping from his seat and rushing back into the kitchen.
He returned with a small candle and placed it in the center of the table before pulling out his lighter and sparking the wick.
"You thought of everything," Tifa said, sounding impressed.
"It's just what Turks do," he said, taking a sip from his scotch.
Tifa tepidly cut a chunk out of her steak, nervous that while it looked good, it wouldn't be cooked quite right, even though she watched his every move. Her eyes slowly closed one after the other as she placed the steak into her mouth. It was amazing. Juicy, medium rare, with just the right amount of rosemary and garlic flavoring.
Reno watched her enjoy what he cooked, knowing he probably wouldn't see such euphoric expressions from her for quite a while – at least not from something other than his cooking. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Reno had to ask the question that had been burning in him all day.
"So, have fun with Elena last night?" He didn't mean it to come off as a snide remark, even if his ego was still bruised. He really just wanted to ask how she had been and felt this would be a less irritating path than leaving it open ended for her to possibly bring up Strife and their date.
"She sent you that picture, didn't she?" Tifa asked, looking disappointed. "I knew she didn't want to just take it for fun."
"Uh huh, and the one with Rude," Reno said between bites.
"Of course. I'm sorry about that, we started talking after she removed the bugs and then she suggested a girl's night and I don't know, I hadn't had one in a while," Tifa said as if she were explaining to a parent why she had gotten detention.
"Elena's good like that," Reno said, already thinking about how he would get his coworker back. She thought the stapler incident was rough? Oh, she hadn't seen anything yet.
"Yeah, but it was nice to have someone to talk to, at least for a little while."
Reno narrowed his eyes but avoided making eye contact with Tifa, suddenly jealous that the brunette didn't think he was someone she could talk to, even if he had never been that guy before.
"Yeah, I guess you don't have many female friends except for that pesky little ninja," he said.
"Yuffie. But, yeah."
Another silence fell over them. It wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either. Now it was Tifa's turn to ask a question that had been nagging her since yesterday, thinking she could say it in a way that wouldn't spoil the evening, even if it meant a little betrayal.
"So, you and Elena's sister, huh?" she asked, instantly regretting it. She knew it was a risk to ask, and no matter how lighthearted she asked the question, there was always a chance it would ruin Reno's mood.
He nearly choked on his food, and for a brief moment, his eyes lit up with anger.
"I'm gonna kill her," he said.
It took all of his self-control not to slam his fist on the table and start yelling – not at Tifa, but at Elena. He wanted to pull out his phone and scream at the woman right now, but knew it would ruin everything he had built this night with Tifa. He forced down all his negative thoughts and looked at Tifa, whose smile told him she wasn't mad or jealous.
"It was a long time ago – and a mistake," he said, measuredly.
Tifa shook her head and laughed.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to see the look on your face, that was mean of me," she said.
"You're going on the list," he responded playfully.
"What list?"
"My Grudge List. Elena's at the top of it, and now I'm adding your name."
"Oh no, what happens to people on the Grudge List?" Tifa said flirtatiously, feigning fear.
Reno got up and walked around the table to rest one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table, bending over to meet her eye level.
"Well, for one thing, they don't get any dessert," he said, his nose just inches from hers.
"Oh no, whatever will I do?" Tifa couldn't hide her smile.
"I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me," he replied with a devious grin.
Tifa gave him a knowing look and smacked him playfully in the shoulder.
"Oh, you," she said.
Reno knew he couldn't just lean in and kiss her, even though he wanted to. He wanted to kiss her so hard they both fell over the other side of the chair so he could be on top of her, but he'd just have to save that for his imagination later.
"Stay here," he said, giving her a stern look before retreating back into the kitchen with their plates and silverware.
Tifa didn't see hear him hiss in pain again, having hidden how much the burn still hurt, nor did she see what he was doing as his back was to her. She did watch his sinewy back muscles as they moved beneath his now-wrinkled dress shirt.
He walked out of the kitchen a few minutes later with two bowls of ice cream and set them down on the table before sitting back down.
"Well, this is a nice little treat," Tifa said, taking a spoonful and bringing it to her mouth. Reno watched as she turned the spoon upside down in her mouth and slowly pulled it out in order to get all the ice cream off of it. He only wished she had been licking a cone like she had when Barret visited, but this was pretty damn hot as well. "Guess I'm off the Grudge List already?"
"No way," Reno countered. "If you were, you'd be getting cake."
Tifa giggled and ate another spoonful. The truth was, Reno hadn't thought to ask Rude how to make some intricate dessert, but he happened to have some ice cream in the freezer and wanted to watch her lick the spoon. More imagery for later.
When they were finished, Reno picked up their bowls and took them into the kitchen and placed them with all their other dishes. They could wait until tomorrow.
"So, wanna watch a movie?" he asked, lighting another cigarette.
He'd really only planned to make her dinner, but he didn't want her to leave and felt this would be a good way to show her he could enjoy a quiet night at home – even without sex. He had been racking his brain while eating in order to come up with something more they could do that fit the theme of quiet domesticity.
