2Tifa sighs as she closes Seventh Heaven, her bar in Sector 7. She flips the sign on the front door to Closed, and then happily goes and sits in a chair, relaxing. It had been a long day. She'd had to stop two bar brawls, and one of the regulars had broken a few of her shot glasses in a drunken stupor.
She gets up after a moment and starts cleaning up the mess the her patrons had left her. She picks up the discarded napkins and beer cans and sweeps the floor, wipes down tables, and makes the place shine. The wind outside picks up, and the sound of thundering rain can be heard, knocking the shutters on the windows into the sides of the building. Strange, she thinks. It hasn't rained in a Sector in years. Must be because they took a section of the plate off for repairs.
Tifa has started doing the dishes when a sudden knock on the door outside makes her accidentally drop the plate in her hand in surprise. It shatters into little pieces at her feet, scattering everywhere. When the knocking increases, she makes a quick decision to clean up the mess later, dries her hands, and walks to the door, opening it.
Standing in the doorway is a drenched Turk with dark red hair plastered to his face. His one hand is shoved in his pocket, while the other is poised to knock onto the door once more. When her surprised face appears in the door, he flashes a grin at her, lowering his hand. " Hey, Teef. "
" Reno? " She asks, widening the door but standing in the entryway. " Sorry, but the bar is closed. " What is he doing here? Usually he's here to get drunk and she has to kick him out at closing time.
" I didn't come for a drink, yo. " He answers. " Although if you're offerin', I'll gladly accept. Actually, I was hopin' you'd let me in. It's pourin' out here, and no one else wants someone like me in their house. "
Of course no one would. He's a Turk; one of ShinRa. Everyone hates him because of what he is. Everyone below the plate hates the sight of a Turk, and barely anyone will allow one to step foot inside their home or business.
She stands there a moment, considering. She'd feel bad if she left him out there in this onslaught of rain...
" Well... Alright. But only until the rain stops. " She says, and moves to let the sodden man in. After he is inside, she closes the door softly behind him. After the door shuts, it's quieter in the bar. Outside, a thunder strike can be heard.
He runs his fingers through his hair and plops down in a seat. " So, uh, about that drink, yo. "
She could almost chuckle. With a roll of her eyes she walks past him and to the kitchen area, where she is reminded of the mess she left.
" So, why are you out in Sector 7, Reno?" She asks him while bending down to gather shards of glass.
" The usual, patrolling, finding out things for ShinRa, " He replies. " Nothing too interesting. "
Reno is a regular at the bar, so he tends to strike up an intoxicated conversation with her whenever he's by himself. Some would call them friends. Friends is a bit strong of a word, but since she normally sits and talks to him as well, she doesn't mind.
" Where's Rude at?" It is definitely strange to see Reno without his partner in crime, Rude. The two are almost inseparable, with Rude being the brains and Reno being the brawn despite their looks. Rude is the one who keeps Reno in check whenever he gets too wild.
" He and I were assigned different Sectors. He's somewhere over in Sector 3. " Reno says nonchalantly, if a bit stiffly.
" Oh. " She's not quite sure what else to say. Being with the redhead completely alone in the bar is a different situation than she's used to. She bites her lip uncomfortably.
" Where's spiky?" He asks her.
" Cloud?" She says as she continues picking up pieces of the broken plate. " He's... out. " Cloud has been helping her run Seventh Heaven for the last six months, but yesterday Barret had taken him out on a mission for AVALANCHE. And with Marlene away at Denzel's, Tifa is by herself. " He's with Barret right now. "
" He left you all alone here? That's wrong, yo. I'd never let a pretty lady like you be by herself. "
She rolls her eyes again. Tifa has long since become used to Reno's natural flirtatiousness. " This lady can take care of herself- Oww!" She suddenly yelps in pain as she picks up a piece of glass the wrong way, the jagged edge cutting into the soft flesh of her index finger. Blood beads from the deep cut, and she drops the shard.
She's unaware Reno has left his chair until she hears his voice in her ear. " Clumsy today, huh? " Tifa nearly jumps out of her skin with surprise. " Here, let me see. " His pale hand goes for her bleeding hand.
Standing abruptly and nearly bumping into the Turk, she turns to face the grinning redhead. " Um... I-I've got it." She walks over to the first aid kit she keeps for the kids, and goes to open it when Reno takes i from her swiftly.
" Hey!" She protests, but he just shushes her.
He takes her bleeding hand and pulls it toward him. He raises it to his lips and then licks the blood off of it, all the while with his captivating blue eyes on hers, causing her face to redden strangely. Wait, did I just call Reno's eyes 'captivating?" What is wrong with me?
With a look of exaggerated focus, he then reaches into the first aid box and retrieves the roll of bandage, ripping off a long piece with his teeth and then binding her hand. She watches in rapt fascination and with her face blushing more and more with every moment.
When he's done, he smiles and closes the box with a flick of his wrist, releasing her hand. She's shocked at how cold her skin is from where he'd had his hand on hers. Whoa whoa WHOA! What?! Why is she thinking of Reno like this? Why are thoughts like these even in her head?
