Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 67: A Few Too Many

Viridia woke early the next morning, only to find her bed mysteriously empty… though the mystery didn’t last long. Once she’d yawned and rubbed her eyes, spotting her lover seated at the little desk in the corner of her quarters wasn’t exactly difficult. She silently slipped from the bed, wrapping herself in her robe, and padded over to him, peering over his shoulder as he scrawled somewhat furiously over the page.

“What’s that?” she asked gently… though she already had an idea.

He’d told her everything. His sister’s death, his part in it… his family’s subsequent disownment of him. All of it in an increasingly heartbroken voice that had moved her to tears more than once. She had never seen Tseng like this before. He was so hurt and so angry, and so filled with guilt. It had frightened her at first. It still did, a bit, even though he seemed far calmer than he had when he’d arrived.

“My resignation,” he answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Viridia sighed and placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging them.

“Come back to bed. We still have an hour before my duty shift starts. You can do that later.”

“I want to finish this,” he replied, stubbornly.

“Before you change your mind, you mean?”

“I won’t be changing my mind.” He scrawled another two lines before she finally placed her hand over his, halting his progress.

“Tseng…”

“I mean it, Viridia. How can I continue to work for Shinra after this? That job has taken everything from me. My morality… my humanity… my family. I have nothing left. I just… can’t.”

“You still have me,” she pointed out, and shifted so that she could hold him. He was tense… as though trying desperately to hold back the wreck of a man he’d been last night.

“… And what if they take you, as well?” he whispered. Viridia shook her head, and plucked the pen from his hand.

“I’m not asking you not to resign. I’m asking you to wait. This is a decision you’re not going to be able to take back. You have so much you already regret… don’t add to it in a moment of anger and despair. You have time to be absolutely sure about this.”

“What makes you think I’m not?”

“Because I know you,” she replied, “And I know what your Turks mean to you… especially that adorably annoying little redheaded one. Even if you hate Shinra Company itself with every fiber of your being right now, you could never hate them.”

Tseng clenched his fists for a moment, but finally picked up the sheet of paper and placed it inside the desk drawer. He turned to her.

“I feel I’ve already imposed far too much, but… would you mind if I stay until I am absolutely sure?”

Viridia smiled and coaxed him to his feet, leading him back over to the bed. “You’ve never been an imposition before, Tseng. I don’t see you starting now.”

---

It had been days since Veld had told him that Tseng had left Wutai. Days since they’d heard anything new. Reno had been checking up on his mentor’s apartment every day after work, hoping he might catch sight of him, but the place remained dark and empty.

He’d tried, a few times, to call him… but like the others, he only got his voicemail. He’d given up after the third attempt. Knowing Tseng, he wasn’t likely to turn his phone back on until he was good and ready to do so. Bombarding him with calls was wasted effort… not to mention the emotional toll it was taking on Reno. Every time it went to voicemail, a little more hope that he was coming back died. So… he’d stopped calling.

Besides which… by now, he probably had so many messages to return, his would be at the bottom of the pile. At least Veld had said he would let him know if he heard from the missing Turk.

“Hey,” Rude said, nudging him with his elbow as they rode the elevator back upstairs after lunch. “You doing anything tonight?”

“Not really. Thought about just gettin’ a pizza or somethin’. You wanna come over ‘n keep me company?”

His fellow rookie shook his head. “It’s Friday. We’re going out. All this talk of war has everyone stressed. You need something to take your mind off of Tseng being gone, and… you were right about me. I need to start getting over Margaret. So we’re hitting the bars tonight.”

Reno cracked a smile in spite of his dour mood. “We are, huh? I don’t get a say in the matter?”

“Nope.”

“Heh… Guess I can’t argue, then. Oh, yeah… I hear congratulations are in order. Tres is sendin’ ya to Fort Condor on your own this afternoon?”

Rude nodded. “First solo flight,” he replied, “Well… of a helicopter, anyway.”

“Tch… Man, am I ever jealous,” the redhead sighed. Rude’s certification exam had been delayed slightly, owing to Remy having to take over as second in command without much notice… and her subsequent and ongoing struggle with keeping everything running smoothly… but he’d passed with flying colors. Not that Reno had expected anything less. After all, Rude had been flying long before joining the Turks. This was nothing more than learning new equipment for him.

“Your birthday’s in a week and a half. You can take the certification exam that day.”

“Take the exam, sure… but I still gotta pass the exam,” he replied, as they arrived at their floor, “What if I fuck somethin’ up?”

