Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated materials are property of Squaresoft. The song "Poem to a Horse" belongs to Shakira.

Poem to a Horse
By: Nanaki BH

"You think that's bad? I heard something even worse!"

Elena, chin in her palms, leaned in to listen to the delicate discussion. It was a debatable theory; one that had been circulating through the food court cliques for a little more than a month. What was odd about said "theory" was that there wasn't necessarily any fuel that started the fire, yet it kept on burning. It was bizarre and certainly a little taboo. Whether it was true… now, that's where the word "debatable" came into play.

"So you really think they're sleeping together?" she asked her friends, still entranced as she ate a chopstick's worth of ramen.

Her one friend (who they deemed the "queen of all that was gossip fact") sat back in her chair. "Of course I think they're fucking, Elena!" She winced. "Who wouldn't want to get in the president's son's pants? The kid's gorgeous – have you not seen him? And we're talking about Reno here. He fucks anything that moves."

She sat down her steaming cup. "But it's wrong. Reno knows better than that."

"Honey… I think you're crediting him with too much."

Maybe so, she thought, but she would be the one to find out once and for all if the rumors were true. So she finished her ramen hurriedly and set off to find Reno, despite the jeers of her coworkers. They're so convinced they're right, she thought snidely. She knew Reno and he was ten times more level headed than all of them put together.

She stopped outside of the Turks' lounge room just long enough to make herself presentable. Then, with a dignified nod of her head, she entered. Reno and Rude sat predictably on the couch watching the news with little interest. Reno snorted to acknowledge her presence. There's no way he's gay. Even if he were, she thought, he wouldn't be with a pretty boy like the vice.

She took in his full appearance: the untidy clothes, the tousled bed hair, the familiar stench of cigarette smoke… It all proved to confirm her speculations. Reno was undoubtedly straight.

He leaned forward and opened himself a fresh can of beer. "You're boring me here, yo. I'm sure there's something better on, Rude."

His silent friend picked his head up off the back of the couch to look around for the remote. Elena was quick to notice it at her feet. She must have looked between Rude and the remote at least seven times before she realize Rude was telling her in that silent manner that he was too lazy to get up and get it himself.

She sighed… but then realized that the remote was presenting the perfect opportunity for her to further questions Reno's… "situation". She bent down to pick up the remote, making her chest as prominent as possible.

Reno didn't look.

She figured that he just must have not noticed. She stood up sexily, even rubbing her free hand languidly over her curves, but there was still no reaction from Reno. He normally had such good radar for those kinds of things. He would point out all of the smallest sexual innuendos in just about everything imaginable – or unimaginable even. For him not to notice was odd; even if he wasn't looking in her direction. It was just an assumed given that he had eyes in the back of his head.

Elena looked from the remote back up to Rude who, at that point, was looking a bit annoyed. "Sorry," she muttered apologetically, "just thinking." But she didn't just hand him the remote. No, that would have been a free ride for the both of them. Instead, she sat down between them on the middle cushion before finally handed Rude his beloved remote.

"Reno," she said softly, putting a hand on his thigh, "I want to talk to you."

"The hell? You better not be telling me you have feelings for me or some shit."

Leave it to Reno, she thought. "Ah… no," she sighed, removing her hand and placing it awkwardly in her lap. "But I just… want to ask you something. But please, not here. Care to go out in the hall?"

It looked like she'd caught him hook, line, and sinker. All she had to do was reel him in. "Whatever," was all he said; and with it, sealed his fate. She stood up, eager to push him out the door and ask the question that had been bugging her for so long. She watched impatiently as Reno shared a look with his friend. They shrugged simultaneously, like a mutual agreement of some sort. Reno got up and followed her out.

Once they were both out in the hall, she closed the door. She looked both ways and made sure no one was watching; made sure no one else was even in the halls. When she turned back to him he was lighting himself a cigarette. "You know you can't smoke in the halls," she warned.

"Like I care." He flicked the lighter closed and took a drag.

She sighed… though it was nowhere near as feminine as a sigh should be. It was more like a frustrated groan. "Alright, Reno, just listen to me." She had his attention, no matter how disinterested it may have been. But once she had him, she didn't know what to say. There was a thin line between being a friend and being nosy. She certainly wasn't Reno's friend. In fact, if it were up to him, he would probably have nothing to do with her. She reasoned that it was Reno's right to know what people were saying about him.

"I just thought that you should know, okay?" she shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

He rolled his eyes. "What now?"

She swallowed hard. It was "now or never" and that time was decidedly "now". "People are saying that you're having a sexual affair with Rufus Shinra." There. It was out quick and she couldn't take it back. Her face flushed in embarrassment; if not for her, then for him.

He took another long drag, exhaling the smoke slowly. "And… is that it?"

"What do you mean is that it?" she asked in horror. He must not be surprised by it or something. Maybe he's heard about it already. "Oh," she laughed, trying her best to sound natural. "So you've heard about that?"

"Nah," he said casually. "Just a little surprised it took this long for word to get around."

She was completely baffled. She decided to be stubborn. There was no way she was about to lose to those bitches she called friends. Reno was straight. She would prove it one way or another, even if it meant dragging him over to their table to tell them himself. "So wait a second," she said, still trying to work a definitely answer from him. "You're gay?"

"Who said anything about being gay? We're talking about me and Rufus, right?" The unknowledgeable look on his face almost knocked her off her feet.

"Yes!" she cried. "That's what we're talking about! Are you or are you not sleeping with the president's son!"

He flinched mid puff and almost choked on the smoke. "Use your indoor voice, kid. Don't want the president himself to know about it." Reno leaned back against the closed door, cigarette held loosely in his mouth. "And yes. Yes, I am – but don't go thinking that I'm doing it because I'm an asshole or an idiot or something. I love the kid, alright?" He shook his head. "Don't tell anybody that either."

Elena stood there motionless, feeling somewhat out of place. Somehow she had managed to work out one of Reno's most personal things from his own mouth. She felt rude; like she'd just asked for too much. "I'm sorry, I feel kind of rude now," she said honestly.

The Turk grinned, the cigarette dangling precariously from his lower lip. "Don't worry about it. It's not like we're ashamed of it or anything. Jus' that certain people around here wouldn't much like the idea of two very attractive men in the same bed." He of course meant President Shinra; Rufus's father. And although it was serious business, he laughed.

That laugh, she decided, would be what would get him fired one day. Somehow, she knew, the president would find out about what he (they, she corrected herself) was doing. So when Reno would get called to his office he would blow him off with that stupid grin and get his ass fired for it. It wouldn't even necessarily be because of what they'd been doing, but that Reno was proud of it.

"I hope you know what you're doing," was all she could tell him.

He countered, "Tell that to Rufus."

She raised a speculative eyebrow. "Oh really? Why him?"

"He's the one giving me the kisses at night."

Author's Notes: Ah, well that was short and fun. It was written for "#3 jolt!" on the 30kisses community on Livejournal. I always like to put Reno in awkward positions so this one was perfect. Hope you enjoyed it! Comments are always appreciated!