#—𝐷𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛' 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑠.(throwing back grenades)

[devilreno]

It had been months since she has heard from Reno and yet, Tifa had been able to refrain from contacting him. She couldn’t risk revealing their secret, or worse, distract him during whatever dangerous mission he may be tangled up in. Yet tonight, when the rain is crashing against her window, Tifa found herself typing a message to his phone. Looking back, she reminisced on their past conversations. She missed his way of typing and talking, and how he would move his hand as he spoke. Without thinking, she began… [ To: Reno ] /Hey, I hope you’re okay.. I miss yo—/ backspace. Backspace backspace. Tifa closed her phone. As much as her heart ached, she couldn’t allow a moment of weakness and lapse in judgement do any harm to him.

@sweettifalockhart

The air is an anxious swirl of drops, wind-freed from gravity. Heavenly drops fall and merge with their puddles of brethren within the rain-soaked ground. A splash caused by a sole meeting one puddle sends the droplets away once more. Red swirls akin to ink against soaked fabric. A hand is motioned up to brush away a stray crystal drop from a red-stained cheek. And from below a smile grows like a checkmark.

As stealthy as he can be, the Turk sneaks around the minuscule buildings. He’d rather not deal with any of those Avalanche nerds, aside from Tifa. But at this late hour he’d assume they’d be tucking themselves in for a bedtime story or something. Not that Reno would be fazed if some of them gets in his way. He knows how to play it off. He hasn’t gotten any updates, and nor has he heard from Rude or Tseng. That’s the only time he might flee from the spot if his presence is needed back in headquarters at a quarter past whatever hour it is flat. The Turk goes with his interests but he very well knows when to draw the line between work and his love affairs.

He wouldn’t want to startle her, so Reno appears next to her window, outstretching an arm and lightly knocking on the glass. He leaves his hand hanging for a moment so Tifa can notice it and to whom it belongs. His other hand hoists the EMR above his shoulder. Meanwhile, he’s on the lookout in case a certain chunky blade swings its way toward him. Yeah, he hasn’t had his little revenge yet and that spikey haired merc better not intervene or the Turk might be getting it sooner than he’d planned. And now, back to the important stuff. Tifa.

[devilreno]

@sometimesrufus​ said: "Good." Rufus pulls him into a heated kiss.

        The Turk is about to ask what task will be given to him next, supposedly the adrenaline requires to be burned somehow. The second he is pulled in and his lips are met with Rufus’, he takes a hint that this ‘task’ might not be business related. Not right now, at least. He allows some passion to be steeped in this heated session by deepening the kiss. And until he needs to fill his lungs with air again, he will be reminding himself of how such intimacy felt like.

       “Damn,” he voices upon a brief break to take a breather. “An’ ‘ere I thought I’ll be burnin’ the steam off in a mission first. Guess, that’s for later.”

[devilreno]

@valhyr​ said:  ringed claws curl 'neath his jaw , drawing the turk forward. painted lips brush rather chastely at the corner of his mouth ( imprint of lipstick therein left ) , words whispered with the usual snare of rich smokiness and no sore lack of fondness , "good to see you , red." // verona

       Roseate lips curve into a complacent line, eyelids lower for a content, focused look. Turquoise irises reflect a shine of silver, a molten moon into Verona’s striking optics. A low hum emits as the Turk remains still in his position, chin basking in the cool touch of her fingertips. The feel of plush lips is warm in contrast. His expression softens, relaxed is a state of the soul that carries through the man in the current moment.

      “Likewise. We got a lotta catchin’ up to do, huh. How’s life treatin’ ya, ‘Rona?”

[devilreno]

Melissa might have been a bit too tired - and it showed in how her smile was a little less brighter, her eyes holding less of that warm glow they usually had for the patrons. If Reno had any doubt she was exhausted, they surely were erased by how the madame sat by his side and just allowed her head to rest over his shoulder. Well - who knew Reno was just so comfortable like a human pillow, really.

@stingslikeabee

       Black suit catches the disco ball light that twirls above in the dim yet aesthetically pleasant for the eye surroundings. Fingers envelop the petite stem of a cocktail glass and raise it up to roseate lips. Reno takes a sip, occasionally throwing a glance at the events unraveling in front of him. A figure approaches from the side, caught in the Turk’s peripheral vision as he leans back in his seat. A coincidence it was, he thought of Melissa at that moment and she’d graced him with her presence. Reno places the glass back down on the table and withdraws his hand, resting it on his lap.

       He could sense the mild, gentle weight on his shoulder. Remaining still in place not to disrupt, a light smile etches on the redhead’s lips. He did perceive the lack of liveliness in Melissa’s gaze and assumes it might only be a sign of tiredness. Just in case he makes a comment to be sure that is so.

