Final Fantasy VII 1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: We don't own this universe or its characters apart from a few OCs. The words are ours, though.**

**A/N: Collaboration work of Andrannath aka _ice_lady_LJ and sphinxofthenile aka moi. We owe huge thanks to white_jennaLJ for the beta reading. We had a blast writing this arc, so we hope you'll enjoy it too. Feedback for the soul is what water is to the earth. R&R please and let us know what you think! :)**

**Pairing: One sided Reno/Tseng for now. More in future chapters.**

**Warning: This arc does not contain incest and shota. Teen romance, though, happens. Also, we are talking about the Turks here, so expect alcohol, violance, sex (explicit yaoi and implied het), disturbing issues like character death, and spoilers for the games.**

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"For great justice, Tseng, the boy confides in you!" Veld started, rolling his eyes at his subordinate's stubbornness. He rarely liked having to rely on orders but, in this case, he would have to go there if Tseng continued being this stubborn.

"But, sir, he's…" Tseng tried, but the look Veld gave him stopped him mid sentence. He sighed, his shoulders drooping. "He doesn't trust me. He wants to have sex with me."

Veld shrugged and shook his head. He _knew_ a headache was approaching, and it would be a deadly one if he continued down this path, but it was inevitable. "Tseng," he started, then sighed. "Tseng, you are the first person he didn't try to bite or shoot."

"But, sir!" Tseng protested. He was close to whining like a child, in spite the fact that he hadn't behaved like this when he _had_ been one.

"Enough!" The boundary was just broken and Veld didn't want to hear any more of it. Him raising his voice made Tseng shake with surprise, but the Turk instantly froze and took his typical formal stance, back straight, head slightly down, hands behind his back. "He is a worthy addition to the Turks and you are the only person he ever made contact with. You shall take him in and help him in his transition. Is that understood?"

Tseng took a moment, then he nodded.

"Dismissed," Veld simply said and Tseng turned on his heel and left his office.

The menace in question was, of course, sitting in the hallway, looking as preposterous as only slum scum could. Tseng knew this was going to be a _very_ long day.

"Follow me," he said to the boy, who instantly flashed him a wide grin and jumped from his seat. Tseng sighed again. "Do you have any luggage?" he asked and the boy snorted.

"A bag in the locker room," the boy answered, his eyes to the floor. He was being a jerk to everyone except Veld and Tseng. Veld, because he'd sent him to Medical after he tried to attack him, and Tseng because… well, he didn't really know why it was so hard being a jerk to Tseng.

Just thinking about him made his cheeks turn pink.

"Okay, go pick it up and I'll wait you in my car," Tseng answered and hurried to the elevator, leaving Reno alone to go and get everything he owned in this world.

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Tseng got into his car and behind the tinted windshields, he let his composure drop, laying his head on his arms resting on the driving wheel. Why, in the names of Heaven was he punished so? If he ended up like this, he must have been an animal-torturing, genocidal, sadistic vandal to gather so much bad karma in his previous life.

Why had this boy had to grow so attached to him? Him of all people, who prided himself on being allowed to work on his own (a privilege no other Turk ever attained), and always made sure to do nothing less than perfection.

Now, he was stuck with the most annoying slum rat he ever had the misfortune to meet, and the damn _kid_ (because he was nothing more than a kid with the eggshell still attached to his butt) just had to make it so that Veld would notice it too. Damn, damn, damn.

He let out a deep sigh, wondering how long this torture would last. Maybe if he was stern enough, he could avoid complications until the rookie either failed the exams or got killed on a mission. He was quite sure, one of the two was about to happen anyway, considering who he was thinking about here. Just what was Veld fucking _thinking_, when he insisted to make the punk a Turk candidate?

Well, Tseng didn't get far in his self pity, as he was quickly pulled out of it by a knock on his car window. His head shot up and what a _pretty_ sight his eyes got to see. He felt like shooting himself.

Reno was grinning madly, his tiny bony hand next to his head, waving frantically. "You didn't unlock the car!" he warned, then tried to pull the handle once more.

Tseng glanced to the lock and thought about leaving it that way, turning the vehicle on and letting the boy run after him and, hopefully, freeze his ass while he's at it. But, that was too cruel even for his taste.

And then there was that _look_, Reno cocked his head, fluttered his eyelashes and pouted his lips. "Please? I'm cold!" he asked and positively jumped when Tseng pulled the lock up. He bounced into the car, looking all the way like a kid given a bag full of candy.

"Buckle up," Tseng ordered and started the car. Reno did, pulling the seatbelt over himself _and_ his bag without a problem. He was a raggedy little thin thing, a sorry excuse for a slum rat that probably thought a day was good if he had two meals in it and never would have considered that three was a healthy norm.

Reno was short, barely reaching Tseng's shoulders but, considering the fact that the boy probably spent the years he was _supposed_ to be growing scavenging and fighting for leftovers, it was no wonder he remained as small as he was. Well, with proper nutrition and training, he'd eventually add some muscle to those bones and hopefully grow at least a bit.

No one, absolutely _no one_ deserved being almost a head shorter than Rufus ShinRa.

Somehow, the thought made Tseng vaguely consider putting a nice sushi plate together when they got home. Then his thoughts jumped to the fact that his household was just _not_ planned to support two persons.

"We shall stop at Madelene's and get a few things for your stay," he said through gritted teeth.

Reno sunk in his seat, two thirds of his head lost in the neck of the enormous coat they gave him at his new work. He clutched his bag tightly.

Noticing the boy's distress, Tseng once again had to fight the need to bang his head somewhere. "_Now_ what?" he asked, his voice a few levels over irritated.

The last third of the head disappeared there too. "No money," Reno answered, the coat ruffling his voice. "I'm sorry."

Realizing that, perhaps, he overreacted, Tseng sighed and took a second to think about what to say. "Alright," he started, placing his right hand to that backpack and pulling it a bit away. He even smiled as Reno's eyes perked out through the coat but the boy didn't say anything. "Don't worry, my treat."

"I'm sorry," another, little less ruffled apology came from within the coat and it made Tseng chuckle. "I'll pay you back."

"No, you'll pay ShinRa back, because it won't be my money I'll be wasting on you," Tseng said with a snort, then instantly regretted it as those big bluish green eyes disappeared under the coat again.

Guilt clawed at his heart, but at the same time his Turk self was screaming. How the hell was the kid supposed to do this job if he took an unfortunate slip of the tongue so much to his heart? One would think he had much worse on the streets... The thoughts just made the guilt even stronger, and finally Tseng forced himself to speak, though careful to keep any sympathy out of his voice. "Look, kid..."

But the voice from the coat interrupted him. "I'm not a kid and stop calling me a kid!" Reno yelled from under his coat as his fingers dug into his bag, knuckles turning yellow. "You're not that much older than I am so stop calling me a kid!" His head finally appeared from his coat and his cheeks were redder than his hair. "I'm almost seventeen so just you know, so there!"

Tseng's eyebrows shot up, but he wasn't sure should he laugh or snort. "Sixteen? You look and behave like you're ten!"

Reno's lips spread into a wide grin. "Sells well with the dirty old men like you on the streets."

Tseng winced. He didn't even _want_ to think about what Reno just said. He hit the driving wheel with his left hand. He did notice Reno flinch, probably afraid that he was going to get hit too. Then, he took a deep breath, relaxing, relaxing, just like when meditating, relaxing.

"Reno…" he started, doing his best to keep his voice calm and face warm. He slowly let out the breath he was holding. The small involuntary movement Reno made calmed him down better than the breathing technique anyway. Because when it sank through his anger, it hurt.

Being close to Rufus ShinRa and his father for years now made him realise what the term "child abuse" really stood for, and he hated that knowledge. Hated to know that the young and weak could be abused by the ones they should have their faith in.

"Sorry, I didn't mean..." came the meek voice from behind the fabric of the coat, but Tseng cut in with a dismissive bow of his head, eyes fixed on the road.

"I was the one being crude, please, accept my sincere apologies."

The mouth covered in the heavy wool fabric created a sound of protest, but then the boy stopped and perked, pulling his head out. "What did you say?"

Tseng chuckled, eyes on the road, but he cast a glance towards Reno for a moment. "I suppose I've just apologized, ever heard of it?"

Reno did that whole big-saucer-eyes-and-pouty-lips thing that must have been the cutest thing Tseng had ever seen. Not that he would have ever admitted it, though. "No," the boy answered sincerely and his cheeks blushed.

Once again, Tseng felt a pang of guilt pass through his heart, but at least they were heading somewhere, with Reno smiling and not trying to hide any more.

"You for real?" the boy asked, honestly not believing it. Tseng chuckled and nodded and Reno's mouth again spread into a wide grin.

"So, what's in the bag?" Tseng asked absentmindedly, happy now that they worked this over.

Well, _that_ was a mistake. Reno sunk back into his little cocoon and grabbed the bag tightly. "They're _my_ things and you can't have 'em," he said meekly, sinking even deeper, if that was possible, not even a trace of that wild red hair visible from under the coat.

Once again, Tseng felt like the whole world was against him, and adding a _very_ big bottle of aspirin to his mental list seemed more and more tempting by the minute. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he was trying to suppress the urge to groan in frustration.

"Look, kid... erm, Reno. Do I actually look like I'm in need of your things?" And that was a very good question, since only the silk tie he wore was probably worth more than all the things the boy had on him, including the oversized coat provided by the ShinRa.

Reno eyed Tseng. Well, Reno had had his eyes on Tseng since the very first moment he'd laid them on him. Then he sighed, realizing that he was sitting in Tseng's car, for starters. Just the fabric on the seat was probably more than Reno would ever be able to afford, and there he was thinking that this man would rob him or something.

No, Tseng was too perfect for it. Yes, that was it.

He still clutched his bag tightly. "Just…" he started, eyes lowered. "Just don't touch my things. I don't like people touching me, okay?" This time his shoulders drooped and he decided not to hide himself under that coat.

He could hear Tseng produce another sigh, eyes on him again. Reno didn't like people looking at him as well, but it wasn't like that with Tseng, at least not now. "May I ask you something?" Tseng's voice was nice and warm and approachable.

Reno liked it that way and hoped he wouldn't fuck something up to make the man hit him or yell at him. He nodded.

"Is that why you attacked everyone?"

Reno paused another moment, eyes still down but he could feel Tseng's eyes on his head. He didn't want to look at them now, as he slowly nodded, hating himself for being that weak. "Just… don't want people to touch me. Is that okay?"

He could hear Tseng sigh again and that made his eyes travel up. He was afraid of the reaction, but all he got was another quick warm glance as the man returned his eyes on the road.

"It's okay, Reno," Tseng said with a smile and he didn't have to look at Reno to make the boy believe him. "If you don't want anyone touching you, then I'll make sure they don't. Is _that_ okay?" Tseng added and shot Reno another of his surprisingly warm glances.

Reno's lips spread into a smile but not as quickly as his usual grins were. "I can live with that." He turned his eyes on the road as well and relaxed in the seat, all of a sudden feeling so less confined than just a minute ago.

Then Tseng pulled off the road. "Here we are."

Madelene's store wasn't as flashy as Tseng's salary or status would've suggested, but it had considerable advantages to make up for that. One, the owner was a very nice elderly lady from Wutai, making exceptions for Tseng on the basis of his origin, and second, that for this very reason, he could come and do his daily shopping whenever his job allowed him to. That certainly came in handy when he came home from assignments in the middle of the night in dire need of supplies.

"Would you mind leaving _that_ behind?" He pointed at the bag Reno was gripping tightly. "We don't really need customer troubles right now, do we?"

Reno's eyes shifted to the bag, then back to Tseng, who prepared himself for an argument, but to his great surprise, no objection came, just a slight nod of that conspicuous red head. Reno placed the bag carefully below the seat, then looked at him expectantly.

"I can assure you, that it'll be completely safe in this car," Tseng said just for the sake of saying something, still surprised about the turn of events. Reno nodded again and got out of the car before him, so the Turk decided to follow his example.

The store was a typical supermarket that Reno had had a chance of seeing, but the elderly woman arranging oranges in a nice pyramid wasn't a typical apathetical or even angry store clerk that would only feel the sense of trouble upon eyeing Reno. Quite the contrary, when she saw them, her lips grew into a wide smile and she came to greet them instantly.

Reno observed the way she and Tseng interacted, the handshake, the small curt bow Tseng made and the way she laughed at something he said that Reno couldn't understand. Then, Tseng pointed at him and her eyes grew large.

"Now, aren't _you_ a tiny little thing!" she said and hurried to give him a hug too. Reno could see the way Tseng winced, probably remembering that whole touching discussion they'd had earlier, but Reno didn't pull away. True, he felt uncomfortable, but he couldn't remember any old lady ever harming him, so it didn't feel as bad as with other people.

She turned back at Tseng and said something in that strange language and Tseng burst out laughing.

"Oh, I assure you, he's _not_ my son," he answered, looking at Reno with a smile, then laughed again. Reno felt like disappearing again and he pulled his shoulders up, feeling safer with the coat rim over his nose. "But I do feel like a babysitter," Tseng added through another laugh and the old woman laughed as well. "I need to feed him, for instance."

The lady laughed again and then looked at Reno and started speaking in that strange language again.

"Thank you," Tseng answered, then proceeded towards the shelves and Reno quickly followed.

"What did she say?" he whispered when he decided they were far enough so the woman wouldn't hear them.

Tseng smiled at him. "She said there's not enough food in the store to get you to a decent weight, but I can try."

Tseng walked among the shelves pretty quick, it took a bit of an effort from Reno to keep up with him. The older Turk seemed to know exactly what he was doing, what items he needed, and where he would find them. Reno couldn't help but admire the calculated efficiency that was so alien to him until now, and what seemed to be so much a part of the other as the dark Turk uniform he wore.

The fact that there were so many things to see and examine didn't make following Tseng any easier, but Reno wasn't so stupid as to anger the Turk while they were shopping for his food as well. To his utter surprise, the older man abruptly stopped at the clothes section, causing Reno to almost bump into his back.

Tseng shot him a measuring look. "What size do you wear?" He finally asked casually.

"What?" came the incredulous reply, and that earned an eye roll from Tseng.

"I'm _not_ taking you to my apartment in _those_." The Turk gave him a quick once-over, clearly dissatisfied with what he saw.

Reno felt like disappearing again. He liked his clothes and didn't want changing them, but Tseng was probably right. The pants he was wearing were as old as he and the reason why they were still sticking together sure as hell wasn't the thread or the quality fabric. He looked down at the ragged grey fabric that was jeans a long time ago, but now was more like a collection of holes, and he shrugged.

"I can't afford this, Tseng," he started, voice apologetic. "How will I ever pay you back?"

The way Tseng smiled calmed him. It actually made him melt, those butterflies in his stomach (that for the first time in his life _weren't_ hunger) made him feel strange and… warm.

"We'll think of something, okay?" Tseng said warmly, then turned his eyes towards the typical supermarket clothing section that didn't offer much but offered enough. "Now just get yourself something that preferably doesn't have holes."

Reno smiled hopefully, his eyebrows raising as those eyes, again, blinked sweetly. "Okay," he said and moved to the closest shelf and pulled out the first black thing he could find. He spread the pants towards Tseng and smiled. "There."

"Oh, really?" Tseng arched a perfect eyebrow. "When I said get yourself something, I was implying something you actually _can_ wear. It's at least three sizes bigger than necessary." With a little sigh, he looked away from those bright green eyes and ushered the boy into the dressing cabinet. "Just stay here," he said, and before Reno could've protested, he was already gone.

A few minutes later he returned with a pile of clothes; three pants, several shirts, two coats and whatnot. There was even a beautiful (at least to Reno), white and grey striped scarf that looked so thick and soft that he just couldn't resist touching it. It was nicely warm, too.

He just couldn't believe his senses. When Tseng placed everything on the hook inside and left him alone with a warning that they hadn't had all day, he pinched his arm. Well, it hurt, so hopefully he wasn't about to awaken from a very nice, though quite unrealistic dream after all.

Why was Tseng so good to him? It was not like his first encounter (_real_ encounter, not all those numerous times of him seeing them from the distance and getting the hell away) with the Turks was anything but good. He really hurt that guy and managed to bite at least three others and they all seemed to be friends with Tseng.