Rude snorted softly. “Please. You’re a good pilot. You’ll do fine. They don’t ask you to to anything you haven’t already done a hundred times by now.”

“Hmph… except maybe demonstrate that you can be trusted on your own with a several hundred thousand gil piece of machinery,” a voice stated as they stepped out of the elevator. Reno turned and spotted Rodney striding towards them. “Hope they don’t take any damages out of your paycheck. That’d be a hell of a bill…”

Before either of them could respond, Rodney had slipped past them with an irritatingly smug smirk and into the elevator car, pressing one of the buttons and disappearing behind the doors. Reno groaned.

“Ignore him,” Rude said.

“Tch… easy for you to say. You’re already certified.”

Rude snickered and wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Yeah… you definitely need a night out.”

---

The Vis-a-Vis bar in Sector 2 was crowded… which way probably a good thing, considering the pair of them were both relying on fake IDs to get their drinks. The staff was so busy, they hardly glanced at them. Reno made a mental note to thank Sato for directing them to this place. It was even easier than the one they usually frequented over in Sector 3. That one though… even though it was much closer to their respective apartments, it was also a little too close to the train station Shinra had decimated a few short weeks ago. Neither of them had wanted to venture over there just yet. It had somehow seemed disrespectful.

Rude was downing a Nibelheim stout, and Reno was on his third cheap beer of the evening, a pleasant buzz already slowly building.

“Heh… Ya know, I’m actually glad you dragged me out of my apartment tonight. I’ve been cooped up at home way too long,” the redhead grinned, as he reached for the bowl of bar peanuts that sat between them.

His fellow rookie grinned back at him, and ordered a shot of whiskey from the bartender. Reno spun on his bar stool to face the room. The place really was packed, and he wondered if it was like this every night, or if it was just the drink specials tonight that had brought the crowd. He spotted a group of three very attractive young women at a nearby table, all dressed very much alike, all with the same strawberry blonde hair and green eyes and heart-shaped faces. For a very brief moment, he wondered if he was somehow already drunk enough to start seeing double – or, rather, triple – until he realized… they were, in fact triplets. Fucking identical goddamn triplets. He laughed and elbowed his friend.

“Now that would make for an interesting evening…” he opined, smirking. Rude snickered loudly.

“Don’t you ever think about anything else?” he asked, but he did turn to get a better look at them, raising his sunglasses slightly from over his eyes.

“Sure,” Reno said, brightly, “I think about food constantly. And sex is right below that.” He paused for a moment, gazing at the trio as they laughed over shots of what, judging by the color, almost had to have been absinthe of some variety. Probably Mideelian. It was pricey, and he himself hadn’t seen many bottles of it back during his days at the bar, but he knew it had a slightly more teal hue to it than the usual vibrant green of similar liquors.

Tres’… request… from a few weeks ago suddenly came back to him, unbidden. Seemed stupid to pass up an opportunity like this. Even if the first one wasn’t interested in being Rude’s rebound girl, he’d still have two more chances to hit it off. He smirked, and grabbed Rude’s arm, pulling him to his feet, and all but dragging him through the crowd. He didn’t stop until they were standing directly in front of the three women.

“Ladies,” he said, grinning as he bowed slightly, “Let me introduce ya to my friend here…”

---

The bar in Junon was still quiet, but with the upcoming shift change, that peace wouldn’t last much longer. In about fifteen more minutes, several of the various divisions would rotate in a new round of personnel, and those coming off duty would begin to filter into their usual off-duty hangouts. He intended to be gone before then.

Tseng had spent much of the day there, while Viridia tended to her duties on base… just as he had for the past three days.

He’d started drinking early, not wanting to be in her way… and because, truth be told, the decision to sequester himself in a major Shinra facility – one where all anyone seemed to talk about was when they’d be attacking his homeland, and cast him more than just a mildly suspicious glance anytime he was in public – didn’t hold much appeal to him. Were it not for Viridia’s presence, he never would have come here to begin with. So he’d opted for one of the handful of civilian businesses on the base, planting himself at a table in an out of the way corner, and spending most of the afternoon nursing a few scotch and sodas.

During that time, he hadn’t merely been drinking, however. He’d been doing what he’d told Viridia he would do. Deciding whether or not he was absolutely certain of his decision to leave Shinra for good. Thus far, he’d only come to the conclusion that… he hadn’t yet reached a conclusion.