As she chastises herself internally for even thinking of Reno in such a manner, he walks back to the bar. " So now that I've 'tended' you, can I get my drink?"
Mutely, she nods and returns to the bar, quickly picking up the last of the shards, throwing them in the trash, then mixing Reno's favorite drink. He comes so often to her bar, the recipe for the drink is embedded in her memory.
After a moment she goes over to his table and places the glass in front of his seat. Without wasting any time, he takes it and gulps down half the cup. Abruptly he stands up, his glass clinking against the wood of the table as he sets it back down.
" Yo, does that thing work? " Reno asks, gesturing to her right. She looks over and realizes he means the old dusty radio sitting atop a table at the corner of the room, half hidden by other objects.
Not waiting for an answer, he wanders over to it and starts messing with it. Tifa just stands to the side sighing, unsure of what she should do about the clearly drunk Turk. He must've already had something to drink before he got here. Figures. With a shrug she goes over and begins wiping down the counter again.
A static-like sound issues from where Reno is playing with the machine. Then suddenly the sound changes to a sweet and slow tune, wafting through the room. She glances at Reno, who has the biggest smile on his face.
" You got it to work." She says in disbelief.
" Yep. " He says. He then walks over to her and bows. " May I have this dance?" He asks her, offering his hand.
She blinks. Reno... Asking me to dance? " Um... sure. But just so you know, I have two left feet," Tifa warns, letting him take her hand in his.
He chuckles. " Don't worry. I'll lead. "
It turns out, Reno isn't that bad of a dancer. He dances with Tifa like he's done something like this millions of times before. She's surprised to find that she's enjoying herself. She laughs lightly when he spins her in a gentle circle.
" Yo, let's go outside. " Reno says, tugging her toward the door.
" But it's raining!" Tifa protests.
" So? " He urges. " C'mon!" He pulls her through the door. Immediately after she steps out from under the cover of the bar, she's pelted with warm rain droplets, her clothes soaked. Her long hair sticks to her face, and she wipes it out of her eyes. She shivers as a chill rolls though her.
Reno turns to her and he puts his hands on her waist. " Let's dance," He says quietly, his recently dried hair dripping once more. His cerulean eyes sparkle, meeting her dark amber ones.
Tifa, after only a moment's hesitation, puts her arms around his neck, and then they are dancing in front of Seventh Heaven to the song of the rain. Dancing with Reno in the middle of a storm. She could almost laugh at the strangeness of it.
She feels exhilarated, the rain almost rejuvenating. She looks up at the hole in the plate where the rain enters, can see partially the sky beyond. She lets the rain wash over her, and she closes her eyes.
" Tifa. "
She opens her eyes and looks back down at Reno just in time for his lips to press upon hers. Her eyes widen with surprise. W-what? Tifa just stares at Reno's face, unsure of how to react.
After what feels like hours, he pulls away, taking a step back. His eyes are glittering with emotions he normally wouldn't show. " Whoa." he says, grinning.
" Y-You-!" She gets out. She touches her fingers to her lips. Reno just KISSED me! Her lips tingle from where his had made contact.
" I've been waiting to do that for a while." He confesses. " But you're just so beautiful, and always taking care of that little girl and working. Spiky always takes you for granted. " His eyes get dark. ' I never could tell you. But Rude was gettin' mad at me for mopin' around about it, and he signed up for the patrol assignment in Sector 3 so I'd get stuck with the patrol closest to you. "
" Reno..." Tifa murmurs. Her brain can barely wrap around this.
The redheaded Turk takes a step closer. " Look, Tifa, I figure you probably want nothin' to do with me. I'm no good for you, and you and I both know it. But I'm not going to let Cloud have you. He's a total moron for not taking the opportunity to be with you all this time. You're amazing. Man, I sound so corny," He complains.
She stands there, her amber eyes burning into his. Her face is bright red. After a moment of intense silence, Reno scratches his head.
" Well... I guess I-"
He's stopped when Tifa puts her hands on his chest, stands on her tiptoes, and kisses him on the mouth softly. It's his turn to be surprised, until he tilts his head and puts his arms around her. Her arms wrap around his neck, and then they're swaying in place, to a song only the two of them can hear. Tifa feels her heart fill with happiness. All this time, she's had feelings for Reno, and she's never really realized it. But seeing him display his feelings in the only way he can... It made her realize she's in love with him.
When they are both out of breath, they pull apart and look into each others' eyes. " So... you love me?" Tifa asks him.
She must be seeing things. Is Reno blushing? " Yeah." he says huskily. " Do you-?" His eyes look electrically charged.
Tifa laughs with relief, the rain washing down her face. " Yes, Reno. I love you too. " She says elatedly. " You do realize you can't get rid of me now, right?"
He suddenly scoops her up in his arms princess style. As she giggles with delight, he says, " I'll never let you go. " And leans in to kiss her again.
Author's Note: RenTi fluff! I love it! I figured I'd give all of you something else to read while I work on Forbidden Love's next chapter. I've been working on this awhile. Hope you all enjoy! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Square Enix's characters, worlds, etc. I just love to play with 'em!