Reno wasn't stupid, he knew that he was trouble. It was silly of him to put himself as burden on Tseng, and it was even worse now as the man was obviously trying to help him and Reno was so evil.

He looked at the clothes and just yelled "No peeking!" and couldn't stop himself from smiling when he heard that chuckle from the other side. He quickly shimmied out of his pants and tried everything just to see if it fit. When he was done, though, he got out of the changing booth with everything in his hands, except the scarf, which was just too soft and he refused to part with it.

Tseng just raised his eyebrow at him, and Reno lowered his head as he walked to a small desk by the changing booth and placed the pile of clothes over it.

"Fits?" Tseng asked and Reno nodded, but now he realized he didn't know what to choose from that pile. Everything was so nice and smelled clean and fresh and _new_ that he just couldn't make up his mind.

What surprised him was when Tseng grabbed the entire pile (and shook his head at the mess) and placed _everything_ into the cart, cast Reno a grin and proceeded to the checkout.

The old lady was already waiting for them at the register and she smiled at Tseng and started speaking in that strange language again. She and Tseng continued speaking in that tongue as the lady charged everything. They seemed to be talking about nothing specific, just chatting for the sake of it. Then, Tseng turned towards Reno with the obvious intent of taking the scarf but the lady, seeing reluctance in Reno's eyes just laughed and said something to Tseng.

Tseng shook his head and slightly raised his voice but the lady kept on repeating one word – okurimono. Tseng eventually gave up, sighed, rolled his eyes and thanked her with a very curt bow.

Reno tried to bow too, but that just caused her to chuckle.

The numbers, though, weren't foreign to Reno, and he knew damned well what two hundred and seventy five meant. He felt the tips of his ears burn with shame as Tseng pulled out three one hundred gil bills, something Reno had never seen in this proximity. He felt his mouth water.

"All done," Tseng told him and grabbed the bags. Reno smiled at the lady and then had to run to catch up with Tseng's big steps.

When they got back into the car, Reno promptly took possession of his bag again, but this time, Tseng could see he wasn't clutching it so desperately, even though he still held it tightly to his chest. Maybe after all it finally started to sink into that thick skull that he was actually safe with Tseng, and not about to be played upon.

They sat in silence throughout the short way to Tseng's apartment. The redhead seemed to be deep in thought every time Tseng shot him a side glance, and he was reluctant to break the comfortable silence. After all, it had been a tough day for the both of them. And it wasn't even close to ending, he added as an afterthought.

He still couldn't understand why Veld insisted that he should take the boy in. If one considered just their different personalities, the idea was crazier than a deranged chocobo in moonlight. Yet, Tseng had learnt a long time ago that their boss perhaps wasn't always calculable, but he _always_ had his reasons.

Also, where others suspected second thoughts, there were usually third and fourth ones as well. Sometimes even fifth as far as he could tell.

But right now, he couldn't tell for the life of him how it all worked out in the end.


	2. Chapter 2

**For disclaimer and warnings please see Chapter 1.**

**This chapter: Tseng is shirtless and Reno suffers an identity crisis. Enjoy!**

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Reno was already half asleep when they reached Tseng's building. Somehow, the ride just lulled him into sleep, and the gorgeous smell of that beautiful scarf didn't really help in keeping him awake.

"Here we are," Tseng said warmly and got out of the car. Reno followed with a yawn and, as Tseng realized how tired the boy was, he didn't bother making him carry any of the supplies up the three story staircase to his apartment.

Reno was speechless the entire time, absorbing the beautiful sight before his eyes. Yes, something as simple as an upper plate building hallway was, to Reno, one of the most beautiful places he had seen.

Everything was so _clean_, and quiet, and that couple they met on their way greeted them with a smile instead of suspicious eyes. Reno thought, again, how he must be dreaming, because something this beautiful could not be real.

Then Tseng opened the door of his place and Reno, once again, had to pinch his hand to make sure this wasn't a dream.

He couldn't really see much from the anteroom, but even that was beautiful. The walls were covered with numerous tiny pictures, paintings probably, of the style Reno had never seen (not that he'd actually seen many paintings), and there was one large shelf thing covering an entire wall that, as Reno learned that very moment, was used to hold shoes and coats.

He quickly got rid of those pieces of his clothing and followed Tseng into the living room. He wanted to ask him if he owned this place or just rented it like his parents had, but his jaw dropped the moment he took in his surroundings.

The living room was big. Almost bigger than the flat he used to share with the other kids from the streets, and it was everything the other wasn't. It was light, warm and welcoming. The room had a hardwood floor covered by soft-looking rugs here and there. In the middle there was a small table with two drab sofas and a matching armchair.

There were also shelves with books and a big screen television, but what surprised him the most was the smell. It was nice, a bit unusual, but not unpleasant, but try as he might, he couldn't tell what it was. It seemed to be everywhere, so he couldn't even guess where it came from.

Then, he realized that the small table between the armchairs had at least a dozen candles on it and Reno was certain that the pile of thin long boxes in one of the bookshelves contained incense.

"Wooooow," Reno heard himself say and that made Tseng's lips spread into a smile, but then Tseng disappeared behind one of the doors, together with the bags. Reno kept on absorbing the surrounding, the beautiful warm colours of fire and sunshine, the dark wood, the smell that was just so right for this place, then he gathered himself and hurried after Tseng.

Now, the living room was gorgeous, but the kitchen was also beautiful, decorated in a similar palette of warm colours but lighter. And, again, everything was so _clean_! It was as though this place was used for display and not for people living inside it and yet, Tseng just _fit_ in, like one of those plastic mannequins from the store windows.

"I hope you like sushi," Tseng said as he started pulling out the things from the bags, moving quickly but surely around his kitchen, putting things in the fridge (which was filled with more food than Reno had had privilege seeing at the same spot ever), in the different cupboards (also filled and so neatly arranged), pulling out the appliances from other cupboards (neat, neat, neat!) and just generally knowing his way around the kitchen.

Reno didn't really know what sushi was. He heard about it but he'd never tried it. Fancy food was not a commodity for someone like him. But, in spite of the fact that he didn't have the slightest idea about what he was getting himself into, his stomach growled in response. Reno just smiled shyly, lowering his body into the only barstool in the room (Reno had no idea what a barstool was doing in a place like this, but again, it _fit_). He did see Tseng smiling at him warmly before he started filling a bowl with water and a handful of rice.

"After dinner I'll show you around. I have a guest room you can use freely," he said, halting his movements not for a minute as he started chopping vegetables, most of which Reno failed to recognise. "Of course, with reasonable limits."

"Sorry?" Reno's head shot up. It was a little alarming that he was so relaxed watching the measured movements of the older Turk that he missed what was said to him. But again, Tseng didn't cast him suspicious glances like most of the other Turks did, just went on doing, well, whatever he was doing, seemingly without acknowledging Reno's presence.

Now _that_ didn't happen often.

"You are not supposed to smoke in the room, or anywhere in the building for that matter," Tseng elaborated on the 'limits', and before Reno could've started whining about it, he quickly added. "But you can go out to the balcony any time."

"Is there anything else I should know?" he asked a bit flippantly, but Tseng didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Well, now that you're asking, you'll have to keep your own room clean. We have to share the bathroom, and I expect you not to make a mess. The shoes stay in the anteroom at all times, and other than going to the bathroom, my room is off-limits. Is everything clear?"

Reno just rolled his eyes. "Yes, dad, of course, dad, as you say, dad," Reno answered mockingly and Tseng just shook his head in response, but he didn't say anything else. The time went by and Tseng once again got occupied with preparing raw things Reno had never seen into pretty little things Reno thought he'd feel bad eating because they were, well, pretty. His stomach started growling again just _thinking_ of the food.

That made Tseng look up from his very busy work, smile at Reno, and then hurry to the refrigerator. He took a small ceramic bowl out and handed it over to Reno together with a spoon. "I thought I'd keep the pudding for desert, but I can't listen to you any more," he said and Reno shot him the widest grin he'd ever made as he started devouring the creamy chocolate perfection while Tseng returned to making scrambled eggs, or so it looked like, though that _thing_ was definitely not a pan and the eggs looked too spongy for a simple omelette.

Reno shrugged; he had his pudding and all was well.

"You can go watch the TV," he heard Tseng say eventually, quite preoccupied with cutting something that was probably a vegetable. Well, eating a chocolate pudding and watching TV while waiting for the rest of the food to be prepared wasn't so bad either. He jumped off the barstool with the bowl in his hand and rushed into the living room to find the remote, which was on the edge of the small table filled with candles, right next to… Tseng's cell phone?

Reno thought about it for a moment, thinking he should perhaps take a peek, just to see what was going on, perhaps steal a number or two, but then he glanced towards the kitchen door and decided that being in a warm apartment, sitting on a very soft and very overstuffed armchair (with his legs up, since Tseng didn't say anything about it), eating chocolate pudding and watching the biggest screen he'd seen in his entire life, was not worth of gamble. He grabbed the remote control and turned the TV on.

Though he knew nothing about it, Tseng kept an eye on him the entire time. Only when he saw the kid subtly shift away from the conveniently placed source of temptation did he fully return his attention to his tasks at hand with a small nod of his head.

Maybe the redhead wasn't the brightest person he'd ever met (though Tseng had to admit that the boy didn't lack a good amount of inborn intelligence, that could and should be worked on and developed), but it was good to know that he didn't lack certain moral bindings either.

Though most people considered the Turks to be utterly without morals, Tseng knew for a fact that those who were had a short life-span among them. After all, if you can't trust your partner with your life (as once Veld explained to him), who else was there, really?

These thoughts inevitably lead him to think about his work and his boss' intentions. Even if the kid made it to the first elimination, or perchance further, who could he be successfully partnered with? Letting out a small sigh, he resumed concentrating on putting the plate together and avoided the conclusion he knew was waiting at the end of that train of thought.

Reno really enjoyed this comfy place. He realized that it was, again, lulling him into sleep, but he fought with keeping his eyes open. Nothing good was on the TV, but that was nothing new. Just having active images before his eyes made his mind interested enough.

He left the empty bowl on the nearby table, placed the remote control conveniently on his belly and just… relaxed. Then, he heard Tseng approach and he shook from his half asleep state and quickly pulled the legs off the cushions and gave Tseng an apologetic look.

"Don't worry," Tseng responded and Reno felt relieved. "They're not there for watching," Tseng continued, pointing at the pillows, then placed the tray with strange looking things (sushi, was it?) on the table, pushing the candles to one side. He seated himself onto the small armchair filled with at least half a dozen very squishy pillows that it looked like he was sinking between them to reach the bottom, and then handed one of the two smaller plates in his hand to Reno.

Reno took it and nodded, grateful, then paused, deciding to watch Tseng eat, because he didn't have the slightest idea what to _do_ with that. Then, as the older man just grabbed one of the rolls with his fingers and put it in his mouth, Reno concluded that it couldn't be _that_ hard and decided that he too should just eat.

He had no idea why anyone had the urge to make food look so pretty, but it tasted good, so who cared, right? He was just about to take the third roll into his mouth, when Tseng's cell phone rang. The Turk instantly jumped and grabbed the device, then trailed off into the kitchen before answering it.

Reno shrugged and moved his attention onto the big screen, munching absentmindedly, finally realizing how good these sushi things actually were, being all the size of one bite and easy to hold. The time passed and he didn't even notice, until his fingers reached for another sushi and landed onto an empty plate.

Feeling a bit down because he ate everything, Reno decided he should at least be a good guest and clean up, so he took all three pates and proceeded to the kitchen. He forgot all about Tseng being there because he wanted some privacy, and he opened the door just in time to hear the Turk's voice carrying a _very_ strange tone.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Miss you too..." Then his eyes landed on Reno and narrowed instantly. "Gotta go," he said to the person on the phone and flipped it closed a bit too aggressively.

Reno tried to salvage the situation. "I…" he started, extending his arms to show the plates. "I just wanted… I'm sorry!" He quickly put the plates onto the counter and walked out of the room, his back arched submissively.

Tseng brought his hand to his face letting out a sigh, but instantly lowered it again, quickly collecting himself. He hated to admit it, but Reno, though waltzing mindlessly into the room, just wanted to help him and didn't deserve to feel down because of it.

Out of habit, he still reached for the plates first and quickly washed them, making sure nothing was left out of place before leaving the kitchen. Reno sat on the pillows again, but his lowered head spoke volumes about what had just happened.

"Reno…" Tseng started gently, and smiled a little when he finally looked into surprised blue-green eyes. Well, if the boy was expecting yelling, he wasn't about to get it. "You did nothing wrong, I'm… look, I'm sorry if I offended you."

Damn, he had to apologise more just this day than he normally did in a month, but the hopeful smile he received in return was definitely worth it, he decided.

"Uhm, see Tseng, I really didn't want to disturb you and your lady, I just…" Reno stopped seeing the incomprehension on the beautiful Wutaian face. It confused him even more when, after a split second, Tseng let out a chuckle that turned into a small, refined laugh. "What?" he asked uncomfortably, but the Turk just shook his head, still smiling.

"I guess it's time to show you your room." Tseng decided, and Reno couldn't do anything but follow him, wondering what was so funny in what he had said.

Reno followed after the older man. The door to his room was located right across the room, opposite of where the sofa was. Reno found the strange looking carved wooden mask attached to the door a nice detail. This entire place was simply screaming 'home' in every sense possible, and Reno liked it a lot. He wondered what his room was going to look like. Not that he was going to spend much time there, considering the fact that he was prone to screwing things up over and over again and it was just a matter of time before he was going to do something that would make Tseng show him the door.

The front door, of course.

Tseng opened the door and walked in, then turned the light on and smiled at Reno. "Make yourself at home," he said and Reno's eyes travelled around the room.

It had a nice comfortable bed, a nice simple dresser, a studying desk as well as an armchair. It had very soft looking carpeting, and the wallpaper looked so clean that Reno thought they it was only a few days old. Or, this was a room of a very fussy person who cleaned a lot.

There was only one problem. "PINK?!" Reno yelled, his eyes landing on Tseng, who just shrugged, not following. "My room is fucking _pink_?!"

Tseng blinked and shook his head slightly, confused. "It's a nice rosy colour, what's wrong with that?"

"Tseng!" Reno yelled, behaving like a typical teenager. "The room is _pink_! Pink bed! Pink wallpaper! Pink carpet! Even the _curtains_ are pink!"

Tseng shrugged again. "I don't follow."

Reno rolled his eyes, a bit too theatrically. Well, the room was nice and all and it looked better than anything he'd ever lived in, but that didn't mean that he would take it lightly. "Pink is _gay_, Tseng!"

After hearing the last words, Tseng's lips pursed as he was trying to hide a smile. But he was very unsuccessful with it, and it eventually broke free. He even allowed himself a laugh, then he slapped his forehead and shook his head again. "Oh, Reno…" he just said. "Come, let me show you the balcony."

Reno still looked positively mortified with the idea that he was going to have to live in a pink bedroom but, the moment his eyes landed on the most amazing view he had ever had the privilege of seeing (yes, he had been correct, the people in the upper plate could see the sky nice and clear), his old troubles ended up forgotten.

He just rushed through the enormous glass door before Tseng managed to open it properly, not believing he could actually see the stars. His lips spread into an enormous smile as he jumped to one of the two recliners on the balcony. He did notice an enormous amount of strange looking plants growing in the pots there, but sky was definitely more interesting.

The boy's reaction instantly raised Tseng's mood. He may have been a bastard and a Turk, but that didn't mean that a glow on a child's face didn't touch him. "Perks of living on the last floor," he just said and seated himself slowly onto the second recliner. "Want to see where the bathroom is now or should I give you a moment?"

Reluctantly, Reno peeled his eyes off the sky to look at Tseng. "Okay," he said and jumped up from the comfortable chair to, once again, follow after Tseng.

"Like I said, my room is off limits, unless you need to use the bathroom," Tseng said and waited for Reno to nod.

The door to Tseng's room was located on the opposite wall of Reno's, right next to the sofa and the TV set. By now, Reno had even created a mini layout of the apartment in his head, and the idea overjoyed him. It was not like he ever had an opportunity to do such a thing.

It still didn't stop him from rolling his eyes theatrically when he stepped into Tseng's room. "Green, of course," he said and Tseng simply shrugged. Tseng was a definite colour lover, from what Reno could gather. Each room had its set of colours, the living room with its warm orange and brown shades, the kitchen in pastels and shades of yellow, his room in pink (oh, he was _never_ going to get used to it), and Tseng's was a whole palette of green.