This morning after his arrival in Junon, he’d still been angry enough, even after unloading his emotional baggage onto his lover the previous evening, that his path had seemed obvious. Now, though, after several days of contemplation… now he was grateful to her for stopping him. If she hadn’t, he almost certainly would have signed his resignation letter, sealed it, and sent it off to Veld on the next mail transport to Midgar. And it would have been a mistake.

He still wasn’t sure he wanted to remain a Turk… but he was waffling on leaving them. The Turks had been his life for years now. They were the only thing, besides Viridia, of course, that he had left. Mayu was gone. He might as well be dead, too, as far as his family was concerned. And the guilt he felt over it all still threatened to consume him at any moment. He just… didn’t know what to do. And that was unusual for him. He could always find an answer. Always had things meticulously planned down to the smallest detail. Always confident that everything would go according to those plans.

Almost as soon as that thought had formed, he softly laughed at it. That used to be how things were. And then he was gifted a thoroughly unpredictable rookie, and all those meticulous plans had gone straight out the window, along with a good deal of his sanity.

Tseng stared at the amber liquid in his glass. That was at least one very good reason to go back. Resigning from the Turks would mean abandoning said rookie… something he’d promised he would never do. But then, Reno wasn’t the uncertain sixteen year old he’d recruited out of the Sector 2 slums anymore. He was a well-trained, confident, talented young Turk. He didn’t, strictly speaking, need Tseng taking care of him anymore. He was perfectly capable of looking after himself.

At least, that’s what Tseng kept insisting to himself. But every time he did, his mind brought back the stark memory of Reno’s frightened expression the last time he’d seen him. He was fairly sure only part of that fear was directed at Tseng’s somewhat volatile behavior that morning. He knew damn well what Reno had been through as a child… or at least he knew the major points. Reno still didn’t care to talk about his childhood beyond the occasional dark anecdote.

He also knew that the redhead viewed him, at least in some regards, as a parental figure. Hell, he’d encouraged that, thinking it would give him some much needed security and stability in his early days as a Turk. Having that suddenly ripped away a second time…

Well… Reno would survive it. Surviving was something he was exceptionally good at. But it would leave him scarred, just as it had the first time. Perhaps not as deeply as his mother’s suicide had, but it would leave yet another mark on his spirit that would never quite fade. And Tseng hated the very thought of injuring such a beautiful spirit further.

Still… returning to Shinra would mean returning to the life that had taken virtually everything he held precious from him. How could he ever hope to make amends… or even to honor his sister’s memory… if he simply went right back doing the very thing that had killed her? Or worse… how could he live with himself if he allowed something like that to happen again to someone else he loved?

The first few patrons from the earlier shift made their way into the bar. Tseng downed what remained in his glass in one swallow, and made a hasty exit before it started to get crowded.

---

Reno drained his sixth – or was it his seventh? He was losing count – beer of the night and grinned quietly to himself. That had gone better than even he could have planned. Hell, he hadn’t even had to do much talking at all, and he’d been prepared to lay the charm on thick. The girls had found Rude’s shy demeanor adorable, though, and taken an almost immediate liking to him. So much so that when he’d made the – not at all subtle – suggestion that they adjourn to his apartment, since it was so much closer than Rude’s, after all, it had been met with enthusiastic agreement from all parties.

And… then he’d slipped the keys and another bottle of Mideelian absinthe into his friend’s hands and sent him on his way to have a little fun without him. Though, in retrospect, he hadn’t entirely thought things through in that regard, seeing as now he had to find somewhere else to spend the night. Voyeurism really wasn’t his thing, and opting to join in… might have ended up being little awkward once they’d all sobered up in the morning.

So he’d stayed behind and continued to drink. He wasn’t too worried. Worst case scenario, he got a hotel room for the night. He smirked to himself… best case scenario, he went home with someone just as hot as those triplets had been.

He hadn’t given up on the best case scenario quite yet.

Before he had the chance to start looking for someone to share a bed with, however, the redhead found himself being spun around on his barstool. When it stopped, he was suddenly facing a very familiar, and slightly peeved-looking, face.

“Reno?! What in Leviathan’s name are you doing here?” Remy demanded, and then dropped her voice to a loud whisper, “You’re not even old enough to be here. How did you get in?”

The rookie shrugged, somewhat drunkenly. “Sato knows a guy,” he replied, holding up his fake ID. Remy groaned and rubbed a hand over her face.

“Ugh… Sato. I should have known. Give me that!” she demanded, snatching the card from his hand and pocketing it, “Come on. I’m taking you home.”