      “Seems like it’s been a long day for ya. Gonna head off early? You deserve some rest.” If necessary, he could stay by her side until the end of her work, considering that he is still present in the location. He isn’t expecting a call-in, at least not anytime soon.

[devilreno]

That ponytail of his would be flicked over his shoulder almost like the wind had something to do with it, but no. A soft 'hump'!1 sound made as a pair of hands used his shoulders to vault some extra weight upon his back. Arms over his shoulders with hands blanketing over his eyes with a playful tone buzzing in his ear. "Guess whoooooo~?"

@justapeskyninja

       That is quite the dangerous approach from behind. Luckily, he wouldn’t be a Turk if he couldn’t detect the slightest activity in order to evade any possible assault. Then again, he’s also been used to carrying Yuffie like a backpack that he’d gone immune to her appearing at sides where he can’t see.

      Turquoise optics dart towards the strand of red ink getting flicked over his shoulder. That’s a good heads up, at least. From the sound of the familiar voice, Reno is content to stay in his position. And in response to the light weight pressed to his back, he shifts his eyes forth, an amused eye-roll with the edges of his lips tugging into a smirk. As the hands drape in front of his eyes he huffs a chuckle.

      “A chipmunk with a headband?”

      He would then take a hold of her hands to lower them before he somewhat comfortably leans back, tilted, so the side of his head meets hers.

      “Good to see ya alive an' kickin', Yuffie McFluffie.”

[devilreno]

@battleshot​ said: " haaave i told you how hot you look today? don't remember giving you the rights to look that good..."

       “Can’t help somethin’ I can’t control,” he says in jest. “Is part of the charm.”

      Lips quirk into a smirk, his hand idly moves the rod over his shoulder. A light shrug to his shoulders and then he steps forward to face the blond.

      “An’ you’re the one bein’ all cute, millin’ ‘bout by yourself, unsupervised. What if someone tries to hit on ya? Luckily I’m ‘ere.”

[devilreno]

Claws pop out in excitement as he jumps up at Reno as they dig into the Turk's pants. "Are we gonna go on a mission?" Personally, he was growing tired of delivering pens to the others every day that needed them in the nearby offices. Where was the fun in that? "Can we?"

       “Ow!” Reno exclaims with offense taken written all over his expression from the arch to his brows to his curved upper lip. Even so, he maintains his composure as he plucks the cub off his legs, gritting his teeth from the mild pain that follows. He briefly holds Simba by the scruff before leaning him on his arm.

      “Yeah, soon. Once I’m put on duty, we’re gonna have fun. I reckon ya were good while I was gone? I told Rude to watch over ya.”

[devilreno]

@sometimesrufus​ said: "It's about time you got back. Are you in one piece?"

      “All in one piece and ready for action, yo!”

[devilreno]

@battleshot​ said: “ … I thought you weren’t coming back… I… I thought you were dead… Reno? Is that… is that really you?”

       Feeling empty and feeling tired have such a strong connection to one another that he needs to take a seat and distinguish one from the other. It gets bad when it's both. The need to refill one's soul with something positive and dust off the pain that has been both exhausting one's mind and body. The wounds have long healed on the physical spectrum but on the mental— he’s still recovering. All pain has its end at some point, a rock bottom, and finding it is a blessing. And the Turk hasn’t lost hope. As if. He won’t dare let the obscure hurt to overwhelm and alter the way he sees life. Life has always been difficult. But that’s the fun part of living. The challenges. The pain even. It doesn’t faze him. Not for long at least. Everything will pass. Whether it’s good or bad.

       So what? He’s gotten in a lil’ bit of trouble. That could’ve cost his life if he didn’t play his cards right. Let’s say, he’d ran into an old friend from his delinquent days in high school. And to secure his secret identity within the Turks, Reno had to do a few things. To which, his ‘old friend’ didn’t quite approve of. Overall, pretending to be in an old gang that’s against ShinRa didn’t end up that well. At least, the bad ol’ misfits won’t be trying abducting him anytime soon after the damage he inflicted upon them because of that.

       He’d recently returned to his position at ShinRa, got a haircut (it’s been way too many months since he trimmed his hair), and took care of his health.

       Reno hadn’t considered everyone’s reactions. Normally, when one has been ascent for this long they are labelled as dead. That’s what he thought. He was sought for this long with no traces. Until he’d returned as though nothing happened. But actually, a lot has happened.

       An obsidian collar, fairly firmly wrapped round his neck to hide a scar. The suit is still the same, so is the attitude.

       Lips part open as to emit a sigh before a brief, low chuckle.

       “Did ya really think I was dead?”— mostly said in jest.

       “I die hard. Everyone should’ve known that by now.”

       He twirls the rod above his shoulder, his head tilted back. The corners of his lips turn up into a light smile.

       “Yup, it’s me. Still alive and kickin’.”