Unlike the living room, the bedroom didn't smell of the fragrances, but was instead fresh and airy, which was no wonder, since one of the windows was open slightly in spite the fact that it was a winter night, and a very cold one.

"We're on a third floor, which means you need to wait a few minutes for the warm water to get through the pipes," Tseng instructed as Reno entered the bathroom (which was, as he guessed, blue). "I'll know if you touched my stuff," he warned, giving Reno a stern look, but the boy just nodded.

Reno wasn't an idiot. He'd done much worse things for a meal or a place to sleep through the cold night, and not smoking in the apartment or entering Tseng's room was a walk in the park when compared to his old life.

Tseng started the water for him. "Not getting into the bed without a shower," he said and left the bathroom. Reno wasn't sure whether he should just take his clothes off right there, but then Tseng returned with a nicely folded pile of clothes in his hands. "Everything you need," he said as he placed it on a small counter by the bathtub. "Here's the towel." He tapped the top of the pile again. "Need anything else?"

Reno looked around, not quite sure. "A toothbrush?" he asked, eventually, shrugging.

Tseng pursed his lips, thinking, then pulled out the drawer of the counter. Reno could see it was a mess of numerous things, shampoo bottles, razors and even a few toothbrushes, all still packaged and new. And he definitely didn't miss that bottle of lube Tseng was obviously trying to hide from view. He didn't react, though, knowing Tseng wouldn't appreciate it.

"There," Tseng said at last and handed Reno a toothbrush still in its package, then he exited the bathroom and closed the door on his way out.

For a few moments Reno's eyes were fixed on the now closed door, then he finally turned and quickly shedding his old clothes, stepped into the shower. The warm water was like a blessing coming down from the heavens, and he let out a small moan of bliss. He turned the tap until the water was scorching his skin.

If dinner was good, then this was fucking _great_ with capital G, and he was all but purring, entirely wrapped up in the feeling. He could've stood there for hours, but as his body was warmed up, he felt himself grow increasingly sleepy, and ended the shower sooner than he originally intended.

As he took the towel Tseng had placed there for him, his eyes fell on the counter. Well, if he saw correctly what he thought he saw, that surely explained a few things…

When he trotted out, Tseng was nowhere to be seen, so he proceeded to his room only to find the Turk there, neatly arranging the pile of clothes they bought together and placing them in the wardrobe. Regretfully, as he watched, Reno could immediately tell that he was clearly unqualified to repeat the result, so he shifted a bit uncomfortably.

Tseng mistook the reaction and closed the wardrobe (he was finished anyway) and turned to face him.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, you must be tired. Have a good night sleep." Slightly bowing his head, the elder Turk started towards the door.

"Umm, you too!" Reno shouted after him, but Tseng didn't even turn as he said thanks and disappeared to the living room. Reno sat down on the edge of the bed, fingers toying with the soft fabric of the bed sheets, then he got up again, and turning the light off, he stood by the huge glass door of the balcony, staring at the stars. He wanted to go to sleep with that heavenly image before his mind's eye.

He was so absorbed in admiring the night sky that he lost track of time. When he finally shook himself out of his reverie with a soft sigh, he decided to finally go to sleep. But right after he lay down, he realised he was actually thirsty.

He quietly sneaked into the dark kitchen, careful not to wake Tseng if he has gone to bed already, and luckily, using his memories on the place he immediately found the glasses, and satisfied with himself, filled one and gulped the water in one go.

Just as he turned to go back to his horrible _pink_ room, the light was switched on, momentarily blinding him and making him groan as his eyes forcefully protested against such abuse.

"You still up?" Tseng asked, and Reno could hear him go to the fridge and pour something. When his eyes finally adjusted to the new illumination, he could see that the young Wutaian was leaning to the counter and leisurely drinking something yellow (probably some juice) from another glass.

But that wasn't what caused Reno's eyes to widen.

Tseng was shirtless.

Reno felt his cheeks blush instantly, and he forced his eyes lower, because, well, Tseng was _pretty_. Not just pretty, he was gorgeous, and Reno didn't want to insult the man by gawking. Of course, lowering the eyes was a mistake, as the Turk was wearing nothing but boxers, meaning Reno could practically see everything. Covered with a thin cloth, but still everything.

And that everything was… gorgeous.

And was that a tattoo on his arm…?

"Umm…" Reno started, fiddling with his fingers just to keep his mind off the things it was definitely going to. "I was thirsty," he said, then quickly rushed to the kitchen door without another word.

Tseng didn't give the boy's action a second thought. Reno had been walking on eggshells since he'd first got into the apartment. He had quite an idea what caused the reaction, but as long as Reno kept it to himself, it was fine by Tseng.

He quickly washed the glass, then went to his bedroom with an intent to find something a bit less… revealing, to sleep in from now on, just in case.


	3. Chapter 3

**For disclaimer and warnings please see Chapter 1.**

**This chapter: Reno makes a move and pancakes are served.  
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**Reno was restless. He was so tired that, at first, he couldn't fall asleep because his entire body was aching. He thought it was the bed, because he'd never slept in something this warm and cosy and big. And, the sheets and pillow smelled like flowers, not really something Reno was used to.

Plus, the view through the window (which just _happened_ to be right in his line of sight) was amazing.

He kept on twisting and turning and finding a good position (and they all seemed to be too good), and every now and then he'd just give up and stare through the window. He supposed that hours passed, but he had no idea, since the only clock he'd seen in the entire apartment was in the living room, and he didn't feel like getting up.

Eventually, by the time he'd given up all hope and decided that existing somewhere between the planes of sleep and wake was enough for his extremely tired body, he slowly dozed off into a rather vivid dream.

The problem with Reno and his dreams was in the fact that they generally just relived some experiences during the day, usually the memorable ones. And Reno's life wasn't filled with happy happy joy joy. Things that he remembered the most were also those things he wanted to forget the most.

And, the entire day so far had been shocking enough that he couldn't even fight one violent image after another that kept on passing through his mind. Eventually, he just shook from sleep, not quite sure if he cried out or not. Suddenly, he found himself in an unfamiliar territory, a room filled with unrecognizable things and smells. He started shaking violently and was certain he was going to cry because he simply _didn't know where he was_.

Slowly, very slowly, his mind started adjusting to the waking world, and some fresh memories entered his head. He remembered this apartment, this _pink_ room (it even produced a faint smile), the sushi, the pudding, the warm shower and… Tseng.

He remembered Tseng, the only other human being in this apartment and, being the scared still half asleep kid that he was (although he refused to admit it even now), he jumped off his bed and rushed silently all through the apartment and into Tseng's room. Luckily, the apartment was filled with windows and Midgar was never a city of darkness, so he could find his way.

The very second his eyes located Tseng's bed, he jumped onto it, took hold of the warm body under the covers and, still shaking, started crying.

He wasn't prepared to what happened next. Tseng was not a Turk for nothing, and as his survival instincts kicked in even though he wasn't even half-awake, he grabbed at the body that was just simply _too close_. His hands worked with bruising force as he took hold of one slim wrist and with the other pushed the "intruder" away.

Reno couldn't hold back a small yelp as he landed face down on the carpet, his left leg trapped uncomfortably under his body and his right hand contorted and forced to his back, causing the joint in his shoulder to nearly pop as Tseng's strong arms pinned him down, making any movement beside hopeless squirming impossible.

Being restrained like this, Reno did the only thing his still bleary mind could think of – he begged. Loudly. He didn't have to persist in it, though, since the moment Tseng realized who the person underneath him was, he let go.

"Reno?!" Tseng shouted in disbelief as the boy pulled away from him and quickly found a corner to hide in. Tseng felt like rolling his eyes or at least cursing whatever deity that had decided to torture him this way, but then he could hear a very faint sound that Reno was trying to hide. He was sniffling.

All his anger subsiding, Tseng got up from the floor and went to turn the light on, so they could have a proper discussion, even though he was _really_ not in the mood right now. But he couldn't help himself, he was weak to children's tears, if they were real. He didn't even know whether Reno was crying or not, but he was definitely intent on finding out.

The moment his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see that Reno had snuck into the corner between the wall and the wardrobe. He couldn't believe anyone could actually _try_ to fit anything there, and yet Reno had managed to squeeze his entire body with the obvious intent to hide.

"You okay there?" Tseng asked as he knelt before the boy. Yes, Reno was definitely crying, that was obvious now, though he was doing his best to hide his face and wipe his tears off. Tseng knew he wouldn't be able to give Reno a lecture about behaving like that, not in his current condition. "Want me to bring you a pillow or something?" he teased and felt his own lips spread into a smile as Reno produced a very faint chuckle.

Tseng extended his hand and squeezed Reno's remarkably bony knee. "Come. I haven't vacuumed back there in weeks, don't want to get you all dirty again." The joke produced another chuckle, a bit more obvious this time, and the big blue-green eyes looked up, still shining with tears.

"I'm sorry," Reno managed to say, his voice weak. He tried to pull himself even deeper into the hole, but he was stuck and was definitely not going anywhere.

"I'll forgive you if you come out right away and tell me what's bothering you," Tseng said with a smile and, since Reno didn't know what else to do, he obeyed. He took hold of Tseng's hand and allowed the Turk to help him wiggle his way out of that place and, the moment he was standing, Reno's back bowed, showing defeat.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to…" he started, but Tseng shook his head as he seated himself onto his bed.

"What happened?" the Turk started. "Didn't I tell you that my room is off limits?"

Tseng instantly regretted those words as Reno's eyes showed fear. He _really_ didn't want this kid to think of him as an abuser in any form or way, and yet he was managing it and it hurt. So much for being a heartless Turk, he thought.

Reno, on the other hand, wasn't interested in telling the truth right now. The way he saw it, admitting that he'd had a nightmare that scared him so much that all he wanted was a hug was just out of the question. While that may be the truth, it was sure as hell embarrassing enough for him not to admit it.

Instead, he did the best thing that he could come up with (which just happened be the only thing that had come to his mind), spread his lips into a forced smile and seated himself next to Tseng.

"I was thinking," he started, purring. "It seemed unfair that you did all these things for me without me paying you back," he continued, then slowly approached the older man, placing his fingers onto his thigh gently and let them slide down, between Tseng's legs.

The look of utter horror on the Turk's face would've made him fall on the floor in a laughing fit if they were in any other situation than this, but as things were at the moment, Reno swallowed hard instead.

His brain screamed at him to move his hand away, but his other vital organs seemed to take control. He could feel warm, taut muscles under his stroking fingers, flexing at the sudden touch, and it felt… Well, good was not even _close_.

The butterflies in his stomach started a dance any dervish could've envied and his body was suddenly so warm, so curious…

His wrist was once again cruelly grabbed and pushed away with such force his shoulders turned with the momentum.

"Reno, what are you _doing_?"

Reno's jaw dropped, he stared at Tseng with his mouth agape. He wasn't sure whether what he felt was horror or anger or sorrow or even shame. All he wanted to do was make Tseng feel good, to thank him for the hospitality, and nothing he did was received well.

To protect himself more than anything else, Reno forced the nonchalant mask onto his face, smiled and looked Tseng from under his eyelashes. "Well, I thought…" he started, spreading his legs a bit, inviting. "You know…" He never did have to go on after that. Generally, people would understand what he was saying, and that was where he'd simply stop being active and let the other person do whatever they wanted, as long as he got what he wanted in the end.

It worked a bit differently this time, Tseng had given him a place to stay and had also fed him well, and it was only appropriate that Reno returned the favour, of course.

Tseng just stared at him blankly and Reno couldn't tell whether it was a mask or the Turk honestly didn't have a clue. Not wasting another moment, Reno slowly extended his hand until his fingers cupped Tseng's jaw, and he tried to kiss the man.

But his lips could barely brush warm skin before he was once again pushed away, the small touch still setting his nerves on fire like they never had been before. However, this time, Tseng's hands stayed gripping his shoulders, holding him firmly in place and looking at him with the expressiveness of a stone statue.

"Reno." The voice instantly caused the boy to stop trying to escape the man's hold and push himself closer. It was calm, but carried a hint of warning that didn't go unnoticed. So Reno looked up into those beautifully dark eyes now unreadable like the titles of the books he saw in the living room earlier.

"Reno." Tseng started again slowly, as though speaking to someone mentally retarded. "I will overlook this, this time, because you are obviously upset and confused, but I will _not_ tolerate any of that in the future. Do you understand?"

"But…" Reno started, lowering his eyes instantly. He felt his cheeks and the tips of his ears burn and he knew they were both redder than his hair. He felt so ashamed. No one had ever refused him. Hell, most of the times, he was having a hard time keeping them off, always having to fight his way to the best, that were able to protect him if he'd stumped on a wrong foot which, in all honesty, had been quite often.

"I saw that bottle in the bathroom and I…" Meekly, he let his eyes slide up as he heard Tseng produce a rather interesting chuckle. Then, Tseng loosened the grip and Reno could finally back away, if even just slightly. He didn't like any of this. He just _knew_ he was going to screw something up. He just _knew_ it.

"Let's get one thing clear, shall we?" Tseng said after the boy calmed down a bit, his cheeks at least not being redder than the hair, even though they were still quite flushed. "A bottle of lubricant does not mean that I like men. With the same logic, liking men does not warrant having a personal lubricant," he said, then realized how much he sounded as though he was lecturing, and he laughed in spite himself.

Reno nodded, again wanting nothing else but to disappear, hoping that this was just a dream and he was going to wake up tomorrow morning in some random bed or an abandoned house and laugh at it with someone. Then again, he really didn't want the warmth to end and, suddenly feeling something he couldn't even comprehend, he slid his hands around Tseng and squeezed him into a tight embrace.

Somehow, he hoped, even if he did wake up in the morning with all of this just being a dream, he'd at least have a memory of that one person that was good to him in his entire life.

Tseng's body tensed in his arms, then it slowly relaxed into the embrace with a barely audible sigh. He even put his arms around Reno for a moment, gently squeezing before pulling back, and it made the boy feel like he had been handed a wondrous present.

"Well, I hope you _do_ realise that it is three am and we should be leaving for work at seven." He gave Reno a tired half-smile. "What about just going back to bed and pretending this never happened?"

Reno felt immense relief hearing the words, but also a bit disappointed, knowing that the Turk didn't mean them to go back to bed _together_. But the option was as good as it got, so there was no way he was complaining about it.

He raised his head to look into those obsidian eyes again, and spoke the words he rarely told anybody from the depth of his heart.

"Thank you."

Tseng just shook his head a little, eyes softening as he silently nodded towards the other bedroom. Reno took the hint and with a last backward glance disappeared into the darkness of the living room.

---

Reno didn't know what time it was when he heard the noise in the living room. He opened his eyes and saw that it was light outside and, he supposed, it was around seven, or even earlier. He closed his eyes the moment he'd made that observation, then yawned and stretched.

He hated the idea of leaving this wondrously warm bed, but then he heard the footsteps in the living room, accompanied by the clatter of porcelain or glass, Reno didn't really care. All he knew was that it sounded like food and that was fine by him.

He pulled himself out of the bed, realizing that he felt surprisingly… rested. He knew he couldn't have slept for more than three or four hours, but somehow, it seemed enough. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept this well and, while it was something worth pondering, a scent reached him, and… _Ooooh_, it smelled like pancakes!

With a smile on his face, Reno opened the door. The first thing he saw was Tseng, still not dressed in his suit, but sadly not only in his boxers any more. He was sitting on the sofa, legs up on the pillows, a cup in his hand. His eyes were on the TV, but it was turned off.

"Morning," Reno said, smiled, then proceeded towards the sofa opposite of Tseng, his mouth watering at the gorgeous scene of a plate filled with about half a dozen pancakes swimming in chocolate syrup. Next to the plate was a cup similar to the one Tseng was holding, and it was filled with _cocoa_. Reno was officially in heaven. He didn't even wait for Tseng to tell him anything, and he was already munching, smile spread from one ear to the other.

Slowly craning his neck, Tseng looked at him and smiled, dreamily even. "By all means," he whispered, then took a sip of the liquid in his cup, and continued staring straight ahead.

Reno glanced at the clock and noticed he still had good twenty minutes to get ready before they had to leave, at seven am, as Tseng had said.

