Don't Play With Fire (Turks FFVII)

VI) Temperamental

"Hungry?" Reno asks, poking his head into my office. "It's lunch hour."

"No, not really." I shake my head, leaning over to file through a box of files Rufus left for me to figure out. "Gotta get this done. Rufus is a pain in the butt."

"He really doesn't like you," he laughs, shutting the door behind his back. "Too bad. Brought you a sandwich from the caf."

"You can keep it."

"Ungrateful," he scoffs, sitting on the edge of my desk and dropping the wrapped food on top of the paper in front of me. Huffing, I toss it back onto his lap. I groan upon seeing a greasy stain on the center of the page.

"C'mon, Re."

"Well I don't want it."

"Fine."

Reno stands and presses his hands to the surface of the desk. His eyes glitter with mischief and he pulls the paper out of my grasp.

"Already chuggin' out the busy work no one wants, huh?" He grins, peeking over the edge of the page. "Pretty sure I told Tseng I didn't want this one."

"Gee, thanks." I pull it back, staring hard at the words before me. "I don't even know what half this garbagemeans."

"Don't have to. Just sign it and move on."

"And that's why we have to drop the plate," I remind him. He shrugs half-heartedly, turning his eyes to the wall. "It doesn't bother you?"

"It does, I guess. But we gotta do what we gotta do." He puffs out a short, sarcastic laugh. "I dunno. It's a big move, that's for sure."

"Yeah." I force a smile and scribble my name down at the bottom of the page. Screw it. "Well, it's too late to be developing a sense of morality."

"Yeah," he laughs, shaking his head. "So, you're not gonna eat it?"

"Already said no."

"And you're stickin' to it?"

"Yup."

"Fine." He taps the edge of the desk with his rod. "You're tryin' too hard. Not even Rude reads this much, and he's got a stick up his hole."

"Gotta be a curvy stick if this is the peak of his standards," I mutter, turning to another page. Reno snorts. "The only reason I give a rip is because Rufus tried to kill me earlier so."

"Charming one, ain't he?" He rests his weapon his shoulder with a smile. "Shoulda warned you."

"You really have been slacking," I tease, glancing up at him and pushing the sandwich forward with the tip of my pen. "Seriously, I don't want it."

"Alright, got it." Reno lifts the wrapped food and tosses it in the air only to catch it a moment later with a wink. "Reject my love—I see how it is."

"Mhm."

"I'll just have to make someone else swoon over me."

"Go ahead," I mutter, stuck on a word. What the heck does that even mean? "You've got limited options."

"Rude isn't a bad choice."

"Rude wasn't your first choice, though," I remind him, laughing to myself when he shrugs and swings the door open.

"Whatever. See ya later, Cutie."

"Can't wait."

~|~|~|~|~

"Ready to head out?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

I stand on the helipad next to Reno, peering up at the chopper we're to take to the plate tonight. The door behind us slams shut; I turn to see Tseng and Rude coming nearer. Reno raises an eyebrow, cracking a smile at his partner's mirrored expression.