Reno couldn’t stop the slightly inebriated snicker that escaped his lips at the thought of Remy walking into what had to be going on in his apartment by now.

“Yeah… uh… interesting as that might be, I kinda loaned the place out tonight. I don’t think ya wanna interrupt what’s gotta goin’ on by now… ya know… unless you’re into watchin’…” he laughed. His expression suddenly shifted to a more quizzical one. “Hang on… the hell are you doin’ here, anyway?”

“I happen to like this bar. I came to get a drink after a very long week of work. Which, incidentally, I am of legal age to do, unlike some people,” she replied, looking at him with a disapproving frown. She sighed and shook her head. “Fine. Come on. If you can’t go home right now, I suppose you can spend the night at my place. I will not be caring for your inevitable hangover, however.”

The redhead laughed. “Hangover? Please… I’m not even properly drunk yet. Got a long way to go before I’m gonna be hungover in the mornin’.” He patted the seat next to him. “Sit down and order somethin’. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you kinda look like you could use it.”

“Reno…” she said, warningly, but the rookie cut her off.

“Look… I know Tseng made you my temporary guardian ‘n all and you’re just lookin’ out for me… but you’re not the only one who’s had it rough lately. This is the first time I’ve been out pretty much anywhere since my stupid appendix tried to kill me. Cut me some slack, huh?”

Remy eyed him for a moment longer, and finally took the offered seat. Reno grinned in approval as she ordered a glass of warm sake. She relaxed a bit as she sipped it and sighed.

“So… that bad a week, huh?” Reno asked. Remy snorted a soft laugh.

“I should be happy,” she mused, “A leadership position is what I always wanted.” She shook her head and took another sip. “But… this isn’t how I wanted to get it. Not even temporarily.” She set the glass down turning it in slow circles on the bar as she stared into the transparent liquid, and sighed. “As it turns out, I don’t even seem to be very good at it.”

“Aw, come on. You’re doin’ fine,” the redhead replied… though he wasn’t sure he was very convincing. They’d all had more than a few complaints about Remy’s leadership style, and though, for the most part, they’d all kept their mouths shut around the temporary second in command, he was pretty sure that at least some of it had gotten back to her at some point. Remy chuckled mirthlessly.

“Oh, really? I suppose that’s why we’re out of coffee in the breakroom. And running low on office supplies… and ammunition. Among other things. I can’t even get a pile of requisition forms turned in on time. And the training schedule is a nightmare. Rude didn’t get to take his pilot certification exam for almost a week after he was supposed to because I got so bogged down in trying to straighten out all the other messes I’ve created.” She rested her elbows on the bar top, and shook her head. “I… just can’t figure out where I’m going so very wrong. Tseng always made it look so easy.”

“Tch… I can tell ya that,” Reno sniggered, tossing back the last of his beer and signaling the bartender for another one. Remy rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her drink.

“Oh, please…”

The redhead grinned and took a sip from the fresh bottle. “I mean it. You really wanna know what Tseng did that you’re not doin’?”

The senior Turk looked over at him, as if assessing the potential merit of the information he was offering. After a moment, she frowned.

“Alright. What?”

“Gimme my ID back ‘n buy us a round of shots ‘n I’ll tell ya,” the rookie replied with a triumphant smirk.

“… Done,” Remy replied, grudgingly handing over the ID card. When the requested drinks were delivered, she looked at him expectantly. “Well?”

“Heh… Tseng made it look easy ’cause he never tried to do every little thing himself,” the redhead grinned. “You got any idea how many of those pain in the ass requisition forms I’ve run down to General Affairs for him in the last year? I’m on a first name basis with most of the secretaries at this point… not that I mind that one little bit. He’d approve a batch, send me off with ’em, approve another batch… That way he never had to worry about turnin’ ’em all in at once ‘n missin’ the deadline.”

“… T-that’s the big secret?” she stammered.

“Yep. You wanna be a leader, then fuckin’ lead. Delegate some of that shit. Tell the rest of us to get off our asses and help you when you get stuck.”

Remy was silent for a moment, and then gave a soft laugh, shaking her head again.

“I think I need another shot. Or three.”

---

Remy groaned faintly as consciousness slowly drifted back in and the sounds of morning filled her ears… and the results of far too much alcohol last night set her head throbbing. One particular bird outside of her bedroom window seemed to seriously have it out for her. She moved to drag a pillow over her head, grateful that it was Saturday. She was in no condition to go into work right now. As she did so, however, she realized for the first time since waking that she was partly trapped beneath a soft, warm body.