"Reno?" Tseng asked eventually, just after the boy had emptied his plate and Reno looked at him, waiting. "What did you do?" Reno's eyes opened wide at the obvious accusation. He opened his mouth to defend himself, say something, but then Tseng chuckled and shook his head. "I meant, that you ended up with the Turks."

Relieved, Reno sighed, then sunk into his seat. He smiled. "You were in my territory, I was working."

Tseng's eyebrow got up. "I suppose I do not want to know what 'working' means?"

Reno grinned. "I _suppose_ you don't." He stretched and yawned again, feeling a bellyful of pancakes more than reason enough to go back to bed. "Well, I was working and this bald guy comes and tells me to beat it."

Tseng laughed. "_Rude_?"

Reno shrugged. "Hell if I know his name. Bald guy, lots of earrings, big," he said and paused as Tseng laughed again (while he was at it, he decided that Tseng's laughter was gorgeous and there was absolutely no one who could look better than this man).

"So, what did you do?" Tseng asked.

"I kicked him in the nuts and he fainted," Reno answered and then stopped as Tseng almost choked on his drink and started coughing abruptly. "I suppose he didn't expect that one," he added, feeling proud all of a sudden.

Tseng nodded, unable to stop chuckling even though it was obvious he tried. "I assure you, he didn't."

"Are you two friends?" Reno asked, suddenly dropping his grin and looking a bit embarrassed. After all, they were talking about a fellow Turk there, and it just dawned on him that probably it was not the best of ideas to make fun of the guy.

But there was no reprimand in Tseng's eyes as the man looked at him, even though they turned serious and a bit aged. "I suppose, in a few years' time, if you last, you'll understand what I'm about to say. There are no friends in Turks. There are comrades and brothers, and what is in between does not exist or does not matter."

Silence filled the room, thick, Reno could feel the weight of the words in the air, but then Tseng looked back at him, smiled, and the moment shattered like a window busted with a rock, and Reno found himself smiling back.

"Well, I guess I should give you an unofficial briefing on today, just to make sure you don't mess up anything." Tseng took a sip of his own drink, licked his lips (causing Reno to blink), then went on. "When we arrive, I'll drop you at Training and go to my office. Please, try to behave, will you? When the shift is over, I shall pick you up. Is that all right?"

Reno nodded, a bit too vigorously. He doubted Training could be that hard and he made a promise to himself that he would behave. After Tseng being this kind to him even after he'd managed to get himself into one screw-up after another, he decided that he would do everything he could not to embarrass Tseng in any way.

"Now go get dressed, we leave in five minutes," Tseng said glancing at the clock, then got up himself, picked up the dishes and disappeared into the kitchen. Reno hurried back into his own room, pulling out the first thing he could find. He was done and ready in less than two minutes, and hurried out into the living room.

Since Tseng still wasn't ready, he seated himself onto the sofa and waited. As he quieted down, he could hear Tseng speak from the bedroom, and his voice was surprisingly soft. Not the soft he'd managed to pull a few times in the past night as Reno had had his fits, but something much deeper.

Reno couldn't help himself. He stilled and listened. He thought about sneaking up to the door, but he supposed, that way Tseng might actually catch him, and he really didn't feel like angering that man _again_. Besides, he could hear most of the words clearly.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Tseng said and chuckled. "Of course," he continued then there was a long pause, the person on the other line probably speaking. "No, well, not really." Tseng chuckled again. "Alright, we'll talk… of course… We're just on our way. See you then?" Tseng chuckled again. "Yes, me too, sure."

And that was it. He didn't say another word, but he continued moving around the room for a few more minutes, then he walked out. He was a bit surprised to see Reno sitting there already, but he hid that expression well.

"You ready?" Tseng asked and Reno nodded. Without saying another word, the Turk moved across the apartment and into the anteroom, and the two of them were out of the apartment.

Reno was exceptionally quiet. Partially because he was excited about his first day and partially because he couldn't stop thinking about who that woman was that Tseng was talking to. Was he really having an affair with someone from work?

Well, everything was possible, Reno thought. He only hoped she wasn't one of the two chicks that managed to restrain him after he got that big guy unconscious. He wasn't really nice to them. Hell, he was _awful_ to them and if Tseng found out the stuff he'd said to them while on the ride to the Tower, Reno would be a dead man.

The ride was uneventful, not counting the fact that Tseng decided to further enlighten him on the rules and expectations he was supposed to incorporate into his life from now on. And somehow (though Reno had no clue about how _exactly_), Tseng managed to make it sound much less awful than it actually was.

Fortunately, the Tower wasn't far, and when they arrived Tseng stopped lecturing him on his duties, and fell silent. It wasn't like Reno disliked the warm, deep voice of the other Turk, but the things said were challenging his attention span quite a bit.

Of course Reno had heard many tales and rumours about the ShinRa Tower, but he never imagined he'd actually set foot in the building. Up until yesterday, of course. Now that he was there again, he couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming. Though the building was designed to be practical rather than nice, it still seemed quite pleasant to him.

Everything was perfectly organised, the flow of people on the corridors carrying documents and speaking animatedly into mobile phones appeared to be endless, and Reno was thrilled to spot a few SOLDIERs amongst the crowd that flooded the lobby.

He followed Tseng to the elevators and watched with amusement as the office clerks gave way to the man in the navy suit. Also, quite a few of them stepped inside the elevator they chose to use, and Reno liked that fact.

Somewhere along the thirtieth floor a slim, elegant woman got in, and he could instantly tell from the suit that she was a Turk too, fortunately not one of his previous "acquaintances".

"Caddie." Tseng nodded at her with a faint smile, and her face lit up instantly.

"Tseng, you fiend! Where were you on Monday? I missed our exercise." She gave him a wink. "I made a bet with Ethan that next time I'll give you a hard time."

"Is that a threat or an invitation?" Tseng chuckled, while Reno stared at them as if they had just grown a second head. Just what was going on here? Tseng was _flirting_? Then could this woman be his lover? Well, he had to admit that she was certainly pretty with her long brown hair and dark green eyes, but that didn't mean he disliked her any less.

"Oh, and you must be the ill-tempered little brat who gave us such a good run for our money." She turned to him smiling widely and extending a hand. Well, she certainly was audacious, but with Tseng watching, Reno decided to act civilised for a change, and he accepted it.

"Hi, name is Reno."

"Well, nice to meet you, Reno. I'm Cadence, but just call me Caddie, okay?" Her handshake was firm and her hand warm, then she stepped out and waved at them before the doors closed again. "See you later, guys!"

Well, Reno certainly wasn't looking forward to _that_.

They exited the elevator on the fifty eighth floor and started down a corridor, when they ran into none other than Veld himself, commanding and dignified as ever, and Reno shifted just a hair closer to Tseng, the memories of the previous day still quite vivid in his mind.

He hoped the man would just pass them by, but their leader and his second-in-command came to a halt next to each other at the same time, and Tseng politely bowed in greeting.

"My office. Now."

"But, sir... the new kid..." Tseng started, but he was cut off by the same authoritative voice.

"Leave him in front of my office. In, now."

"Yes, sir." Tseng nodded and shot a glance at Reno. "Stay here. I'll come back for you." But Reno could easily pick up on the true meaning of the words – 'Don't make any trouble.' He grinned slightly to show he understood, and watched Tseng's back as he disappeared behind the nearest standard office door, suddenly feeling very exposed and alone in the enormous building full of people.


	4. Chapter 4

**For disclaimer and warnings please see Chapter 1.**

**This chapter: Reno gets lost and Tseng becomes a parent.  
**

* * *

Tseng walked through the main door of his boss' office.

"How is he?" Veld asked as he seated himself in his chair. He didn't bother waiting out of courtesy for Tseng any more; the two men had better things to do than waste time on meaningless social customs.

Tseng quietly closed the door behind him, then his shoulders drooped and he definitely showed his true face. He placed the palm of his right hand to his face and shook his head.

Such an abrupt expression of emotion made Veld nervous enough to jump up from his chair and walk to his second in command. "Tseng?" he demanded, his voice surprisingly soft, as his hand travelled to the man's shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, then sighed and placed it there, squeezing Tseng's muscle.

The touch instantly froze Tseng, brought him out of his emotional state. He gulped, then backed a step away. "Forgive me, sir," he said, then nodded in apology.

Veld just smiled. "Don't worry, it's safe."

Tseng blinked, his eyes subconsciously travelling around the room, as though he'd be able to see the bugs and cameras that might be planted there. Well, if Veld said it was secure, then it was secure.

Tseng sighed, pressing his lips into Veld's. He needed this. Gods, he needed this so much, the feel of Veld's skin on his own, his scent, that tussled hair under his fingers. He needed it all, the strong, reassuring embrace even though he didn't ask for it, the faint chuckle, the way Veld let him have this one minute of peace, at last.

Tseng reached for him, hands pulling, lips warm, eyes wanting, but Veld fought out of the embrace, that hungry smile even hungrier, but the eyes sorry.

"Not now," he whispered, breath heavy, but he broke his own order as he crashed their lips together, Tseng more than willing to participate in it. Then he _really_ pulled away, stepped back and straightened his suit, arranged his tie.

Veld was right, as much as both of them wanted it, showing affection this openly in Veld's office about half an hour after the shift started was not an option. They were pushing their luck as it was, just by doing something like this when Veld's secretary was at the other side of the door and the floor was filled with people.

Besides, some moron might have decided that knocking was a waste of time and, even though Veld had been adamant in reprimanding and punishing those idiots properly, a slip like that could easily be the end of their careers.

Tseng sighed again, having to redo his ponytail, but, of all the things, that was really the least of his concern.

"Is it a wrong time for me to ask you to elaborate?" Veld asked and Tseng's brain needed a few moments to connect the dots. In the meantime, he seated himself in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk from Veld's big and cosy leather one, the one Veld proceeded to.

"He's been through a lot, sir," Tseng answered, that tiny word, one syllable, at the end pointing that he, too, agreed that it was over, they were back to business.

"Oh?" Veld asked, eyebrows raised. He placed his elbows to the desk surface and interlaced the fingers of his hands, looking interested.

"I dare not even think about it," Tseng continued, his eyes finally looking up. "It's been a hell of a night, Veld." His voice was almost pleading. Well, Veld knew that it was as close to pleading as Tseng got.

"If you want me, I can relieve you of…"

Tseng adamantly shook his head, cutting his boss off. "No, please, don't do that, I…" he tried, but he didn't really know what to say. Almost involuntarily, he extended his hand over the desk, taking a deep breath the moment Veld accepted the advance. It was a small thing but it meant so much to Tseng. He hated himself for falling for his boss, but that was in the past now. Both of them made an effort to make it work, and this was where they were, taking their roles but still holding hands for at least two seconds.

"What _do_ you want?" Veld asked as he pulled his hand away.

"I want to help him, s… I want to help him… Veld. Please…"

After a short pause in which Veld's eyes kept locked with the desk surface, the Turk leader was quiet. Then he nodded quickly and locked his eyes with his lover and second in command again. It was a very rare gesture, where the man allowed the other to see the true age behind those eyes. "Very well," he said, then a slightly uncomfortable smile appeared on his lips. "I suppose you know that means no more late night visits to your place."

A small blush crept to Tseng's cheeks and he chuckled uncomfortably. "Thank you," he mimicked with his lips as he could find no power to actually say the words.

It felt so good seeing Veld nod and smile at him again.

---

Reno felt so alone all of a sudden. The corridor was filled with people, both in blue suits and not. They were all going somewhere, some slower, some faster, but all of them with determined goals. No one paid much attention to the thin short kid in the corner. Here and there, someone would smile at him, but they didn't even see him.

Not wanting to be on the way, he pulled back, towards the wall, and squeezed in the corner between a wall and a very tall wooden filing cabinet. At least, no one was tripping on him that way.

Then he heard a sound of something falling from the door right next to him. He decided to ignore it, but then there was another sound, this time of a person running. Then a sound of frustration made either by a woman or a child.

Reno thought he should ignore it. He _really_ did. But, the curiosity got the best of him. He looked around him quickly to make sure no one's eyes were on him, then slipped through the door and into the office.

At first, he didn't see anything, then his eyes spotted someone's ass peaking from behind the sofa.

"Umm… hello?" Reno tried, looking towards the person behind the sofa meekly. He expected to see some lady working here with her high heel broken or something, and not a kid trying to pull something from behind a sofa.

The person froze, or at least their ass did, then a very flushed and thin face with a crown of orangey blond hair perked up. "Who are you?" the kid demanded. Reno noticed he was quite tall, when compared to him, but looked very slim.

Reno smiled and waved his hand. "Reno's the name, you?"

The boy (Reno was now certain, at least by the outfit) moved a few steps away from the sofa, straightened his ebony suit and flicked the long hair out of his eyes. "You don't know me?" he asked.

Reno shrugged. "Well, this is my first day here, so…" He shrugged again. "Are you training to be a Turk to?" he added with a smile.

The boy gave him a look of utter confusion, shock even. He waited for a moment, probably expecting for Reno to say something, but as he didn't, the boy smiled. "You… You've come to train as a Turk?" he asked.

Reno nodded. "My first day here," he said meekly. "So, I'm sorry if I insulted you. I'm just… I don't know anyone."

The blond boy looked towards the sofa again, then back at Reno. "Help me out a bit?"

"Sure," Reno answered with a smile.

"Need to move this," the boy said and started pulling the sofa from one end. Reno hurried to the other and they managed to move the heavy leather furniture.

"So, what's your name?" Reno asked as the boy fell to his knees and started searching for something under the sofa with his hand.

"Rufus," the boy said, then his lips spread into a smile as he obviously found what he wanted. He quickly jumped up with, Reno noticed, a figurine of some sorts. They pushed the sofa back to where it was and Rufus went, with a smile, towards the shelves on the other side of the room, where a chess board was placed. He put the figurine on one of the squares and sighed, then looked at Reno again. He extended his hand and Reno shook it. "Nice to meet you, Reno of the Turks."

Reno smiled and blushed. He liked that title. He actually liked it a lot.

"So, what are you doing here… Rufus?" he asked.

Rufus proceeded back to the sofa and seated himself there. Reno followed and, meekly again, seated himself to the opposite corner, looking at the exceptionally well dressed boy at the other side.

"Waiting for father," Rufus answered. "Again." He sighed.

Reno turned his head towards him. "Your father works here?" he asked and Rufus chuckled.

"In a way… he's the boss," Rufus answered, his words almost a whisper, as though he felt ashamed of it.

Reno visibly shuddered and Rufus saw it. He looked at the redhead with his eyebrows up, not understanding the reaction.

"You're Veld's kid?" Reno asked, the pain again far too vivid for his liking.

Rufus chuckled again. "No," he answered and pulled his legs up on the sofa. He was really thin, Reno noticed. That suit, even though it looked expensive enough that it was probably tailored for him specifically, managed to hide it, but with his legs up like this, Reno could finally see how it was actually the suit that gave the boy his volume. He was even thinner than Reno, and that was just plain weird.

"So, some other hotshot?" Reno answered, smiling again.

Rufus nodded. "Yes… some other… hotshot. So…" he added, forced smile on his lips.

"So…" Reno mimicked, real smile on his lips.

"Know how to play chess?" Rufus asked, nodding to the board at the other side of the room.

Reno sunk into the sofa. "No," he admitted.

"Want me to teach you?" Rufus asked and Reno smiled all over again.

"Sure!"

---

"And you still want to take care of him?" Veld finally asked. "If you say yes, he will be your responsibility until he passes training."

"I understand, sir," came the response after a second of indecision. "And I accept that obligation. He is still a kid, who has suffered a lot, and it is guidance he needs. Just like…" Tseng abruptly fell silent, but Veld finished the sentence for him, reaching out and giving a gentle squeeze to the other's hand still resting lightly on the table, reluctant to pull away.

"Just like you did." Smiling, he continued. "I remember when you first came here, a fugitive, dressed in rags but proud like the devil himself. You told me you could bring down any of my men, and Jero made fun of you."

A small smile crept to Tseng's face. "I broke his nose with his own hand." He nodded, and heard Veld chuckle. For a moment their gaze met, then Tseng slowly pulled his hand away and stood up. "I have to go." The words were barely a sigh.

"Will you come over tonight?"

"Maybe." He leaned in, lips brushing lips ever so slightly in sweet agony as they couldn't afford more at the moment.

