Chapter 3

By Crystal Snowflakes

Author's Notes: ...Yeah, 2020 is a weird one.

"We are continuing to urge residents who are in Edge and Junon to stay home unless you have essential reasons to leave such as work, shopping for food or medical appointments. All schools will be closed for two week starting Monday and childcare will be made available for essential workers only. All non-essential businesses are closed. Infection cases have been climbing in both cities while lockdowns and other measures have been set in place and top experts on infectious diseases are hopeful that this will 'flatten the curve'."

"Wutai has closed their borders for non-residents and non-citizens in response to the epidemic. Lord Godo has reiterated the need for Wutains abroad to return home and self-isolate for fourteen days."

"Costa Del Sol beaches are remaining open to both residents and visitors. However, please check the WRO website for social distancing guidelines for public beaches, including staying at home if you feel sick and maintaining a minimum six-feet social distance from people not in your group."

Reno had his elbows on his knees as he leaned into his clenched fists, his jaw tense. He snorted as he grabbed his coffee for a quick sip, "You'd think they'd realize it was a bad idea to keep the beaches open."

"Well at least the old man seems to be doing something right, for once," Yuffie muttered to herself as she sat with her knees under her chin, leaning against the back of the couch with a frown on her face. "You'd think that after Sephiroth, Geostigma and Deepground, nothing would faze me anymore, but gawd, waking up this morning, I felt like I was in a dream...well, nightmare."

He's lips quirked up slightly as he glanced at her, "Reminds me of those shitty zombies you make me watch with you."

She looked at him, her cheeks blushing a little from his intense gaze because she felt that something had shifted in their relationship since a few nights ago. She chose to stick out her tongue before responding, "Admit it. You liked watching them."

He didn't deny it, "Well, guess we're stuck for at least two more weeks."

Yuffie sighed as she stood up on her tippy-toes, stretching her arms up as far as she could before falling backwards on the couch again, "I'm soooooooo booooooooored!" She gave another big sigh, falling sideways onto the couch and kicking up her feet onto his lap.

Reno's head dodged her feet and he rested his hands on her ankles, "It's only day five, sweetheart. How are you gonna survive another fourteen?"

The last few days had been blissful as they dodged any questions sent their way. While both of them had admitted that they were somewhat in a relationship, they didn't feel the need to disclose more information. And it seemed like their friends were a little too preoccupied to ask questions for the time being. Barely anyone called and their 'working remotely' hadn't really included any work except for a few video calls and keeping an eye on their emails since neither of their regular work could really be done remotely.

"Fourteen if we're lucky," Yuffie grumbled, bending her neck backwards to look forlornly at the balcony door that was the only thing standing between her and her freedom. "How are you not bored?"

"Who says I'm not? I'm just not a whiny brat like you," he said, pointing the remote control at the television to turn it off as he knocked her feet off of his knees and stood up to collect the dishes.

She groaned in complaint, her eyes fluttering shut and she debated on taking a nap at nine in the morning. Luckily, the ringing of her phone brought a sudden surge of energy and she sat up to swipe her phone off the table. Frowning slightly at the video call coming from Tifa, and glad for some entertainment, she glanced briefly at the wall behind her and decided that it was inconspicuous enough and accepted the call.

"It's a video call!" she called out to the redhead as she brought the phone up to her eye-level. As soon as the connection connected, she chirped, "I haven't been cut into cubes yet, Teef!"

"Ewwwww! Why would you be cut into cubes?" A face with large brown eyes sporting a short bob cut stared at her from her screen.

Yuffie's eyes widened, "Oh sh-crap! Hi Marley! I wasn't expecting you." She could hear Reno's stifled snickers from the kitchen. "Is Denny with you too?"

A large ear-piercing screech could be heard from Marlene as the screen shook from their end and Yuffie could see the wince from Reno from the corner of her eyes.

"Gimme!" Denzel could be heard.

"No! I had it first, Denzel!"

"I wanna say hi to Yuffie!"

"You can wait your turn to say hi! Tifaaaaaaaaaa! Denny's being mean!"

The phone shook for a few more moments with shuffling noises until Tifa's face was finally on the screen, "Hey. Can you tell it's a little hectic here and the kids are a little stir crazy?" Even so, the kids' voices could be heard screaming in the background and she could tell it was killing Reno's patience with the glare he was sending her.