[devilreno]

@roseusuitta​ said: ' it's been a while since i've seen you around here. i almost missed you! ' she teased. '

       He could definitely recognize this playful, light-hearted voice anywhere. At least, she wouldn’t exactly hold it against him for being absent for this long. Mayhaps it was convenient for her. After all, he was her self-proclaimed bodyguard that watched over her. Although he wasn’t making it all too apparent to her all the time, she still knew she had no privacy. And frankly, even Reno thought that being tasked to keep an eye on a girl, who was just minding her own business, like a hawk was kind of uncanny.

       Anywho…        Well, she doesn’t seem to be that disappointed that he’s back. A hum follows to her words, the edges of his lips tugging a bit into a light smirk.

       “Almost? Huh, that’s slightly exceeding my expectations. Woulda expected ya to turn the ‘yay’ to ‘nay’ when ya saw me.” He says in jest.

[devilreno]

@sixba​ said: "Reno! Reno! Guess what?" Was Simba going to tell the Turk almost everything he'd done with Rufus? Yup. "Rufus, Dark and I took rides in the car and there was all this stuff and there was a surprise on the phone too with somebody Rufus was talking to and... What else? We went to Junon too!"

       It’s like his mind short-circuits from all the information at once...

       “Woah, woah, there, lil’ beastie! Where’s the fire? Take it slow. One event at a time. So, you, Rufus, Dark Nation took rides in the car. Ya went to Junon. And what was that part 'bout a surprise? Also… kinda jelly ya two went to places without me.”

[devilreno]

@stingslikeabee​ said: Melissa pressed a kiss to his cheek, soft and sweet. "Hey stranger," she smiled then, "I have missed you."

       The corners of his lips curl upward in a light smile, turquoise optics observing the woman’s facial features once she pulls away, the phantom feeling of her kiss lingering on his cheek.

       “Long time no see. Hope I’m back at a convenient time. I know I’ve got a lot to catch up with. Mind if I buzz in the Honey Bee Inn sometime?”

[devilreno]

@eiskatana​ said: Leaps at him, wraps her arms around his neck & shoulders and gives him a big ol smooch!! 

       He extends his arms out to her by instinct.

       “Hey, Tae—“        But before he could say anything further their lips are sealed into a kiss. After returning it, he chuckles, motioning his arms in a loop around her frame for a close hug.

       “Missed me?”

[devilreno]

slap : my muse slaps your muse across the face out of anger.

some one word prompts // @shinrapresident​

        He hears it coming, the susurration of footsteps, like a threatening whisper.

       The slap is as loud as a clap and stings his face. It has been an open-handed smack and leaves a red welt behind, just below his left eye. He staggers backwards, clutching his face. When black dots quit covering his vision, he is standing in the middle of the room and his shocked gaze meets Rufus’ own, glaring daggers and cutting through just by the look in his eyes.

       The phantom feeling of the President’s hand lingers, burns, aches on his cheek. Adrenaline rush has his face flush and his heart beating like a drum in his chest like it’s trying to escape. Seeing the President angered poured gasoline onto the spark of fear in the pit of his stomach. Eyes widened, breaths ragged and harsh, his legs are frozen in place.

       “I—“ he clears his throat, the more seconds pass the more the tension grows, “I can do better…”

       He doesn’t know what is right to be said. At this point on, he knows it’s better not to open his mouth anymore. He can feel the sweat in his palms as he lowers his hand down. The red tint of the burn on his face has deepened from the blood flow. The paralyzing fear spreads through his body like icy, liquid metal. He has no say in this, the only time he cannot allow himself to object but remain obedient.

[devilreno]

@xxvernalagniaxx​ said: "Well my day just got better for sure. Hi foxhaired."

       “Lookie who it is. The floral princess has come to see me. Could smell your aroma the moment ya walked in.” He voices in response, a teasing tone playing on his vocal cords.

       “Feels good to see more familiar faces. Been a while. Should grab a drink together sometime.”  

[devilreno]

@xxvernalagniaxx​ said: "You-you are back!" Vesna was not only in awe but she also started to cry. It was not bawling but silent sob with tear streaming on her cheek. "I will sound sentimental but I was afraid I would never see you again. "

       It takes a moment for the said to be taken from his hearing and registered. He finds himself both surprised and somewhat concerned. The Turk's face first washes blank but then he brings a hand up to rub the back of his neck when he comes to understand the situation. He’s not good at these things. Especially when he had no idea that his leave had an impact on Vesna.

       “Hey, hey,” he begins with a meek tone to his voice. That’s when for a second he considers what he would say next, mustering the words just right.

       “Yeah… I’m back. And, uh, aw geez… if I knew I woulda made’ja cry for leaving for this long I probably woulda taken ya with me.” He says in jest, a smile forming upon his face.

       “How ‘bout a hug?”