---

"You can't move the king like that!" Rufus said, voice close to yelling. He was, to put it lightly, annoyed.

Reno grinned. "And why not?"

"Because it's against the rules!"

"And?" Reno shrugged. "Unless I'm caught, it's not cheating."

"You _were_ caught," Rufus continued, a slight tint of boredom in his voice. "And you _will_ be caught every time you try and do this."

Reno's entire body screamed of a dare. Reno, get caught? Every time? That was just not happening. "Try me," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Rufus sighed and created one of those sounds that a parent did when their child did something stupid. "I can play chess with a blindfold, Reno. I assure you, we can try this over and over again, but that would just bore me to death." He added a small eye roll with those words. Rufus simply looked too old for his years and that confused Reno.

He doubted the boy was much older than him, but at moments he looked as though he was at least sixty. It was _very_ hard to swallow those changes, but since Reno knew the boy for about fifteen minutes, he decided not to make any conclusions yet. But there was _something_ in the kid that scared the shit out of Reno, and he just couldn't pinpoint it. Everything else was nice and comfortable and even likeable (even after such a short time), but something was hidden there, something very strange.

Reno was quite aware of the fact that he wasn't the brightest cookie in the jar, nor did he fall into the upper half, but his existence sometimes depended on him being able to read and judge people around him, and it was a skill he'd mastered quite well, and that skill was screaming at him to turn and run away as fast as he could, but since he'd decided to turn the other page and start his life anew, plus he was bored and this kid did nothing that could be deemed bad so far, Reno decided to push the feeling away and play this damned game that had more restrictions than a corset.

Then he heard someone grabbing the handle of the door and he jumped up, not quite sure whether he should be afraid because he _was_ invading someone's office. The door opened and two men stepped in, one was Tseng and the other was… oooooh, hell, Reno felt like disappearing when he saw that bald head.

"I want him located and I want it done," Tseng said, looking at the man, then his head turned and landed on the two boys, and his eyes almost popped out.

"Reno? Did I not tell you to wait outside? What are you doing _in here_?"

Reno felt like sinking below the carpeted floor. Anything, absolutely _anything_ was better than listening to Tseng giving him a lecture, _again_. To make things even better, in front of others…

But it ended as quickly as it had begun. Tseng paused, gathered himself and turned to his bald companion, voice as cold and smooth as ever.

"Rude, please, stay with Rufus. I'm taking Reno to Training." The redhead fought the urge to gulp. The look Tseng shot him was anything but warm, and Reno suspected that once they were out, he was about to get the scolding of his life, and the possibility wasn't really uplifting.

"Sir, please forgive him, he's…" Tseng started, but Rufus just shook his head.

"No problem, Tseng. He was… interesting company," he said with a slight smile, then his eyes moved onto Reno. "Pleased to meet you, Reno of the Turks."

Tseng bowed politely before exiting the door and Reno wasn't quite sure whether he should do such a thing or not. Well, then again, he wasn't sure whether he'd be _able_ to do such a thing. Instead, he just smiled and did a quick wave with his hand. He did spot Tseng giving him one of _those_ looks (the ones, he had a strange feeling, he'd learn to loathe quite soon), but he didn't comment.

Once the door was closed behind them, the look that Tseng shot him was close to stopping Reno's heart.

"Are you _insane_?!" he whispered to make sure no one would hear him, but the tone was quite readable. Reno felt like disappearing, again. He pulled his shoulders up, hoping the coat would cover his head, but then he remembered he left the coat back in the office. He didn't dare mention anything about it, though. "First of all, you _do_ as I say when we're in this building. Second," Tseng paused, baring his teeth and Reno was certain his head was going to get bitten. "You _don't_ wander into other people's offices, is this understood?" Tseng waited a moment until Reno nodded meekly. "And _third_," he accentuated every letter. "You _don't even think about talking to Rufus ShinRa, no matter what_!"

Reno's legs almost betrayed him once he connected the dots, which didn't take long no matter how stupid he thought he was. "That…" he started, pointing to the door behind him. "That's… that kid…?" he tried, but words failed him.

Tseng's eyebrows shot up and he even stopped walking. "Don't tell me you didn't know." The gaze directed towards Reno became even deadlier, though Reno thought that had been impossible two seconds ago.

Reno shook his head slightly. "How the hell should I know?!" he said a bit too loudly and noticed a few eyes turned towards them, but once they saw the look on Tseng's face, they at least tried not to be obvious.

The gaze became as deadly as anything Reno had ever seen and he was certain Tseng was going to kill him. Then, the Turk closed his eyes, took one deep, calming breath, and became unreadable. "Follow me," he ordered, voice blank and Reno couldn't do anything else but obey, too terrified to even want to think about what would happen if he didn't. "You are going to Training now, and you will do exactly what they tell you _when_ they tell you and _how_ they tell you, is that understood?" Tseng turned around, eyes two thin lines, waiting for Reno to nod. "And I'll try to salvage what is salvageable in this situation." Reno nodded again, a bit more vigorously, then hurried after Tseng whose pace doubled after they passed the strange looking mechanical door that obviously lead them to Training.

It was a huge room with several more doors, but at the moment all of them were closed. Inside were all the new Turk trainees (five-six young men and women, all of them older than Reno) and a tall, well-built man with short ashen blonde hair. He abruptly fell silent the moment he noticed his superior and the redheaded kid trailing behind him, his shoulders became stiff and his hands came to rest at his sides.

"Sir." He nodded to Tseng when the man stopped before him, and the young Wutaian politely returned the gesture, as if he wasn't boiling with anger just a few seconds ago.

"Ethan. Meet your new trainee, Reno."

The man's pale green eyes wandered to him, and Reno could tell without much difficulty, that this Turk wasn't to be fucked with, but compared to the look he just received from Tseng, this one seemed to be a lovely spring morning, so instead of trying to sink through the floor, he just grinned back.

"I'll take care of him, sir," came the calm reply, and Tseng nodded again, then turned on his heels and strolled out, leaving Reno in the lions' den without a backward glance.

---

Tseng hurried into his office knowing Veld would be after him by the end of the day if he didn't finish the report _Caddie_ was supposed to hand over, but she oh so sweetly begged him to do it.

Okay, it wasn't like Tseng was willingly taking another Turk's work, but Caddie had saved his ass in front of Veld several times so it was only logical he would help her around with something like this. Of course, he had said yes before she had told him what the report was about and, considering the infrastructure losses that woman was capable of administering single-handedly, he knew that an eight hour shift would not be enough to merely think of the ways to justify all that gil.

And he doubted Veld wouldn't manage to drown him in useless work just to show him who the boss was. Veld had a thing for making sure no one would even suspect what was going on between the two, and that thing generally meant torturing his second in command every waking minute of their shift, making Tseng's job less and less appealing to any one of his subordinates.

He opened the door and stepped in, and the moment he saw who was waiting for him there, he had a distinct feeling nothing would be finished today.

"Who was that boy?" Rufus asked, sitting in Tseng's chair, looking as royal and cold for a thirteen years old tiny, short, and skinny kid as only Rufus ShinRa could.

Tseng cleared his throat. "A new trainee, sir. Don't worry, he won't be bothering you any more." Rufus elbowed his body on the desk and entwined his fingers. "I'll specifically make sure of that," Tseng added quickly.

The small smile crept onto Rufus' lips. "That will not be necessary, Tseng," he said and pushed up from the chair that was quite too high for his short legs. Then, he stood and moved around the desk and seated himself onto the sofa. "I _would_ like to have a look into his schedule, if that is alright. Until father decides that I'm a nice ornament he should be carrying around, that is," Rufus added, a tint of hopefulness in his eyes and Tseng just _knew_ there was no way he could say no to that boy.

He may have been his boss' son, the boss being the sadistic manipulator that was willing to sacrifice anything and everything to reach his goal, but Rufus was quite different than the man. His son was nothing more than an ornament, a way of showing that he, indeed, did have a heart and, like most of the humanity, the desire to give and nurture.

Of course, the only one giving and nurturing to Rufus was his nanny and the boy was reminded daily what his role in the life was.

On good days, he had developed a rather interesting mechanism of self-defence, and he was probably not even aware of it. His entire body language, choice of words and behaviour made people scared shitless of the boy. Sadly, those people hadn't seen him on the worse days, when he would even lose the ability to speak and it would make Tseng's heart break, but he knew he wasn't supposed to show it.

Tseng was willing to follow the President, obey his orders and excel at work (mostly because he owed Veld that), but he wasn't willing to take a bullet for him after he'd seen the way a young life could be destroyed by someone who was supposed to care for it.

Rufus was generally completely uninterested in anyone, since he was too busy having to act as a sort of a decoration for his father, as well as excel in his education for the same reason. The very fact that he showed some interest in Reno, even though Tseng couldn't know the reason for it, was enough to induce a headache.

Yes, he wasn't going to get anything done today, he just knew that.


	5. Chapter 5

**For disclaimer and warnings please see Chapter 1.**

**This chapter: Reno loses some and Tseng gets some. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Tseng checked the kitchen for the last time, making sure everything he wanted was done and the place in perfect order. Then he double checked everything. Obviously, some work habits were hard to kill.

There was tea, this time both green and black, just because Reno loathed green tea. Tseng just raised an eyebrow at that, but he had to admit, that adding another pot to his daily schedule didn't really matter, so he decided not to bitch about it.

There was also vegetable soup, chicken with curry, fried fish, boiled rice, soy sauce, and vanilla ice-cream, neatly arranged in separate little containers in the fridge, enough to feed four people for two days, but Tseng knew what a teenager was capable of when it came to food, especially if said teenager was from the Midgar slums.

He looked at his watch, satisfied. He had arrived home at six with Reno. The whole cooking and cleaning hadn't taken longer than an hour, and now he was free to go. Well of course, the cleaning hadn't been as thorough as usual, but he could make peace with that this time.

He nodded and went to the living room, where Reno was sitting comfortably among the pillows, wrapped in a white bathrobe watching TV and munching on peanuts.

"Okay, do you mind telling me _where's_ the fire?" Reno asked through a mouthful of nuts, glancing only for half a second towards Tseng, then returning his eyes onto the screen.

Not stopping his tornado-like movements through the living room, checking everything, Tseng just chuckled and disappeared into his bedroom. Reno knew better than to follow. About two minutes later, he exited it as quickly as he entered, carrying a simple square bag, a suitcase of sorts, usually used by sportsmen for extra uniform and a few towels.

"I'll be back on Sunday, which means you're on your own for two nights," Tseng started, voice serious. "I suggest you behave, don't break anything, don't kill anyone and… do your homework." Tseng couldn't help the slight tint of amusement that escaped with his voice.

Was he actually turning into mother hen? He sure as hell sounded like it.

"And don't burn anything," he added in spite himself. "And if I even _think_ about you digging through my stuff, I'll throw you out through the balcony. Is that understood?"

Reno shifted his eyes as well as his body on the pillows, then smiled, took a handful of peanuts and filled his mouth. "Yes, mum," he answered, voice teasing and Tseng couldn't stop a chuckle.

His facial expression softened. "I've talked with Miss Hachette next door and, if anything happens, she knows how to reach me, okay?" Tseng had to willingly stop himself from patting Reno on the head or something unmanly like that. What was it with this boy and the fact that he crept under his skin in less than a day?

Reno nodded. "Don't forget to use a condom, Tseng," he added with a grin. "Don't wanna get a baby brother already."

At first, Tseng just felt like smacking, and smacking him hard for behaving like that but then, he realized, under all that joking, Reno did have a point, though he probably wasn't aware of it himself. In his world, he seemed to be the extra that always got in the way. Finally, he got a new place and if his guardian _did_ get kids of his own, then he would be left alone all over again.

"Reno," Tseng started, voice slightly lecturing, but it softened quickly. "I assure you, there'll be no babies any time soon." He couldn't stop a chuckle. Then he sighed and proceeded to the door.

He could see Reno waving at him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't respond as he walked out of the apartment and hurried down the stairs like a complete idiot because, frankly, he couldn't care what others thought of him now.

He was _finally_ getting laid and that was _all_ that mattered

---

"Veld..." Tseng moaned as those amazing lips joined with his neck. He wasn't the kind of man that liked to feel his lover's stubble, thus him always being impeccably shaved, as an example. But, this time, when that hair scratched that spot that was still wet from the tongue passing over it a second ago, he felt like his knees were going to betray him. Lucky for him, he was already lying down.

The past few days were hell on earth, and he'd spent every waking (and dreaming) minute fighting through just because, he knew, in the end, it would lead him to this, to Veld's fingers lost in his loose hair, tugging it gently, and those most magnificent lips sucking every… single… one of his most sensitive spots. And it wasn't like there were only a few of them.

By the time Veld was done, Tseng felt like he was the consistency of raw bread dough, and he was willing to _beg_ for those fingers to knead him.

"Where's the rush?" he could hear Veld's whisper filled with humour and lust, then those teeth glided down his collarbone and, by the time they reached the nipple, Tseng's knees were already spread open, hips bucking high, screaming for just a bit more… just a touch more.

Then the teeth squeezed just right and Tseng gasped, his nails digging deep into his lover's strong back muscles.

"Veld, _please_." Tseng needed all his self control to suppress a laugh after he heard the tone of his voice. He was, indeed, pleading.

Veld didn't bother controlling himself. He pulled slightly away and chuckled, then let his body fall on the bed next to Tseng's. "Well, alright, since you've been so good with Reno and all…"

For Tseng, hearing that name almost ruined the mood. Annoyed, he tilted his head back until it touched the mattress and sighed, relaxing his body. "Do not even utter the name of that menace in my presence ever again."

Veld chuckled again, obviously finding this very amusing. "And what if I told you," he purred, his index finger drawing circles around Tseng's navel, every now and then 'accidentally' slipping lower, and just as Tseng was starting to hope, it would move up and continue the circle. "That I'm very interested in discussing that 'menace' right now?"

His shoulders firmly on the mattress, Tseng raised his head up, looking at Veld with his eyebrows raised. "Then I'd say we have a bit of a situation here," he said, voice turning into a purr by the end. Then he surprised Veld by jumping on top of him, exchanging their roles. "Since there's _something_," he accentuated, wrapping his fingers around Veld's erection, "making you hard and all this time I thought it was me."

Tseng's lips spread into a wide, victorious smile as Veld's facial features relaxed, his eyes disappearing behind his eyelids as the man moaned in the rhythm directed by Tseng's hand.

"Haven't I told you I'm a pervert?" Veld managed to say, voice drowning in lust but still carrying enough teasing to make Tseng's fingers work faster, just because he took it upon himself to leave nothing in Veld besides pure want.

And just as Tseng started having the time of his life, in that playful, somewhat childish sort of way, Veld's eyes suddenly opened wide, dark with desire. "I want to get inside you… _kurokoneko_…" His fingers landed on Tseng's cheek, playing with the sweaty black strands that he adored. Veld thought he would have to mention it to Tseng sometimes, his fascination with that black silk. Perhaps, maybe even talk him into letting it grow some more.

The smile that appeared on Tseng's lips was a mixture of childish mischief as well as adult stubbornness, victory. "Well, why didn't you say so?" he said and slid off Veld, flashing the older man one of his rare grins (which, in fact, no other living person had the privilege of seeing).

Veld couldn't help himself from groaning aloud. Tseng was gorgeous, everybody knew that. True, most people were deadly afraid of the man, but they all agreed that he looked like a porcelain statue, and a damned fine one at that. But, lying on the bed like this, completely relaxed, naked, skin covered with a thin layer of sweat, his gorgeous hair spread over the sheet, Veld thought he was going to explode just looking at him.

Instead, he focused his mind on finding the bottle of lube that he knew was somewhere behind the pillow, though it had a tendency of disappearing behind the mattress on a few occasions. Veld made a mental note to buy a night stand, because ruining a moment like this with his hand between the mattress and the bed's headstand searching for that plastic bottle of pure pleasure and fun, was not his idea of time well spent.

Of course, Tseng finding the entire situation amusing enough to add another distraction in the form of stroking himself quite theatrically, didn't help. Veld groaned with frustration, but then, _finally_ his fingers touched the cold plastic. He grabbed it and pulled it out, not caring in the least with warming the liquid up. If Tseng was bad (and he was), this was going to be his penance.