Tifa looked at him skeptically. Every romantic movie she had ever seen ended up with the characters watching a movie leading to sex. She figured that idea had certainly crossed Reno's mind, but to be honest, she was having fun with him and it was too early to go back home. She had controlled herself with Cloud, she could certainly control herself with Reno.
"Sure," she said sweetly, surprising him. "By the way, how's that burn?"
"Eh, s'okay," he responded.
Tifa tilted her head and frowned. He was lying. He was trying to hide it, but every so often she could see him wince in pain.
"Let me get you an ice pack," she said, walking into the kitchen before he had a chance to object. She found a resealable bag, poured some ice into it, and wrapped it in a dish cloth before returning to Reno and gently pressing it onto his chest. The chill sent a shiver down his spine but he enjoyed having her so close. "Thanks," he said.
He thought for sure she would decline the movie and say she had to get back home. Really, it was a shot in the dark; he didn't even have any movies he thought a woman would enjoy watching. Now that sudden realization hit him and he worried.
"Uh, hope you like action movies, cuz that's all I got," he said, walking over to his TV and squatting down to rummage through his movies.
"Love action movies," Tifa said as she settled onto one end of the couch, leaning against the armrest so she wouldn't be tempted to cuddle up to Reno.
"Have you ever seen 'Dawn of Ifrit'?" he asked. Tifa shook her head. "Oh, you're gonna love it."
He popped it into the player and grabbed a couple remotes, backing up and around his coffee table until he was seated next to Tifa on the couch. Yeah, a romantic movie might have led to something he'd prefer, but this would hopefully keep him honest.
It started that way, at least. Tifa was a great substitute for Rude, laughing and joining Reno in making snarky comments about the characters in the film and their decisions. He filled her wine glass a second time and situated himself just a little closer to her on the couch.
She was halfway through her glass when she fell asleep against his shoulder. He had his arm stretched along the back of the couch but brought it to wrap around her waist, resting his hand gently on her hip. He closed his eyes and exhaled, silently praising himself for not pushing her tonight, knowing it would eventually lead to losing her. No, he had to play the game like Strife and win her over. It would be torture though.
He kissed the crown of her head and rested his cheek against that spot before whispering "goodnight, Tifa," when he thought she was asleep.
"Goodnight, Reno," she responded, barely audible, purely on instinct.
He found it difficult to sleep with her cuddled up against him, not because it was uncomfortable, but because now that he had admitted his feelings for her, he couldn't stop his mind from racing. How good it felt to hold her, how he didn't want her to leave the next day, what they could do together next, what Strife was planning, whether she would choose him – he couldn't turn off his brain and sleep.
He sat for hours basking in the warmth of her body leaning against his, but eventually he did, at least, doze off. When he opened his eyes again, it was morning, and Tifa had shifted so that her head was resting in his lap, her body curled up in the space between where Reno sat and the sofa's armrest. He still had his hand on her waist, while his left hand held what was now a bag full of water that used to be his ice pack.
Reno looked down at the brunette in his lap and grinned. She was still with him; she didn't wake up in the middle of the night and rush out on him. And, of course, her head was in a great place. But he couldn't think about that right now, especially since she was still asleep.
As if on cue, she stirred, slowly lifting herself onto her arms as her messy hair fell about her shoulders. She looked at him through bleary eyes.
"Good morning, princess," he teased, keeping one hand on her back and brushing some of her hair out of her face with the other. She blushed.
"I fell asleep," she said, her voice dry and almost questioning.
"Mmhmm, snored like a hedgehog pie, too," he said with a smile. Tifa smacked him playfully in the shoulder.
"Did not!" she insisted.
"Okay, so it was a little cuter than a hedgehog pie," he offered.
Tifa rolled her eyes. Reno continued to hold her in his arms, not wanting to let her go and hoping she wouldn't say the words he knew she was about to say.
"I need to get home," she said softly.
"Stay," he implored.
She pulled out of his embrace and his eyes drooped, knowing she wouldn't agree.
"I can't, I'm reopening the bar tonight and I have a lot to do." She stood up and adjusted her skirt before gathering her things. At least he knew where she'd be tonight; he could get Rude and the others to join him for drinks later and be near her.
Tifa headed to his door and he followed, holding it open for her as she turned to face him once in the hallway.
"I had fun last night," she said sweetly. "And now I really do have to do a walk of shame."
"Nothing shameful about what you did last night," Reno responded, a little too seductively given the circumstances. It made Tifa smile though. "And I could always walk you home again."
"No, it's okay, I'll be fine," she said before standing on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.
He had to admit he enjoyed it, but it wasn't enough. Nothing was ever enough for him when it came to her. Before she could pull back he wrapped his arms around her tightly, the feeling of her hips pressed against his, her flat stomach skimming his own, and her chest squished against him sending heat up into his cheeks.
Tifa was surprised by his sudden move, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his lithe frame and rested her hands on his upper back, leaning her head against his chest. They stood like that for a moment before he released her just enough to cup her face in his hands and kiss her. It was passionate, but not like it was when he first pressed his lips to her. It was more like the kiss they shared beside Aeris' lake in The Forgotten Capital, except something about this told her he wasn't about to pull her back into his apartment for sex.
