A lesson learned, fic
“You can’t be serious Reno!” Tifa gasps from behind the counter.
The redhead is smug, and shows it. “I’m irresistible, what can I say.” The wink he gives her is lascivious, and Tifa shivers in spite of herself.
Frowning, she motions for Reno to move closer so she can whisper to him. The moment he’s close enough, she reaches out to pull his ear. Hard.
“OWWW!” He yelps. “Let go!”
“No.” Instead she turns to Rude, who has been silent during the whole exchange. “Is this true, Rude?”
Rude nods imperceptibly. Immediately, Tifa lets go.
“What the hell, Tifa!” He glares at her while rubbing his stinging ear.
“Sorry,” Tifa shrugs, pouring out refills for them both, “I thought you were pulling my leg.”
“Yeah well,” Reno is still glaring, but the intensity has been lost the moment his glass is filled to the brim, “you were pulling my ear but you don’t see me doing anything like that!” He gulps down his drink and waves his glass for another refill.
She smiles and obliges. “I just didn’t think it’d be possible,” she tells him as she pours, “always thought you were a ladies’ man.”
“Heh.” He pauses to down his drink before replying. “I’m open to options.”
Rude coughs discreetly into his hand. Reno slants his eyes at his partner. Tifa doesn’t miss this and giggles.
“How many?” she asks.
“Lost count,” Rude is stoic in his reply, even as Reno looks fit to murder his partner. He keeps glaring, but Rude is too used to him and eventually Reno gives up, slumping forward against the counter.
“Fine. I like guys more.” He sits up suddenly and pounds a fist on the table. “But I still like the chicks, yo!”
“Didn’t say you don’t,” Rude tells him.
“Damn straight!” He looks at Tifa, “Heard that, babe?”
“Uh huh,” Tifa tries to muffle her laughter. Reno scowls, but before he can say anything, Cloud enters through the front door.
“Woah man, what pond did you fall into?!” Reno exclaims the same time Tifa rushes forward to hand Cloud a dry towel.
“It’s raining outside.” He spares Tifa a small, grateful smile and she smiles back.
“You look like a drenched Chocobo, Strife.” The grin on Reno’s face is naughty, and Cloud hears the alarm bells in his head going off. He moves towards the back of the bar.
“I’m going to change.”
“All right, Cloud.” Tifa replies.
“Need help, Chocobo-head?” Reno snickers, knowing this will get a rise out of Cloud.
Indeed, Cloud glares angrily at the redhead. But his clothes are sticking to his body and it’s somewhat uncomfortable, and because he chooses his battles carefully, Cloud walks away.
The last thing he hears is, “They’re even more gloomy when it rains, huh Teef?”
-
“So Reno, tell me,” Tifa asks, leaning against the bar, “how did it happen?”
Reno blinks. He is half distracted by the pitter-patter of the rain on the roof and the sound of an engine.
“Huh,” he says intelligently.
“You and Rufus,” she elaborates, ever patient. With the redhead, patience was more than a virtue.
He wonders how to answer her when the sound of the engine stops and he hears footsteps on the patio. His head whips around before the door opens.
“Hey Vince!” he greets cheerily, already forgetting Tifa’s question.
Vincent hesitates for a split second, halfway in, halfway out, but continues in smoothly without a break in his step.
Reno pats the seat next to him. Vincent takes the one next to Rude.
“Vincent,” Tifa greets, “can I get you anything?”
“Blood,” Reno offers.
“The usual, please.”
Tifa busies herself to prepare his drink.
“So,” Reno begins, leaning forward to peer over Rude’s head, “whatcha been up to? Haven’t seen you around. Been busy?”
“Yes.”
Reno is surprised he actually got a response, but quickly recovers. “You wouldn’t be responsible for all those dead people out there, would you?”
“That would be you, Reno.” Tifa gives a long-suffering sigh, placing Vincent’s drink in front of him.
“Oh yeah,” he grins, unrepentant. He watches Vincent sip at the drink, the action cultured and graceful. “What’s that you’re drinking? Frozen blood?”
“Enough vampire jokes Reno,” Tifa warns.
“But it’s red!” he protests.
“So is your hair.” Rude states impassively.
“Huh?” Reno asks, confused. He’s hearing footsteps coming down the stairs. “Oi Chocobo-head!” he hollers, “Vampire boy’s here!”
Cloud appears five seconds later. He frowns at Reno. “Don’t shout, I can hear you fine.” He takes the seat next to Vincent.
“How come nobody wants to sit next to me?” Reno asks.
“Because.” Out of the three, only Rude bothers with an answer.
“That’s not even an answer, yo.”
“What would you like Cloud?” Tifa asks nicely. The warning look she shoots Reno is not as nice.
“The usual, please.”
Reno wonders if he should make a comment here, but decides against it. Instead, he pushes his glass towards Tifa, looking at her beseechingly.
The corners of her mouth lift, and she obliges. “Don’t you have a mission tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” the redhead tells her, “but that’s tomorrow, and today’s today.”