---

Reno was bored. Not like he had anything fun to do now, besides stuff himself with nuts and watch TV. Bad thing was that the nuts were already making him sick and the TV offered nothing interesting whatsoever.

He didn't have many options. He already had his shower and he wasn't hungry yet. He got up and browsed the books in the living room, but he found only two which weren't written in the horribly complicated and useless symbols of Tseng's mother tongue. How the heck could he read _that_?

Of the two other books, one discussed politics and the other philosophy, and Reno rolled his eyes. Trust Tseng to read shit like that. He put both back on the shelf with a small sigh and considered checking out the CD collection, but dismissed the idea.

Considering the books, what could he expect anyways? Violins and harps? He shook his head and sighed again. He had to face it. He was in Tseng's apartment, left alone for two days, and he was already bored out of his mind.

He went back to his room, his _pink_ room (oh, he was never getting used to _that_), and pulled his battered bag out from under the bed, fished in it for a few minutes and came up with a crumpled pack of cigarettes. He shook the lighter out of the box and noted he had only five more smokes. Oh, joy.

He put one between his lips and was just about to open the door to the balcony, when the phone rang. He instantly froze. He didn't have the slightest idea that Tseng even _had_ a phone. True, he had his cell phone (and used it so often that Reno thought his brain would look like an overripe tomato in a decade), but so far Reno hadn't even seen the phone, not to mention actually hearing it ring.

He went into the living room to try and locate the source of the sound. He just hoped it wasn't the bedroom. Lucky for him it was the anteroom (again, he had to laugh, trust Tseng to place the phone to the least accessible location). He hurried to pick it up but, the moment before he would have done so, he froze.

Who might that be? Everyone obviously called Tseng on his cell-phone. And nobody, besides Veld, knew where Reno was. Did he actually have any right to pick it up? But, the phone was unfazed with Reno's musings; it rang again, and Reno couldn't help himself from picking it up. He was doing Tseng a favour, of course. His curiosity had nothing to do with it.

"Um, hello?" he asked as he placed the phone to his ears.

"You are not Tseng," came the formal reply.

Reno cleared his throat. "Who is this?"

"Where is Tseng?" the person asked, ignoring Reno's question.

Reno chuckled. 'Fucking some lucky chick's brains out,' he thought, but he decided against saying that. "Dunno, can't you reach him on his cell?"

"I've tried. Who is this?"

Reno cleared his throat. "Name's Reno. Just killing bugs while he's gone."

The person on the other side of the line even chuckled. "I see," the voice said. "So, the information was correct."

"Who _are_ you?" Reno demanded, thinking he was willing to hang up if the person didn't stop avoiding the question.

"Since I suppose this isn't a secure line," the voice said, carrying a tint of humour. "I shall try and remind you of a certain chess game."

Reno's eyes popped out. "Mister ShinRa?!" he yelled into the phone, then looked at the device, not believing his eyes, or ears, or whatever.

"Or… you can blurt it out like that, I suppose," Rufus answered and chuckled.

"Erm… I'm… I'm sorry, I…" Reno tried, feeling the tips of his ears burn. He was clutching the phone hard, all of a sudden feeling nervous like hell.

"Well, goodbye, Reno," Rufus said, and Reno was certain he could sense disappointment in his voice, but he kept on telling himself he was making things up. Why the hell would Rufus ShinRa be disappointed about, well… anything?

"Erm… er… bye… _sir_!" Reno managed to blurt out but the line had already been hung up.

He felt like banging his head against the wall. He had behaved like a five-year old, and worst of all, in front of the kid of his boss' boss' boss. Then he remembered Tseng's face as he had looked at him after the incident with the boy, and he felt like jumping down from the balcony was an even better option than the previous one, because if Tseng got word of this (and Reno was sure as hell he would), then he was so dead it nullified every previous definition of the word.

With a sigh he put the cigarette back in his mouth and cussing under his breath, slammed the glass door shut behind him.

---

"I know you don't like it when I talk dirty, neither do I," Tseng said and flicked his long hair out of his face, then lowered some more and relaxed his chin on Veld's nose, supporting himself on Veld's shoulders. "But, fuck, I've missed your dick inside me." He purred as his head fell backwards, finally getting exactly what he wanted.

Veld hissed, his fingers digging deep into the low of Tseng's back. "If you continue like this, it'll be over in twenty seconds... kurokoneko," he whispered, then pressed his lips onto Tseng's, loving the way their every movement made Tseng produce small, almost silent moans.

Tseng produced a throaty growl as he bucked his hips front, Veld's cock hitting that spot inside him that made him see the stars. That wasn't much of a help for Veld, as seeing Tseng lost in passion like that, leaned backwards, upper body completely limp, hair flying over his back, he knew he was going to come in a matter of minutes if they didn't do something about it. "Tseng," he warned.

Having a clue what this was about, Tseng produced a deep laughter that sounded more like a purr than anything else, then squeezed his long legs around Veld's waist tight and let his upper body fall onto the mattress, giving Veld quite a view. He could hear Veld growl, shift a bit to be able to move again, since such a position was no doubt a bit of a strain. Tseng laughed, pulled his head up and shot Veld a grin that was so out of character for his face that it even made Veld speechless.

"You're not a kitten but a puma, deadly and dangerous," Veld said, falling onto Tseng's welcoming body and claiming his lips in yet another kiss. Tseng used Veld's momentary weakness to turn them around and once again resume his dominant position (who said one could not lead from the bottom, anyway?), and rocked his hips, his fingers leaving small red trails on Veld's chest as he kept on supporting himself.

Tseng moaned, it was a loud and long sound of complete enjoyment, his lips still spread wide and eyes rolled up, behind his eyelids. "And you forgot 'gorgeous', my love," he added, then placed his hand onto his cock, now wanting, _needing_ even more.

Veld opened his eyes, saw his lover practically out of his mind with pleasure and that was a big mistake. He tried to force his mind to think of the dentist's appointment, the next annual report, basically _anything_ that would keep him conscious long enough to see his lover be lost with pleasure.

It didn't take quite as long as usual, though. It had been too long since the last time they'd done it and Tseng just happened to have quite a stressful week behind him (especially if one took his last day into consideration), and he quickly tensed, losing his strength and falling onto Veld, sighing uncontrollably. And damn him, Veld thought, for being so adorable, because the next second it was goodbye Tseng and hello, orgasm.

Of course, having quite a good idea what was going on, Tseng used the final drops of his strength and his fingernails drew teasing lines on Veld's side muscles, his tongue quickly finding its way to Veld's ear, because he just happened to know how much something like this could drive Veld crazy.

And when the man underneath produced that throaty growl that meant he was definitely done, Tseng couldn't help but laugh and nibble that delicious neck, basking in the sweet afterglow of their lovemaking.

This peace he felt now was worth everything, and when those usually so stern grey eyes lazily opened and looked into his own with so much emotion, that was worth even more. Placing a small kiss on Veld's nose, he settled comfortably between those strong arms, nuzzling close and letting out a sigh of contentment.

"I hope you know it's your turn to make breakfast," Veld murmured before burying his face in loose black hair, and Tseng faintly hissed at him like an angry cat, only managing to earn an amused chuckle in return before they both drifted away into sleep.

---

"Morning, kitten," Veld whispered, pulling Tseng, who was still more asleep than awake, closer.

Tseng managed a small smile. "You know how much I hate those nicknames," he answered, but his voice lacked conviction.

"Of course you do," Veld teased, leaving a kiss on Tseng's hair.

Tseng yawned. "I should go make breakfast, right?"

"Not yet," Veld answered, then chuckled. "Well, if you don't _want_ to…"

Tseng laughed. "Blackmailing me into cooking for you, _boss_?" he asked and pulled his head up to look his lover in the eye. He may have been willing to continue his teasing, but when those grey eyes looked at him as warmly as only Veld's eyes could, Tseng felt like melting. Not that he would ever admit something like that, but he was a romantic fool deep down inside, in that small place hidden from everyone.

"I can try and bat my eyelashes like a little girl," Veld started and it made Tseng chuckle again. "But I have a feeling it would be counter-productive."

Tseng smiled and left a peck on the tip of Veld's nose. "The old man has a point," he said, teasingly, then pushed himself into a sitting position.

Veld really wanted to respond with something equally low, but he couldn't make his mind work this early in the morning. He simply wasn't a morning person, in spite the fact that he tried to make himself one for years now. Hell, if he could actually count this early in the morning too, it would probably turn to over a decade. Was he really _that_ old?

Tseng got up, that gorgeous naked behind fully on display as he was pulling his boxers on and Veld all of a sudden felt like a teenage boy, pulse between his legs growing strong. He pulled himself to Tseng's side of the bed and grabbed the elastic band of Tseng's boxers and pulled his already laughing lover back onto the bed.

"How about we skip breakfast?" Veld asked, his voice now a deep purr, as he pulled Tseng's lower lip between his teeth, which only made his lover laugh again.

"I'm hungry," he answered and pushed Veld off. He pulled himself off the bed again and Veld felt more than a tint of disappointment as Tseng started to walk away, but then he stopped at the door frame, turned and shot Veld a smile that would melt polar ice. "Don't you cool down on me while I go fetch something to give your old bones _a bit_ more strength."

"Why, you…" Veld started and decided to follow after Tseng, but he didn't even manage to get off the bed when Tseng's cell phone rang. Since almost anyone who had this number knew better than to disrupt either of them during weekends, unless it was an emergency, just the fact that it was ringing was enough to ruin the mood and shift the two men into their Turk modes; in spite the fact that one of them was naked and the other only in his boxers.

Tseng rushed to the phone, glanced at the screen and his eyebrows shot up when he saw the name. "Rude?" he said, voice slightly annoyed, as he pressed the answer button.

"Could be overreacting, but I think we have a problem," Rude answered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Rufus stole my phone," Rude answered and Tseng actually had to fight a chuckle. He rolled his eyes instead and sighed.

"And that has something to do with me _how_, exactly?"

"He wanted your home number," Rude continued and Tseng hoped this wasn't going where he thought this was going. "Managed to get the record of that call."

"_And_?" Tseng urged, his palm on his face already. No, this wasn't happening. This just wasn't happening.

"Claimed not to be able to reach you on your cell phone."

"It was on the entire time," Tseng said, feeling the need to slap himself a few times, just in case this was all just a bad dream and he would wake up from it soon, preferably now.

"Know that," Rude continued. "My guess is, he was aiming to talk to that kid of yours specifically."

Tseng wanted to say something about Reno _not_ being his kid and Rude shouldn't even go down that path because it could be the last thing he'd say, ever, but some things were more important than preserving his pride right now.

For instance, the fact that Rufus ShinRa stole his bodyguard's cell phone with the sole attempt of reaching Reno. While Tseng didn't know the reasons for it, he had a fairly good idea what was going on through that boy's fucked up mind, and it wasn't anything good.

"Thank you, Rude," Tseng said and hung up, then looked towards Veld, his eyes begging.

"I'll make you some tea," Veld said and instantly got out of the bed.

Reno never knew about how that one simple thing saved him from horrendous amounts of trouble he just happened to be in.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the long wait!**

**For disclaimer and warnings please see Chapter 1.**

**This chapter: Reno stuffs himself and Tseng has his regrets. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**When he heard the door open, Reno was ready for the inevitable, which in this case very well could mean being thrown out. If he was lucky, through the front door. If not so much, over the balcony. Just as Tseng had promised.

But the senior Turk didn't even pause to greet him. A slight nod of his head, a look that said 'I know all your sins, even those you haven't had the chance to commit yet', that was all before he disappeared behind his bedroom door.

When nothing had happened for a few minutes, Reno decided to take a peek to see what Tseng was doing. The Turk was sitting at his desk and typing on a device Reno instantly recognised, though he never imagined he'd have the opportunity to see one.

A laptop was approximately three or four times the price of a simple personal computer, and very few could afford it, Obviously, Tseng was one of them, and Reno felt his fingers itching to touch the beautiful keyboard.

How could Tseng hide it from him that he had something as shiny as _this_? Forgetting about the whole off-limits thing, he walked up behind the Turk, fascination written all over his face. Tseng looked at him sternly, but in the end didn't say a thing, just turned his attention back to his work, hands flying over the keyboard with practised ease.

Taken aback by the fact that he wasn't told to get lost, Reno stepped closer, glanced at the screen, and his eyebrows shot up. Tseng was writing a report. But not for himself. The header clearly stated:

Cadence Moreno, Turk  
ID. Number: 063 429 232  
Department of Administrative Research  
Report 997 0627

Wait! What the...? Why on earth was Tseng writing a report for another Turk? He leaned a bit closer, but the text was still the same. And for some odd reason, the name was really disturbing Reno, blue-green eyes returning to it time after time.

Cadence Moreno... Moreno? It wasn't as though it was such a rare name. In fact, it was quite common in Sector Two. Though... Cadence Moreno... It was still too familiar, but he just couldn't grasp realisation lingering at the edges of his consciousness.

Realisation hit him suddenly, and so hard, he produced a small sound suspiciously similar to choking. Cadence! Oh, of course, the foxy chick from the elevator! Reno remembered her now, long hair, smiling green eyes, firm handshake and all. Oh, he remembered her just too well. Flirting with Tseng. _Openly_.

"So, she was _that_ good," Reno commented bitterly, then slapped himself on the mouth when he realized what he'd just said. He instantly froze, looking at Tseng meekly, hoping the Turk wouldn't kill him now.

Tseng just turned his head around slowly, eyes narrowed into two slits, but he didn't say anything. It took him a few moments, then he took a deep breath and relaxed, even gave Reno a small smile and pointed for the boy to come closer.

"You've never seen a laptop, have you?" he asked warmly as Reno stood right next to him, watching something the boy never thought he'd be able to afford. Well, he still couldn't afford it, but the facts changed and perhaps, one day, if he worked hard, he'd be having one of these babies all for himself. "Want me to teach you to work on it?" Tseng asked, then got up from the chair and pointed for Reno to take a seat, but before that, he saved the document and closed it quickly.

Reno looked at Tseng, not quite sure if this was a trap or what, but then he seated himself in front of the beautiful screen and noticed that the background of the computer was a photograph of a gorgeous bouquet of roses. He counted twelve of them, and noticed a small card attached to the part where the stems were tied together, a few symbols like those on the majority of books Tseng owned written on it.

Reno made a mental note to learn that script eventually, because he was quite curious what it meant. He looked at Tseng, who was standing right behind him, so close and in all his beautiful glory. Reno needed a second to calm down because he was afraid his cheeks would blush.

What did Tseng see in that Cadence chick? What did she have that he didn't? He just couldn't understand it because, generally, it was him who was the prized meat back then on the streets. And now, he was definitely shoved aside for one gorgeous chick with legs that went to her neck and hair that almost reached her ass, and a balcony to have a picnic on.

Yes, well… Reno realized he'd just answered his own question.

"What does it say?" Reno asked, pointing to the card on the photograph of the roses on the laptop screen and then looked at Tseng who was actually _blushing_.

Tseng didn't say anything. He just cleared his throat and quickly pressed some key and something white opened and covered the image. "How's your typing?" he asked and Reno shrugged, having no idea what that question was supposed to mean. "That's the first thing you'll learn to loathe; typing reports," Tseng added with a chuckle, then nodded towards the keys and Reno just looked at him, not quite sure what he was supposed to do.

"Go on, touch it. It doesn't bite." The Turk chuckled again, and Reno clumsily obeyed, trying to copy what he had seen just moments before. Tseng nodded, which made him unreasonably proud. Then Tseng covered his hands with his own, and Reno's mind didn't simply freeze, it must have experienced the biggest fucking ice age in history, because all he could do was blink stupidly like an expensive girl's doll.

"There. Like that. You keep your fingers on those keys in the middle line. Then you can move up or down easily." Tseng's hands were warm, and only then did Reno notice how close they actually were without touching anywhere else besides their hands, and his heart started to beat faster. "You press space with your thumbs, side keys with your little fingers. Now try."

"What should I write?" Reno wet his lips with his tongue and stared at the blank whiteness of the screen, trying hard to concentrate on the task at hand, and not the fact that Tseng pulled away his hands, but was still in his personal space.

"You can write whatever comes to your mind first," Tseng said casually, and Reno stifled a sigh. He doubted that Tseng would've liked to see what just happened to be on his mind at the moment, because it had a lot to do with sheets and much less with work. Finally, he started to key in a little story an older girl used to tell them before going to sleep.