Remy’s eyes shot open in barely restrained panic, as she grasped desperately for the tendrils of memory that seemed to be eluding her at the moment.

“Mornin’…” her unexpected bedmate drawled somewhat sleepily against her shoulder as he cuddled up closer to her. The Turk blinked owlishly as she turned her head to look at him, trying to process what in Leviathan’s name he was doing there. The disturbingly pleasant sensation of his bare skin pressed against her own under the covers made it rather painfully obvious.

“… Oh, my god…” the senior Turk managed after her brain finally reengaged and started to function again.

“Heh… Was I really that good last night?” his voice teased, and Remy had to silently talk herself down from smacking him for the comment. After all… violence would only make things much, much worse. Reno propped himself up on one arm, effectively removing his weight from on top of her, and gazing at her in slight confusion at her non-response. “Uh… Remy?”

“I slept with a rookie,” the Turk breathed, pressing her hands over her face in disbelief as she sat up in bed. What in the nine hells had she been thinking last night. “Not just a rookie… an underage rookie.” She looked over at him and groaned again as she shut her eyes, willing this to all be a dream. As some very explicit memories began to flood back in, she was forced to come to terms with the fact that it was not. She was in bed, and very naked, with Reno. Who, she was fairly certain, was just as naked as she was. This was not good. “Not just an underage rookie… Tseng’s underage rookie. That I have guardianship of…”

“… So’s that a no on my performance?” he asked in far too calm of a tone for her taste.

Remy slid out from under the covers, perching on the edge of the bed, and directed her attention at the window. Outside, it was already shaping up to be a beautiful Spring day. Indoors, however…

How could she have done something so… so… irresponsibly stupid? Granted, there was technically no regulation against relationships between Turks… but a rookie? That was a gray area at best. Even if she was on solid ground in terms of regulations, morally was another matter entirely. Not to mention legally. The boy was only seventeen for Leviathan’s sake! Though, admittedly, that was well above the age of consent… and it wasn’t as if he was a virgin by any stretch of the imagination. She knew damn well what he got up to when he was off duty. The whole office did.

Which, when she considered that, italmost made her present situation seem worse. The thought of having to explain herself to Veld… or any of the others, for that matter… She shuddered to think about it.

“Okay, seriously, you’re startin’ to worry me a little here…” Reno prodded again. Remy felt her shoulders slump in defeat. It had happened… and it needed to be dealt with. She turned to look at him and was genuinely surprised at the expression of concern on his face. His frown deepened noticeably the longer she remained silent. “So… I’m kinda gettin’ the feelin’ you might be rethinking the whole gettin’ me naked and fuckin’ me senseless thing… which, uh… just sayin’… I really enjoyed.”

Dear Leviathan, why did he have to be so blunt about that? She knew perfectly well what they’d done last night… and seemed to be recalling more of it by the second. In fact, she had to force herself to stop thinking about how thorough his lips had been… his firm, slender body on top of hers… how smooth his skin had felt against her fingertips as she’d…

She shook her head violently, realizing that she was thinking about it again.

“Reno… I –”

The redhead grinned slightly, but she caught a brief flicker of a somewhat hurt expression.

“Yeah… guess I mighta enjoyed it a little more than you did. I should probably just… ya know… get lost, huh?”

Remy dragged herself from the stupor of leftover lust she seemed to have fallen into, and pulled the blanket over to cover herself.

“Don’t leave yet,” she replied, “We need to talk.” She winced slightly as her head throbbed again, reminding her that she was most assuredly hungover. “But over coffee… because frankly, I’m having a hard time even thinking straight with the headache I have at the moment.”

She stood up and crossed the room, reaching for the worn yukata that hung on the mirror of her vanity. It had been a gift from her grandfather before he’d died, and though the traditional Wutaiian garment looked decidedly out of place in Midgar, she loved it dearly and wore it frequently around her apartment as a robe of sorts. She hurriedly wrapped it around herself, and made her way out towards her kitchen to get the coffee brewing.

Reno crept out of her bedroom a few short minutes later, dressed in his clothes from the previous evening. He awkwardly ran his fingers through messy hair as he tied it back, and took a seat at the little table in the dining area of her kitchen.

“… For the record, I was pretty drunk last night, too…” the redhead said, tentatively, “I mean… I didn’t mean ta… ya know… take advantage or anything. I mean, I didn’t… did I?”