Yuffie's lips quirked up in a half pained smile, "I don't envy you right now, Teef." It was hard enough and boring enough to have to entertain herself and plan meals with just two adults. She couldn't imagine how painful it would be to have to entertain two semi-independent children and have to make meals for them too.

Tifa could be heard shushing the two children as she walked to Cloud's office to take a seat in his chair, "Goodness. The amount of screen time I've let them get away with...makes me feel like a bad parent. We've been trying to do some school work too, but wow..."

Yuffie giggled a little, "Give them all the screentime in the world. What could hurt?" Noticing the lack of mention of Cloud, she asked, "Spikey around?"

Tifa shook her head as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "He's up in Icicle Village right now. All transportations are closed, so he'll stay there for the time being and worse comes to worse, he'll have Cid pick him up."

They spent some time talking about how Icicle Village still hadn't closed their tourist attractions and how most of the small villages seemed to be ignoring the virus. Tifa was naturally a worrywart and had apparently called everyone to check on them, including Elmyra who was residing in Kalm still.

And then suddenly, Marlene's voice was heard and Yuffie instinctively shot her eyes towards the redhead who was now sitting beside her on his own phone. He cringed at the high-pitched voice. "Yuffieeeeeeee! We're gonna go play video games in the room now. See you later!" And without seeing Marlene on the screen, Yuffie could hear Marlene's feet bounding up the wooden stairs. Denzel's voice could also be heard in the background saying goodbye to Yuffie.

Tifa's ruby-wined eyes trailed Marlene and Denzel and when she seemed sure that they were out of hearing range, she gazed at her earnestly. "Yuffie...about the boyfriend…" she trailed off a little, unsure, her eyes studying the t-shirt on Yuffie's small frame that clearly didn't belong to her.

Yuffie stiffened, even though she really did expect this conversation because the martial artist didn't know when to not worry, "I'm really fine, Teef."

"I'm just worried, Yuffie. It seems like a bit of a rush, even for you. Are you sure you don't want to go on a date with—"

"Eep!" Yuffie couldn't press on the mute button fast enough as she watched Tifa's lips moving soundlessly and without taking a glance at Reno, she pressed the phone to her chest. Hopping over the coffee table, she scrambled into the bedroom and closed the door without tripping once, which was quite the feat for her.

"Teef!" she hissed, unmuting the older woman, "He was right beside me!" She cursed herself for not plugging in the headphones earlier.

"Oh! Crap! Sorry!" she squeaked, holding one of her hands to her mouth, "I knew you were with him...I just...forgot."

Yuffie sighed, "This whole video calling thing is gonna take some getting used to." She didn't look forward to the conversation she'd be having with Reno, if the last time she brought up the blind date was any indication. She blew her hair out of her face, a little frustrated, "I'm gonna go do some damage control, 'kay Teef?"

Tifa squirmed a little from guilt, "You'll be okay?"

Yuffie bit her lips, imagining the angry scowl on Reno's face and finally settled on an uncertain, "I hope so? I'll text you later, 'kay?" She hung up without waiting for an answer.

Half of her debated on staying in the room until she was sure Reno wasn't as mad, but she also knew that if she let him stew in anger, he might get even angrier. And Yuffie, of all the things that she was, was no coward. She'd take the challenge straight on, even though all of her was screaming at her to hide under the blanket.

The moment she left the safety confines of the bedroom, she could feel the shift in the air. There was a heavy tension in the room and one look at Reno would have scared a lesser being away, but she was the next Empress of Wutai, a three-time Savior of the goddamn Planet and the Head of Espionage and Intelligence at the WRO and she was not going to cower to this...extremely livid, very dangerous and really handsome man.

The worst part of it was that he didn't even look angry. He was looking at her with measured indifference, which Yuffie knew was deceptive because he was angriest when he looked distant. He was on the couch, his eyes back on his phone, his feet propped up against the coffee table.

Yuffie decided it would be easiest to pretend to be ignorant and she put on her most playful grin on her face, bouncing back onto the couch and collapsed into her usual spot, swinging her legs up to place on his.

With a darkened scowl, he pushed her legs off.

"Hey!" Yuffie yelped and sat up, not really having expected that, "What was that for?"