The first thing he discovered was that the keys were small. _Damn_ small. And close. He had to watch his hands very carefully, because it was easier to hit a wrong button than the right one. When Tseng did it, it seemed so easy… Well, it definitely wasn't.

"Hold your fingers a little closer, and don't move your hands that much." Tseng patiently instructed him time after time. "Don't forget to use your little fingers, Reno. See? That's more like it. No, you don't press it with that finger…"

Reno completely forgot about time. As they went on and on, it became more and more easy, though it was still quite difficult and demanded very strong concentration from him. He only realised how much time had passed when his stomach started to rumble loudly. He chuckled nervously, and Tseng straightened his back, smiling.

"I guess this should be enough for today. You did well, Reno." The redhead felt a wide grin splitting his face into two. "But I'll make sure you are signed up for a grammar course," Tseng added as an afterthought, and the only reason Reno didn't sink through the floor was that he heard the teasing in the older man's voice.

"Come, let's get you some dinner."

~oOo~

The best thing about living with Tseng was definitely his cooking. At least in Reno's personal opinion. More meals he'd tried, more in love he'd become with the man's cooking. Now, he didn't really want to think about other things he thought about that gorgeous piece of meat he was forced to listen and obey and live with, but he definitely loved his cooking.

He would always dance around the kitchen, his lips spread into a small smile as he juggled the ingredients. Everything would have to be perfect and tiny and gorgeously decorated, even though Reno didn't really understand the necessity of such a thing, since everything ended up mixed up in his stomach. But, it seemed to be making Tseng happy and Reno nicely fed, so he didn't say a thing about it.

This time, though, Tseng didn't try to outdo himself, even though the end result was amazing. He made a simple bowl of differently coloured spaghetti with a white sauce with bits of some spicy green herb that was just melting on his tongue. And, there was a big bowl of chopped tomatoes with bits of cheese (Reno couldn't really understand why anyone would want to put cheese in a tomato salad, but Tseng was weird), that tasted surprisingly well even though Reno was reluctant to try it at first.

The two of them ate in silence, Reno still unable to keep his eyes from the view. He thought it was stupid making an enormous window on the kitchen wall that was connected with the balcony but, Reno had to agree that the view was just gorgeous. Sometimes, it beat staring at the TV while munching peanuts, even though, in Reno's personal opinion, peanuts could win over any food; any time, any place.

But the spaghetti wasn't that bad.

"You'll have to start doing things around the apartment," Tseng interrupted Reno in his disconnected musings and Reno had to clear his throat to pull himself back to here and now and actually pay attention to Tseng, who just shook his head slightly once he realized he had the boy's attention. "I don't plan on being your servant, nor your mommy, let's make that clear," Tseng continued, then returned his attention to rolling the spaghetti around his fork with the help of the spoon (and Reno couldn't figure out how he did it so neatly for the life of him).

"Erm… okay?" Reno answered, gulping the not totally chewed mouthful of food. "What do I do?"

"Well, I suppose I'll give you a few days' time to adjust and I'll help you around, but you better get your ass moving from now on, because I won't clean after you any more. Is that clear?" Tseng asked, his voice a bit sterner than he wanted to make it. He noticed the boy doing that sinking action that Tseng actually thought was cute, even though he knew that it was a thing of self-defence, him wanting to disappear in a way. It was still cute, but Tseng wasn't telling.

"Okay," Reno said meekly, looking at his spaghetti bowl.

Tseng chuckled. "Look, _kid_," he purposefully teased. "I'm not cleaning after the ShinRa kid, so I sure as hell won't clean after you."

Well, _that_ instantly got Reno's attention. He pursed his lips to force the smile off them, even though he didn't really know the reason for that smile appearing in the first place. "Erm…" he started, looking at Tseng in his best and sweetest way. "About Rufus… I…"

"No," Tseng cut him off, voice serious, his utensils falling into his bowl with a bang. "Reno, don't even _think_ about him, okay?"

"But…" Reno tried to defend, his cheeks blushing with unease. "I didn't…"

Tseng took a deep, calming breath, even though he stopped believing that technique worked in the first place, because it kept on failing every time since Tseng had met Reno, who would soon be known as the boy from hell. "I'm sorry, Reno, but when it comes to Rufus ShinRa… he's my _boss_. He's my boss' _son_. Please, don't even _think_ about whatever you're thinking."

"But," Reno tried again, practically pouting, his big saucer eyes blinking as innocently and cutely as that face allowed (and Reno brought 'cute' to a whole new level). "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Let me get it straight. You broke my order to stay outside and ended up playing chess with _Rufus ShinRa_ of all people. What exactly, you think you _didn't_ do wrong?"

Reno couldn't help but chuckle. Tseng clearly had a point there, and the way he tilted his head, looking at him with an eyebrow raised half-mockingly, the redhead suddenly felt a strong connection to the man mixed with a sense of freedom, the liberty of sitting back and stop being on edge all the time. It was strange, but not bad, and he grinned back at Tseng.

"Well, at least he had a good day."

"I guess he did." Tseng nodded thoughtfully, voice serious and just a bit too quiet for Reno's liking.

"But really, what's wrong with the guy?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. The grin faded from his lips as Tseng sighed and looked away, suddenly sadness shadowing his beautiful face.

~oOo~

_"You're joking, right?" Tseng asked, hopeful and disappointed at the same time. Hopeful, because he was the type of the person who always thought the glass was half full, and disappointed because he knew there was no way for Veld to change his mind once it had been set._

_"Joking?" Veld asked, eyebrow slightly raised. "Why would I joke about something like that?"_

_Tseng shrugged and pulled his fingers through his hair. "Because if the hope dies, what else is left, boss?" he asked with a cheeky expression._

_"Pull yourself together, Turk," Veld warned. While the order was true, the voice was carrying a tint of humour, so it didn't worry Tseng that much. He straightened and turned serious instantly, nonetheless. "Guarding the President's son is in the job description as well, so I see no point in arguing."_

_"But…" Tseng tried, then realized his voice was a bit too loud (and whiny), so he tried to pull himself together again, then he continued, whispering. "He's a small kid, what harm could happen to him?"_

_Veld didn't say anything for a few more moments, then he parked the car in front of the large mansion that Tseng knew belonged to the ShinRa family. It was one of those remote places with practically no way of finding it unless one knew the way. The most logical step would have been taking the chopper, but Veld disliked using one if the spot was accessible by other means. It could have saved them an hour, true, but Veld didn't care and Tseng didn't bother arguing._

_"Mind you," Veld started as the two Turks stepped out of the vehicle. "Guarding Rufus isn't something any lackey gets to do. You're one of my most trusted Turks, so I'd quit complaining if I were you."_

_Well, that managed to stop any sort of protest from Tseng in addition to rendering him speechless, turned him into one very blushing Turk doing his best to hide it and keep his reputation intact. Veld seemed oblivious to it, though._

_They entered the mansion and, while a servant woman did open them the door, the place was mostly deserted and so empty that their footsteps echoed through the vast rooms. Tseng was quiet the entire time, following directly after Veld. He'd never seen the ShinRa boy and, besides knowing his date of birth and age, he didn't even know what the boy looked like._

_Not many people did. He would be paraded around through a party or two, but generally he'd be kept in this completely deserted area to do whatever the boy was supposed to do, even though Tseng couldn't think of anything what a ten years old child could do besides play with toys or other children._

_Eventually, once they reached one of the remote areas of the first floor, Veld stood before a simple looking door and knocked. No answer came, but Tseng did notice Veld counting to five and then turning the doorknob._

_Tseng didn't know what to expect, really. He'd been a child once, true, and he'd seen a few children back home. Being a Turk rarely meant being anywhere near someone that young. The youngest ones were generally in their teen years and troublemakers that demanded his attention. Otherwise, he'd stayed as far away from kids as possible._

_But, having a fairly good idea at what children did by the fact that he had been in that age once, he was indeed surprised once he entered this rather large and practically unfurnished (besides the soft carpeting and a few open shelves) room. It was white. It was painfully white and lit so that he needed a moment for his eyes to adjust to all that light before he could see the child._

_And what a tiny kid that was… He was hidden in one corner, probably a few thousands of puzzle pieces around him, and his attention was on them the entire time. And not only that, he looked at least half his age. Tseng needed a moment to remember that this was a ten year old kid, not someone who was still parading around in diapers. He was short, small and so painfully thin that the first thought coming to Tseng's mind was feeding him chocolate and pancakes until his weight had at least doubled._

_"Just stand by the door," Veld warned him with a whisper. "Don't do anything stupid. I'll be right back." After Tseng nodded, Veld silently moved through the door and Tseng was left alone to watch the kid from the distance._

_Of course, Tseng wouldn't be Tseng had he actually been following the orders to the letter. He was too curious and he just had to see what the boy was up to. Silently, he walked towards the corner and he couldn't help but cock his head in surprise once he saw that the boy, indeed, was trying to solve the puzzle, in a rather strange way of his._

_It seemed to be a picture of flowers, most of them pink and yellow, like some of those park decorations were. But, while the idea was to solve the entire puzzle, to Rufus, arranging parts into each flower separately then moving them around obviously made more sense._

_It made Tseng chuckle and the boy, who was so far oblivious of him, looked up. He had extremely intelligent eyes. They were so light that Tseng, again, needed a moment to realize they were, in fact, a very light blue. His face was the most adorable child's face Tseng had ever seen. He looked like an angel, with those extremely pale blond locks around the pinkish face. Tseng couldn't stop another chuckle before he squatted and slowly extended his hand to see if the child would allow him to touch him._

_Rufus didn't move. He didn't even flinch, so Tseng took that as an invitation and gently cupped the boy's face. It was surprisingly cool. "Hello there," he whispered and the pair of enormous and beautiful blue eyes looked at him and just blinked. Then, the eyes obviously seemed to find something else interesting, and they moved onto Tseng's forehead. Tseng had a fairly good idea what the boy was looking at, so he chuckled. The eyes landed on his lips for a moment, and then returned his attention onto the spot between Tseng's eyes._

_The small and very thin hand moved up and into Rufus' mouth. He licked his finger and then placed it on the spot, trying to wipe it off. It made Tseng chuckle again and then sit down, crossing his legs on the floor. The boy was fascinated with the stain that obviously wouldn't come off. The blue eyes looked into Tseng's again, blinking slowly as though in wonder, question even, then returned them onto Tseng's face. Rufus smiled faintly and Tseng felt a touch. He looked down into a small hand landing on his palm, which he cupped instantly, patting it with his other hand._

_The boy didn't seem to mind._

_Then he heard the knock on the door. Rufus' eyes instantly travelled there, open wide in fear. Then, Tseng remembered that Veld was probably counting to five and he observed Rufus' eyes, the fear slowly disappearing from them and they were back to being curious about the spot by the time Veld opened the door. Rufus seated himself mirroring Tseng, and relaxed his head onto Tseng's shoulder, sighing._

_Tseng could hear the sharp intake of breath behind his back, and he slowly turned around, eyes apologetic as he looked at his boss. He knew more than well that he was in shitload of trouble and there was no way he was getting out of this one. He had been ordered to stay by the door and stay away from the kid, and he managed to break both direct orders._

_"Tseng," Veld whispered, his eyes two big saucers with disbelief. "How did you do that?"_

_Tseng looked at his boss, not quite sure what he meant by those words. Then, he looked at the boy next to him, having a fairly good idea this was about Rufus, and he just shrugged. Rufus returned his focus onto the puzzle, ignoring both of the men in his room._

_Veld remained standing by the door, eyes open wide, still not believing he really saw what he saw. "You are aware of the fact that, when he's like this, he responds to no one?" he asked, voice still a whisper._

_Tseng turned his attention from the child and onto his boss again. "What do you mean?" he whispered and looked back at Rufus who was definitely ignoring them._

_"Never mind, we'll talk later," Veld just said with a slight shake of his head and remained standing still, his attention on the young boy still leaning into Tseng. _

~oOo~

"Hey, Tseng!" Reno's voice shook him from his thoughts, and obsidian eyes met sea-blue. He could see the worry etched on the teen's face.

"Besides the obvious, you _don't_ want to have that burden on you, trust me."

He could see the instant interest flickering in Reno's eyes, and it worried Tseng more than he'd ever admit. He had the feeling Reno wouldn't leave it at that, and silently cursed his careless words.

"It's late, Reno. Go to bed."

Standing up, he collected the dishes and started cleaning up. He could sense the boy's eyes on him, but then finally, Reno turned and left without another word.

Finishing with the dishes, Tseng went to his own room and turned the laptop back on. He still had a report to write, after all. Staring blankly at the white screen, reawakened memories swirled before his eyes.

~oOo~

_Ice blue eyes opened wide in deadly fear. The hand that seemed so enormous compared to the small boy it came down on. Nausea. The slap that rang in his ears inexplicably loud. Bright red blood trailing down on alabaster skin and the taste of bile in his throat._

_His nails carving red half-moons into his palms, the only reason holding him still being Veld's presence next to him._

_The angry red hand print on the small, tearless face and the huge blue eyes that didn't even plead any more as the hand came down again and again. _

~oOo~

Sitting at his desk, Tseng buried his face in his hands.


	7. Chapter 7

**For disclaimer and warnings please see Chapter 1.**

**This chapter: Tseng gets Reno and Reno gets the top. Enjoy!**

* * *

Reno walked into Training, stifling a yawn and rolling his head around once to move the muscles in his neck, and immediately felt more awake. Thanks to Tseng's punctuality, he wasn't late, and yet, all the other six kids were already there.

They stood in two groups that clearly signalled the diversification of strength and intelligence in the group, Reno noted with a small grin. One group consisted of four boys, three brothers and their cousin from Junon; and whoever in their family gave them their names must have had a very weird sense of humour.

Honestly, who the hell named their children John, Matthew, Mark, and Luke?

They were bulky, but not too bright guys, taken in for their sheer brute strength. They held very closely together, following around John, the eldest, like obedient little puppies.

Reno could already tell John was trouble. The guy paraded around acting like he was the alpha male in the group, and it not only irritated Reno in the worst way imaginable, but the other two trainees as well, who were standing aside.

One was a girl from Mideel called Ivana, the only female in the whole group. With her blonde hair, pretty round face, and deceptively frail body, she looked like a doll, but her body language and blue eyes told a whole different story.

She was talking quietly with the last of the trainees, a tall guy with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail, one completely white, wavy lock hanging into his face, and Reno needed only a moment to remember his name: Arsen. He wasn't really talkative, so Reno had no idea where he came from, but he had a slight accent to his speech that suggested somewhere far, far away.

Ignoring the brutes, he walked up to them, a wide grin on his lips.

"Hi! Ready for the day?"

"Reno." They both nodded in acknowledgement, but only Ivana smiled back.

Reno wasn't that fond of any of these people. He had a certain feeling he would never be able to fit in, especially considering the fact that he was tiny, looked at least five years under his age, and was as fresh as a fish that was still in the sea. Considering the fact that these people weren't that hard to read, he already knew to keep a distance from the four idiots, and had a fairly good idea he would manage to get along quite well with Ivana, though he could be wrong eventually.

Of course, since the word generally travelled faster than light, everyone already knew that the skinny redhead was sleeping with the Turks' second in command, and the fact that they were sleeping in separate beds wasn't as important as the first one.

Reno didn't really mind that, no, since even the four idiots kept their distance, because Reno was certain, were their paths to cross, sparks would be flying, because Reno had one too many memories of empty headed muscles wanting to spread their territory because something as tiny as Reno could easily be broken.

He was pulled out of his musings not by his two very talkative (notice the irony?) companions, but by the click-clacking footsteps resonating through the corridor. All six heads turned towards the sound, and so did Reno. He had a distinct feeling he should be able to recognize the pattern, but somehow it just didn't dawn on him.

Until the moment he saw the woman making them, that is – tall, amazing long legs, ass to die for and a rack to kill, long brown hair, and a gorgeous smile. What was there not to hate?

Reno thought Caddie was just passing by, but since she stopped right before the small group and smiled, he just knew he was going to hate the day.