“Won’t Rufus be upset if you come in late?”
“Reno’s always late.” Rude states, getting a refill without even having to ask.
Reno shrugs easily, “Hey, sometimes it’s his fault.” He glowers at the drink in his hand. “Bastard,” he concludes, face lighting up.
Cloud’s eyebrow is raised. “Who are we talking about here?” he asks.
“Rufus.” Tifa and Rude answer.
“Mm,” Reno agrees, for once drinking from the glass.
Cloud nods, satisfied with the answer. Next to him, Vincent takes another sip of his wine. Tifa moves away to attend to another customer.
-
“Sometimes?” she asks when she returns.
“Hmmm?” Reno is wondering if he should make a crack about Vincent, but thinks better of it. Maybe later.
“Sometimes it’s his fault you’re late?”
He cocks his head, hearing a clink as someone drops their Gil on the floor. “Yeah, that’s right,” he answers, preoccupied.
“So it wasn’t just that one time?” Tifa’s delight is obvious. It makes Reno focus all his attention back to the conversation at hand. Rewind, rewind. What were they talking about again? Oh. Oh.
“Eh…” he manages lamely.
Tifa grins smugly. Reno is brilliant, but he’s easily distracted. And the look on his face right now is just…
“It’s been going on for a while,” Rude, always the tatter tale.
Reno swears under his breath.
“Is it serious?” she asks, enjoying the way Reno is turning redder by the moment.
Rude nods.
Reno refuses to make eye contact.
“Tifa,” Cloud lifts his glass.
“Coming right up!” She goes to pour him another. “Want more, Vincent?”
Vincent shakes his head, still nursing his first glass.
Reno is too busy fighting down the blush to make any vampire jokes. Tifa takes advantage of this.
“Reno and Rufus are an item,” she tells Cloud and Vincent.
Reno shoots up in his seat and gapes at her in horror. “TIFA!”
She giggles.
Cloud takes his time to digest the information. Vincent looks at Reno, contemplating.
“I know,” he says finally.
Cloud nods.
Reno is in a nightmare. “WHAT?”
“I can…” Vincent tries to phrase it more elegantly, then thinks, why bother?, “I can smell it.”
“IT?” Reno is shrieking now, attracting everyone’s attention, “IT?”
Cloud frowns. He hates people yelling. He especially hates Reno yelling. “Quit yelling,” he tells the raging redhead.
“I don’t think he can hear you,” Rude supplies helpfully.
“His essence,” Vincent explains. “On you,” he added.
Tifa’s smile is so wide all her teeth are showing. Reno has turned stiff.
“You okay partner?” Rude asks.
“Oooh,” Tifa is practically gushing, “were you late this morning too?”
Reno refuses to answer. He can’t anyway. His mouth won’t work. His brain’s frozen up and he wants a hole to crawl into.
“Does that mean he’s bottom?” Tifa asks Vincent.
“Yes,” Rude answers for him. At Tifa’s look, he elaborates, “You don’t have to smell it to know.”
Cloud is glad that Reno finally shut up, but is a little concerned. “Is he okay?”
“No,” Reno’s mouth finally works.
“He’ll be fine,” Tifa assures Cloud.
-
“Well,” Rude stands up, “we better go.” He nudges his stricken partner.
“It’s still pouring outside,” Tifa tells him, “you don’t have to go now.”
“The Boss will be looking for him,” he gestures to Reno who hasn’t budged.
“You guys weren’t supposed to find out,” he moans.
Tifa feels guilty for all of two seconds, then smiles. “The evidence is irrefutable, Mr Irresistible.”
Cloud sighs. If Reno didn’t cheer up, he wouldn’t leave. And if he wouldn’t leave then Tifa couldn’t close the bar. And if Tifa couldn’t close the bar…
“Look,” he says, walking up to the redhead.
Reno looks up obediently.
Cloud runs a hand through his hair, feeling a little awkward. “Don’t worry about it.”
Reno’s expression falls even further at the words.
Frustrated, Cloud huffs, crossing his arms across his chest. “You’re still Reno right?”
Tifa smiles brightly, and nods encouragingly at him.
Reno sits up, watching Cloud closely.
“It doesn’t change anything,” Vincent says from his seat.
Reno is surprised, but in a pleasant way. He feels warm all over, but that might be because he’s blushing.
He grins. “Thanks Chocobo-head, Vampire boy.” He glances at Tifa, already forgiving her for spilling the beans on him and Rufus.
She’s beaming at him and he beams back.
“I’ll get ya back, Teef.” It’s a promise.
“I know,” she laughs, “now get out of here.”
He gets up and follows Rude to the door. He doesn’t miss the movements behind him as Vincent slides out of his seat and steps towards Cloud.
“Reno.”
Reno turns and is, for nth time that day, caught by surprise. Cloud is smiling; a small and genuine smile that reaches his eyes. Next to him, Vincent stands, as still and majestic as any statue.
From behind the counter, Tifa calls out.
“Vincent and Cloud are an item too!”
Reno breaks into jubilant laughter.
-