"You know what the hell that was for," Reno retorted, never once looking up from his phone.

Part of her knew that she was trying to do 'damage control', but another part of her, the impulsive part that got her in more trouble than it's worth, reared its ugly head. Frowning, she snapped back a response, "Don't be such a fricken hypocrite, Mr. Casanova. You've got no right." On the nights she wasn't over, she knew he was out and about, and while it bothered her, she knew it wasn't her place to tell him what to do, so why the hell was he being such a jackass? Yuffie's strength really wasn't in damage control or comforting others, and lashing out in anger was something she was much better at.

Reno snorted with a hint of irritation in his fierce eyes, "You're the one who keeps goin' on dates."

Yuffie stood up and flailed her arms around hotly as she raised her voice at him, "Don't get pissy at me for going on dates when you're out every other night!"

"Yeah. To barhop," Reno countered, the fury in his eyes were blazing now, "With Rude." He stood up, his tall lanky body causing Yuffie to have to look up at him to keep eye contact but she stubbornly refused to give ground. "Like I've always fuckin' done, you fuckin' brat," he sneered cuttingly.

She hated how much taller he was, especially when he was using it to stare down at her and she could tell that he was revelling in that fact. "Yeah?" she spat out, "I know how those end sometimes, so don't you go and be high and mighty about it, you asshole!" She was so angry all she wanted to do was to smack that sneer off his face and the idea that he was with other women on the side brought her so much wrath that she wondered again why she was still here.

His lips were pressed thinly now, but his eyes were still intense with animosity. "Do you always like to jump to conclusions and make yourself look like an ass?" he scoffed.

She seethed, "Like hell I jump to conclusions! I've seen you pick up chicks at Seventh Heaven! I know what the hell you d—"

And before she could finish her sentence, he had one arm wrapped around her roughly, pulling her closer to him, the other grasping the back of her head. Yuffie wondered for a brief second if he was actually going to kill her cause he was both mad enough and skilled enough to do it, but then he kissed her roughly and her instincts kicked in. She tried to kick him and wriggle out of his arms, and when that didn't do anything, she bit his lip just hard enough to draw blood.

He drew back, his thumb reaching up to feel his lips, "What the fuck is wrong w—"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she spluttered angrily, feeling like her chest was about to explode from the rage, her eyes tearing up with fury. "You can't just grab me like that and, and…"

Reno was still staring down at her, aquamarine orbs infuriated, "What the fuck do you want, Yuffie?" His left hand was clenched tightly to his side and she deliberated whether he was going to punch her, while his other hand ran through his hair exasperatingly.

"Me?" she fumed, glaring up at him, noticing how close they were standing but still refusing to back away, "You're the one who started this! You don't get to ask me what I want, you dick!" She gritted her teeth as she used the back of her wrist to wipe away the wetness at the corner of her eyes.

"I'm the one who started this? Forgive me for being pissed off after gettin' accused of shit I didn't do," he growled out.

Yuffie didn't think she had ever seen him so angry before, but it was too late for her to back down. "I didn't accuse you of anything that didn't happen!" she shouted, her voice sounding hoarse even to herself. All she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears, the sound growing louder with each passing second.

His blue-green eyes glowered at her coldly, "For fuck's sake, Yuff. I haven't been seein' anyone else for six months." He closed his eyes bitterly and spoke the next words in a chilly, dead tone, "Just get out."

"W-what?" All her anger seeped away as she heard his admission.

"I told you to get out," he repeated himself callously.

Eyes wide, she shook her head as she reached her hand out, "Reno, I'm so—" He dodged her touch and she could feel her heart drop to the ground.

"Fine," he said, his face carefully blank, "I'll leave. But you better be fuckin' gone when I'm back."

Just as he was about to turn around, Yuffie slipped past him and grabbed both her weapon and knapsack by the door and she slipped on her boots without tying them up. She swallowed thickly before braving herself to speak, making sure not to turn around and look back, "It's your place. I should go. I'll bring the clothes back sometime."

Before he could say anything else, she opened the door and walked through, closing the door gently behind her.

Author's Notes: Uh...so much for fluff lol. Why don't these things ever go the way I want them to? But honestly, being stuck at home can be difficult for even the most sane people.

As usual, comments and suggestions are very much appreciated!

Completed: July 12, 2020