"I'm sorry to say, but Ethan's schedule forced him away from you, guys, so I'll be in charge for the day. Is that okay?" she asked, smiled that sweet gorgeous smile of hers that, Reno could see, enchanted the four idiots more than chocolate ever could. She looked around them, giving Reno a wink, which caused an unwanted attention in Reno's direction, but everyone kept their mouths shut. "Since I know you haven't touched the weaponry yet," Caddie said, sounding disappointed, "I suppose some hand to hand combat could be a good way to start the day."

She smiled, then walked through the small group, which then followed her, in the direction of the training hall. Once there, she put her hands on her hips, shifting into professional Turk mode in a heartbeat.

"Stand in pairs now, you sorry excuses for training material!"

As the trainees complied with the order, the usual pairs were formed, and as expected, Reno was left alone. Caddie frowned a bit at that, then smiled brightly again. "I'll take on you myself. If you are as good as they say, maybe I'll even have some fun today!"

Reno's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought, but she was already instructing John and Matthew to take fighting stance, not leaving any chance of response, so after a moment Reno turned his gaze to the two boys exchanging blows, studying their moves.

He didn't see anything exciting, really. Raw power against raw power; a common occurrence in the slums. Though he noted with a small flicker of interest that John was indeed left-handed, a small detail that might be useful later on. The other thing he noticed (albeit admitted to it reluctantly) was the fact that Caddie's advice was clever and useful, and he found himself storing away the information and listening on with interest.

The fight of the other two brutes was very similar, but just as Reno anticipated, the one fought by Ivana and Arsen was something else entirely. The girl was very fast and agile, here one moment and there the next, while the boy was clever enough to take the defensive, staying put in one place and trying to outbalance his disadvantages by his greater strength. It lasted for quite a while, but finally Ivana managed to gain the upper hand, knocking him off his feet.

"That's it, girl!" Caddie smacked Ivana on the shoulder with an expression that could almost pass for a grin. "We don't want them to get too cocky, now do we?" She winked, and the girl smiled back shyly. Then Caddie extended a hand to Arsen to help him up from the ground. After a moment of hesitation, he accepted the gesture. Once back on his feet, Caddie went on speaking.

"You are not very adept at using your fists. Good balance, good stance though. You have received sword training, am I right?"

"For three years." Arsen was clearly surprised by that remark, almost looking embarrassed, which made Reno really curious, but Caddie didn't push for details.

"I'll talk to Ethan to put more basics in your schedule then. Or else, she'll keep on kicking that pretty ass of yours." She winked. Then, she turned on her heels and gave Reno the look that would have easily frozen him had she not been smiling. "Your turn now, little red riding hood," she said and the practice room was filled with muted chuckles. Reno growled at her, but she seemed unfazed.

She nodded towards one of the training areas; smaller rectangular spaces with softened floors, the one she wasn't standing momentarily at. Reno walked casually towards it, then turned around and looked at the woman. Her walk was deliberately slow then, just before she would step on the softened floor, she squatted and took her shoes off, and Reno had to force himself from gawking at the fact that she was wearing pink socks with tiny red hearts.

What the _fuck_?

She stood up, unzipped her suit coat and let it slide off her shoulders, neatly folding it and leaving it on the shoes. Then, she stepped closer to Reno, and Reno noticed the woman wasn't wearing a bra. Well, god damn, he thought, that sure _was_ a nice rack. Definitely answered the question of what Tseng saw in her. The white shirt was practically see through, like it wasn't even there, and Reno realized that something like this could be a bit too distracting had he not had a mission. And that mission was to prove that he was stronger and better than Tseng's fuck-toy. If he managed to knock that bald gorilla back then, then he was going to at least leave a bruise or two on this chick.

She put her hand into her pants pocket and pulled out pink scrunchy (Reno realized it was the same shade as the socks) and tied her hair into a tight ponytail. "Ready?" she asked with a wink, her lips spread in a big smile. She shook her head a bit, making sure the ponytail was in place, then took a starting fighting position (at least Reno thought that was what it was, with her legs slightly spread, one before the other, hands in some weird protective stance before her chest and the fact that her usually smiling face turned serious and threatening in an instant).

"Ready," Reno answered, not bothering to do any of this fancy show-off shit. He relaxed, letting his shoulders droop, and just observed. Living in the streets taught him one very important thing – let others make the first mistake, that way you could use it and run the hell away before they pulled out a gun.

Reno lived by the rule. The fact that he had survived all these years was more than enough of a proof for him. Since he was tiny, the most common mistake was simply not seeing him as a threat. Others that did always underestimated him. If he looked casual and non-observant enough, then Caddie was bound to repeat the same mistake.

Her first move was rather slow, probably deliberately so. She just stepped forward and extended her right arm towards Reno's chest. He evaded it easily and jumped back, expecting more to come. Instead, she pulled back as well and paused.

Her next blow wasn't that much faster either. She estimated where he'd be, jumped slightly front and extended her arm again. Reno wasn't stupid; he moved accordingly and she missed him. Again, she pulled back and watched for a few moments.

Next time, as expected, she slightly changed her tactics. She used her fist, then tried to cut Reno's move with her leg. Reno predicted it and came out of it both without a scratch and hitting her knee.

She pulled back, tested her knee a few times, then resumed her stance. The next pause was a bit longer with her still trying to determine whether to use the knee to its full capacity or no.

Reno became cocky; he approached her, keeping his stability on his right leg, then swiftly changing it to kick her in the loin with that leg. She did manage to smack Reno in the process, but the victory was definitely not hers.

She jumped back, trying to hide her hiss. Her cheeks were already flushed and her breathing became deeper, faster.

Reno couldn't believe it. That was it? He danced around her with ease and she was already showing signs of fatigue. So far, the only person that had actually presented to be of any threat was Veld, which was, of course, logical due to his position. Reno had a distinct feeling Tseng was highly trained too, since he was positioned directly under Veld, but if the rest of them were anything like Caddie, no wonder Reno had managed to make that gorilla pass out.

He noticed all eyes were on them, in sheer disbelief as Reno kept on pushing and pushing, hitting Caddie almost every time and constantly being fast enough to be outside her reach; and every time she missed, she'd become more tired. She wasn't even just breathing heavily by now, she was _fighting_ for air.

Then, Reno heard the door open. He glanced quickly and saw that the man entering was Ethan, but then he returned his attention to the fight and punched Caddie in the shoulder. He couldn't help it, he was a show-off.

"Oh, give the boy a break, Cadence," Reno heard Ethan say and, after that, his mind simply wasn't fast enough to collect all that happened. One second, he was trying to punch Caddie again, and the next, he found himself on the floor, the force of collision strong enough to expel all the air from his lungs.

He felt Caddie grip his arm in a way that he had to arch his back and tilt his head backwards in hope that the pain would stop. He did see Ethan shake his head, both annoyed and amused.

"But they're cute when they think they're winning," she said. Reno noticed there was no heaviness of breath in her voice. "You okay there, pooch?" she asked Reno as she let him go.

Reno got up and noticed that she wasn't even flushed any more. She didn't look anything like that out of breath tired woman from a minute ago. She went to put her jacket and shoes back on and she shot Reno a grin.

"You're quite good," she said and Reno opened his mouth to say something down the line of obviously not being good enough, but she was faster. "Would be a waste to focus on the guns." She looked at Ethan and he wanted to say something in protest, obviously knowing her too well, but he too wasn't fast enough. "Want him," she pointed at Reno, "the chick and the bishie boy," she eyed Ivana and Arsen, "three hours a week for martial arts."

Ethan shrugged. "If Veld agrees and Tseng wants to, I see no reason not to."

"Great," Caddie said smiling. She ruffled Reno's hair in the passing and Reno growled at her, but she ignored him as she walked out of the room.

Reno looked at his two new… well, whatever the hell they were. They looked equally puzzled so he turned his eyes meekly at Ethan. "We are being trained by Tseng?"

Ethan nodded. "Him and Caddie are martial arts trainers when we have candidates for it." He paused for a moment, eyeing Reno, Ivana and then Arsen. "Don't remember having three in the same group ever, though." As Ethan said those words, Reno looked towards the four brothers (three brothers and a cousin, whatever), who looked a few levels above pissed for obviously losing some sort of supremacy battle nobody but them knew they were having.

Reno couldn't stop thinking that them losing meant him winning, in that very same strange sort of way. He grinned, thinking he couldn't wait to tell Tseng that, but then John seemed as though he would like to kick Reno's ass. Not that that bothered him right now, being chosen for that _very special_ martial arts group ran by Tseng and Caddie.

Then, he remembered _who_ Tseng and Caddie were and he was probably doomed with weeks and even months of watching the two flirting and teasing and doing… stuff. Not that he knew what 'stuff' was, but he knew they were going to do it and he sure as hell wasn't going to like it. It made the sweetness of the victory seem awfully bitter all of a sudden.

The feeling came back even stronger when he finally left the floor. His mood was lifted after they left Training and went to the showers. With the three of them receiving the privilege of attending martial arts, the ties automatically grew stronger between them and the gap between them and the four brutes widened with the speed of light.

But Reno couldn't care less about that. What he did care about was the fact that on the way to the showers Ivana asked him to join them for lunch in the canteen, and Arsen didn't protest. The fact that the 'bishie boy' (Reno couldn't help but inwardly grin at how Ivana immediately picked up that nickname, and he also made a mental note to ask Tseng later on what it meant) let him take the last piece of cherry pie. Maybe, they weren't so bad after all, and Reno couldn't help it, he was a social person, and it made him feel so much better.

They've talked about the training first, that was the most obvious choice of topic if they didn't want to sit together silently for twenty minutes. Then they moved onto other neutral areas, like favourite foods and drinks, and soon, Reno found himself telling a story about the speak-easy they frequently visited with the other kids, and saw no distaste on their faces.

After that they still had fifteen more minutes until their next scheduled activity, so they stopped at the buffet to have a drink. Arsen chose coffee, and Reno followed his example. Not that the tea Tseng made was bad, but it was good to drink something else for a change. Quite surprisingly, Ivana decided on cocoa, putting some reddish thing into her steaming drink. She answered Reno's questioning look with a hint of weariness.

"It's cayenne. Makes it spicier."

Reno just shook his head, completely clueless why would anyone want to add anything to a perfectly good cocoa if it wasn't whipped cream. "Always knew you were some crazy folk down there in the jungle, magical dances and all."

Eyes quadrupling in size, Ivana tried hard not to choke on the gulp she was swallowing, and failed miserably. Helping her with a few convivial pats on the back, Reno couldn't refrain from laughing, and he could see Arsen's lips twitch before the older boy turned away to get a napkin just in case.

~oOo~

"So this is, like, your lunch break or something?" Caddie asked with a smile as she seated herself opposite of Tseng in the building's cafeteria.

Tseng took a sip of his tea, returned the smile and glanced at his wristwatch. "Well, since it's five to four, at least no one can blame me for slacking."

"Oh, _shit_!" Caddie exclaimed a bit too loudly. "It _is_?"

Tseng nodded, the smile on his lips turning to bitter. "Having to find a good explanation to why thirty bottles of liquid gas are missing takes… time. Among other things," he added dryly.

"Aw, shit, Tseng, I'm…"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Hey, you were _there_!" Caddie defended.

Tseng took another long sip, big enough to empty the cup. "You said you'd take care of it," he whispered, leaning closer to her.

She mirrored his actions, smiling. Her eyes glanced around the almost empty cafeteria serving as a restaurant until around noon. No one was paying much attention to the two Turks, but they were still being cautious, since neither of them was wishing to pay the loss from their own pockets.

"Ethan called me," she said loudly, shrugging. Then she lowered her voice. "So, how d'you do it?"

Tseng leaned a bit more closer, speaking through his teeth. "Sure as hell didn't tell him about the exploding balloons." Of course, that was a blatant lie. Tseng had told Veld, and the two of them had spent the most of the past two hours trying to figure out the way to make the explanation seem valid. If there was one thing that worked perfectly with ShinRa, it was making sure that every gil was used to the fullest. "I don't understand where you two get these ideas."

Caddie chuckled and raised her eyebrows. "Generally from the bottoms of very cheap vodka bottles."

"I gathered as much," Tseng said frowning.

Caddie actually giggled, then she moved back, leaning into her chair. "That kid of yours," she said, volume of her voice normal now. It got Tseng's attention, but that just amused her. She didn't say a thing, but she pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket instead.

"No smoking in here," Tseng said.

"Oh? You gonna stop me?"

Tseng's eyes rolled almost unnoticeably. "You mean, as your superior officer and all?"

She poked her tongue at him as an answer, but she didn't pull a cigarette out, so it was obvious the message did get through.

"That… _kid_ of mine," Tseng urged, which made Caddie laugh.

"Fast kid," she said, then put the pack back into her pocket. "Not faster than me, though." She smirked and elbowed her body onto the table.

Tseng shook his head slightly. "Why do I have a feeling Rude won't hear the end of it?"

"Well…" Her lips spread into a wide grin. "Because he won't?"

"You're such a child, Cadence."

She pursed her lips, pouting a bit too theatrically. "I'm just misunderstood."

"Ha, ha…" Tseng mocked, voice serious. "I suggest you get the 'mis' out of your ass because I have a distinct feeling Veld might like to solve the mystery of those disappearing helium tanks from the labs."

"Hey, those were Rude's doing!" The grin instantly disappeared from Caddie's lips. "I'm not accountable for that man's voice fetish."

Tseng visibly cringed. "I'd rather _not_ know certain things about my subordinates, thank you."

Once again, Caddie grinned. "No adding the colour of my thong in the report, then?"

Tseng sighed. He'd given up trying to figure out that _special_ trait that makes a Turk out of a man (or a woman) because, he had a feeling, the knowledge would cause world destruction or at least chronic headaches. In the end, he _was_ carrying a higher rank than her. "So, how did it go?" he asked instead.

Caddie shrugged, playing with the lighter that remained in her fingers, even though Tseng hadn't noticed it before. "We'll have three of them this time."

Tseng raised one eyebrow. "You are serious."

Caddie nodded. "Yup." She raised her eyes and locked them with Tseng's. "Your menace, that girl who I'd just want to feed until she stops looking like death on leave, and that sweet little bottle of poison," she said as a rather worrying (for Tseng) sort of smile appeared on her lips.

"Caddie," Tseng pulled her out of whatever place she had been heading. "He is our protégé, is that understood?"

She nodded, chuckling. "Oh, I'll protect him, alright. Put him in a pretty little cage next to my bed and make him do tricks for treats."

"Caddie," Tseng said louder this time, both eyebrows up. "Focus. As far as I know, you lack that specific thing that makes men's brains leak between their legs."

"Oh, you mean a vagina? I have it right there…" She lowered her eyes onto her lap.

"That's it." Tseng hit his palms onto the table surface a bit too loudly. The girl behind the counter, the 'coffee girl' as they called her, glanced towards the sound, but she quickly returned to doing whatever she was doing, which was probably making up something to keep herself busy. "You get Reno, I get Arsen."

"Do I get to watch?" she said and Tseng choked. He spent the next few seconds coughing and Caddie didn't even bother helping him out. She chuckled instead, relaxing in her chair. Once Tseng was done, she wiggled her eyebrow for a second and grinned. "We can share, you know? Always wanted to see you fuck another man."

"Goodbye, Cadence," Tseng said and got up from his chair. He knew she was teasing, pushing his limits to see when he was going to snap which he, of course, wasn't going to give her no matter what else she said.

"I suppose you're just too perfect for earthly pleasures," Tseng heard her mutter. She knew it was loud enough for him to hear, and she added a teasing note to it, but Tseng decided to ignore it as he waved his hand at her without bothering to look back on his way to the door. It was far too late, he still had far too much to do before Ethan would dismiss the trainees and he probably wouldn't hear the end of it once he'd be in the car with Reno.

His life suddenly seemed way too complicated. He was supposed to be a mentor and a trainer to a kid he was living with (whom he'd actually managed to grow feelings for in such a short time, even though he was still too afraid to admit it). He just knew the alarms in his head far too well, and the fact that he was going to have to keep one eye on Caddie the entire time wasn't helping. And, of course, there was work in general, which kept on piling up upon already existing piles, and Veld wasn't going to cut him some slack any time soon.

He felt his cell phone vibrate in his suit jacket's pocket. He pulled it out, noticing it was Veld. This just wasn't good. "Tseng," he said, sighing, as he hurried his step down the hallway to the elevator.

"Six tanks of compressed helium," Veld said, _not_ amused. "What do you know about it?"


End file.

Final Fantasy VII