Remy shook her head. “No, of course not,” she replied, pouring two cups and carrying them over to the table. At the last moment, she remembered that the rookie never drank it without sugar, and somewhat gracelessly grabbed the container that was sitting out on the counter. “If anyone one should be concerned about that,it should be me. I’m your superior, for Leviathan’s sake.”

He seemed to relax at that pronouncement, gratefully accepting the cup… and the sugar… from her. Remy took a seat across from him and sighed.

“Last night absolutely should not have happened. I’m the adult here. I shouldn’t have let it happen. It was completely unprofessional of me.”

“I was doin’ some pretty ‘unprofessional’ things to you, too, last night, ya know,” Reno snickered, “In some very unprofessional positions.”

“Reno!” she very nearly shouted, utterly horrified.

“Heh… Sorry. Sorry. I’m not tryin’ to be a dick about this. I just… have an annoying habit of makin’ jokes when I probably shouldn’t. Breaks the tension ‘n shit.”

“… When Tseng told me to look after you while he’s away I somehow very seriously doubt this is what he had in mind,” she groaned, cradling her head in her hands.

“Tch… You’re makin’ way too big a deal outta this, Remy. It was just sex. I mean… not gonna lie, I had a good time but… and please don’t kill me for sayin’ this… if I hadn’t woken up here, I probably woulda just woken up in someone else’s bed anyway.”

“Reno… that really doesn’t make this better,” she replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We work together.”

The redhead shrugged. “So? I mean, if you’re worried about me tellin’ the whole team about what we got up to last night… don’t. I’m not big on braggin’ about that kinda shit.” He snickered softly. “Ya know… beyond generally tellin’ people I got laid, I mean.”

Remy glanced up at him again, and wondered if this conversation could possibly get any more uncomfortable. The earnest look on the rookie Turk’s face when he said he wasn’t going to spread the word about their little… tryst… was oddly reassuring, though.

“So, just outta curiosity…” Reno continued, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable himself, “Uh… how deep is the shit we’d be in be if Veld found out, anyway? Like… are Turks not s’posed to fuck other Turks?”

The senior Turk rolled her eyes. “Has Tseng never gone over regulations with you?”

“Tch… well, sure. But he’s never said anything about that,” he protested, insulted, “And trust me… I’d remember if he had.”

“Of course you would,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. The kid had a one track mind, after all. And apparently no shame. “There’s nothing that says Turks can’t be… intimately involved with one another,” Remy replied with a soft sigh, “But… it’s not encouraged, and most certainly not between a senior Turk and a rookie. There’s too much potential for abuse of power in such relationships, not to mention the difficulty in working together that might come about as a consequence of a bad breakup.”

“Good thing last night was just a drunken one night stand, then, huh?” the redhead said, grinning widely.

“Reno, I swear to Leviathan, one more joke…” she replied, but was having entirely too much trouble keeping the small smile from spreading across her lips to be taken seriously. She quickly composed herself, clearing her throat. Reno, however, was still grinning from ear to ear. Goddammit, she’d never felt so thoroughly annoyed and so… inexplicably turned on… in her life. It was aggravating. No wonder the cheeky little punk had managed to gain such a reputation around the office.

“… ‘kay, look. If ya want me to keep my mouth shut, just say so. I’ll never tell anyone we got drunk, had hours of amazing sex, and you told me I was the best you ever had the next mornin’.”

“I would appreciate yourdiscretion, thank you,” she said, firmly, “Hmph… and I’m quite certain I never said anything of the sort.” She took a sip of her coffee, savoring the smooth, slightly bitter flavor.

“But you’re not denyin’ it, either,” the rookie teased. She choked on her drink, sputtering for several moments as Reno drained his own cup.

“… And on that note,” he said, “I’ll get outta your hair. Before you end up killin’ me for that one.”

He was on his feet before she’d fully recovered, making his way towards the door. Once she’d regained her breath, Remy followed him. She caught his arm before he could make his exit.

“Reno?” she said, gently holding him in place, “Really… thank you. For keeping this between us, and for being there for me last night. It should never have gone a far as it did… but… I… I think I really did need someone to talk to.”

And, though she didn’t dare voice it, it had been good. If it had been just about anyone else, she might have even been tempted to invite him to stay a little longer… a thought that made her cringe as soon as it occurred to her. She had absolutely no business thinking about a subordinate like that.

“I’ll see you at work on Monday,” she quickly added before her mind could stray any farther in that direction.

~end chapter 67~