The Continuing Tormentation of Tseng [M]

"Alcohol first, then maybe we can actually find something to eat in this place." He said with a slight hint of teasing amusement in his voice. Loosening his tie just a little, Tseng looked around the surprising clean living room and took a seat on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table and crossing them at the ankles.

"You make it sound like I starve myself," Reno laughed, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of brandy and whiskey. "Trust me, if I could put on weight, I would. Looking like an anorexic kid really isn't the look I'd go for given half a chance."

He flopped onto the sofa next to Tseng, depositing the glass into his lap and holding up the alcohol. "Where would you like to start?" He queried, noting how 'at home' Tseng had made himself so quickly, unable not to give a small smile at it.

Reno gave a low, throaty chuckle and opened the whiskey, pouring it into the glasses for them both. "The cooker had a faulty fuse - I can't be held accountable for your kitchen appliances trying to kill me." He handed him one of the glasses with a grin. "Besides, what I managed to salvage wasn't half bad - even you admitted that."

Reno smiled and took a sip from his own glass. "Yeah, you tend to get an appreciation for the more expensive bottles after Rude had beaten it into you. Who knew he'd be such a connoisseur, yo..."

He rest the arch of his feet against the edge of the coffee table, his toes curling ever so slightly. "You know, it's actually the one thing that he'll say more than a sentence about. Getting anything out of him is usually bloody hard but ask him what whiskey to get and you're there for hours."

Reno snorted, amused. "Yeah, well if he didn't second guess me so often I wouldn't have to drag his bullet ridden ass out of the situations he puts us in." He glanced out the corner of his eye at Tseng, almost pointedly. "You already know that though - I'm not as stupid as everyone thinks, and when everyone else catches on they might listen to me now and then... But hey, at least you don't kick my ass every time Rude blames me these days."

"You just love an excuse to get your hands on me, boss," Reno smirked in response, taking a larger mouthful from his glass. "Any excuse to get me sweaty and then naked... though usually it ends in me sweaty, half dressed and half covered in bandages..."

He chuckled - he didn't mind it so much, getting battered. When it came with broken bones he minded a little more, however.

Reno almost choked on his drink. "You're kidding me right? You're far too good for me to ever get close, Tseng. I'm like a monkey in a suit... if I land something on a person it's because I'm flailing too much for it not to happen eventually. You... you're fluid, graceful - effortless. The only person I've seen even close to making it look as good as you do is Seph... and that's not really surprising considering."


He shifted and looked at Tseng with a frown. "The way you keep talking I half expect to wake up some day soon to find you swallowed your gun," he said quietly, his tone betraying just how distressed that thought made him. "Your predecessor," (no, he still can't say his name), "was the Director for decades. You have a lot of life left in you, and far too much to give to roll over and play dead."

Reno refilled their glasses, saying nothing for a moment while he tried to gather his thoughts, to put his emotions in check.

"As long as there are corporations like ShinRa, people like us are needed," he settled on, handing Tseng his glass again. "Look, shit changes with companies, always does - but only on the surface. Under it all everything is exactly the same. No matter what happens, we're going to be needed to make sure someone doesn't get lynched... We're not going anywhere."