It was a deep, sensual, goodbye kiss.
"Get home safe, then," he said in a tone she wasn't used to hearing from him. It sounded almost fatherly.
She nodded and turned to leave as he watched her from his doorway. She didn't look back, but she knew his eyes were trained on her, though she wasn't sure whether he was looking at her with lust or admiration.
It was love.
She was nearly halfway home before she realized she had a goofy grin on her face. She was taking the back streets home to hopefully avoid running into Cloud looking like she did. She knew it was a slim chance, but with her luck, he'd be out this early doing something and get upset when he saw her. She made it home without running into him, however, and leaned against the front door after she closed it.
Her head resting against Reno's shoulder as his arm wrapped around her to rest his hand on her waist, pulling her close as she cuddled against him, soaking in his warmth.
Love.
Present moment…
"Sir… can I help you?" a young woman asked Reno just before his nerves got the best of him.
"Huh?" he asked, waking from his stupor.
"You look lost, first time in a jewelry store?"
"That obvious, huh?" he asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.
The young woman smiled. She was petite and pretty, with curly brown hair and dimples – just the type of woman Reno would usually end up taking home. Not today though.
"So, what are you looking for?" she asked him as he walked toward the nearest display case, which held a variety of tennis bracelets with various gemstones.
"I… don't know," Reno answered.
"Well, who's it for? Your mother?" Reno shook his head. "Sister?" Another shake. "Girlfriend?"
Reno's eyes snapped at her, but again he shook his head.
"No."
"Ah, but she's someone special, huh?"
No answer.
"Alright then, what are you trying to say with this gift?"
"Huh?" Reno's eyes widened for a brief moment.
"How do you feel about her?"
Reno tapped his fingers on the glass and huffed.
"Yeah, I'm not telling you that."
"I see," the woman said, the corners of her lips curling upward ever so slightly as she nodded her head. "So, you just recently admitted your feelings to yourself, hmm?"
Reno looked up at her as if she had just cast magic without materia. The woman knew she was on the right track.
"So, you've never felt this way about a woman before, and that scares you?"
Reno just blinked. What kind of mind-reading sorcery was this?
"…and you never want that feeling to go away; you never want to lose her…"
Did this woman know Rude and Elena?
"…and you're hoping a gift will tell her what your words can't?"
Reno continued to stare at her dumbfounded, his mouth hanging slightly agape. He hadn't even realized he was buying a gift to avoid speaking actual words, but this woman was right.
"Well, an engagement ring would say all that verbatim," the woman said, her voice light and a little too expectant.
Reno put his hands up defensively and shook his head. "Whoa, whoa, there. Let's not jump ahead here. I'm not ready for that, yet," he was surprised he said the word "yet." Was he seriously thinking about this? He shook his head and laughed.
"Well, how about a birthstone heart pendant? When's her birthday?"
Reno didn't want to admit he knew her birthday, or that he passed her bar on that day last year and noticed all of AVALANCHE celebrating with her, including Cloud. Everyone had looked so happy, and he had wished he were invited, but at that point, no one knew how he felt about her, so he just moved on to the next bar.
"May 3rd," he said, taking a moment as if he had to think about it. This was a complete stranger, but he still wasn't ready for anyone to know exactly how he felt.
"So, emerald," she said. She nodded again and walked further down the display case, to a section with necklaces of various metals and with different gemstones housed within a heart-shaped pendant. "What do you think about any of these? We can get any one of these with an emerald."
"So, anyone with any birthday could be walking around with the same necklace?" Reno asked.
"Oh, so you want something as unique as she is," the woman said, her smile widening. "Come with me."
She walked out from behind the display cases and toward a glass door Reno hadn't even noticed until now. He had been too focused earlier on trying to calm his nerves so he wouldn't dash out. He followed the woman through the door and into a back room that was not as bright as the showroom out front, but with individually lit displays of jewelry that looked quite old.
"These are our antiques and one-of-a-kind pieces, for the discerning customer," the woman said with a wink, waving her hand out to motion toward the items in the room. "I can also walk you through the customization process so you can create something yourself."
"Me? Design jewelry?" Reno was quickly regretting the decision to come here. He was in way over his head. Tifa had left his apartment a few hours ago, and when he couldn't stop thinking about her, he rushed to the most expensive jewelry store in town (he'd once heard Rufus mention it for cuff links). And here he was, not sure why or what he was looking for, just panicking. "This was a mistake," he said.
"No, no, you can do this, it's not that hard," the woman pleaded. Must work on commission.
Reno sighed and let her help him design something. It was similar to the mass-produced necklace he had seen out front, with a different stylized heart encrusted with diamonds and a larger emerald in the center, all in a silver setting. It looked more antique than the pieces in the main showroom, something he assumed Tifa would appreciate since her home design was rather… classical.
Reno paid the hefty sum for the custom piece and left the store with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slumped. He was having second thoughts. He didn't know what he was doing when it came to gifts or feelings, and now he was designing jewelry? He wished his old self were nearby to punch him in the gut and remind him who he used to be.
Ruthless. That was a much more comfortable feeling.