legacy_blade | Open Post

[Yeah. He should go. Alright. Yeah.]

So, uh, meet me on the 49th floor tomorrow? By the elevator? Maybe half an hour before the party?

I'll be there.

[Yup. Zack is free to go any time he wants. Any time now, unless he's changed his mind...

In silent question, Reno raises his eyebrows, an amused smile playing across his lips. Zack can always choose to stay, after all. Reno certainly wouldn't complain.]

[That earns a bright smile. Cool. They have a plan. And, well, he should say goodbye, right? How is best?

He acts on impulse, but it feels right. Zack takes the step forward, leans down, and leaves a short, sweet kiss on Reno's lips. Then he backs away with a wave.]

Down payment. On the date. See you tomorrow.

[The kiss comes as a surprise, to say the least. And the kiss is so... sweet. Chaste? Affectionate without being any of the things Reno is used to in kisses. No demands, just... a promise. Like Zack had said. And if Reno wasn't a totally cool, confident adult man, he almost might think that his heart flutters a little bit in his chest when Zack kisses him like that.

Which is obviously ridiculous. Gradeschool kisses can't affect someone of his experience, and they certainly can't leave him in a daze, blinking away the sudden feeling of lightheadedness as he watches Zack's retreating back.

Definitely, absolutely not.]

[Well, at least Reno's not giving chase. Zack smiles and offers a little wave as he backs all the way to the elevator to leave. And hey, success in that he does get out of there.

And that he actually WILL try and clean up for the party the next day. Look at him, waiting by the elevator as promised, in the nicest of his Soldier uniforms, though he does look a little confused and lost without his sword on his back. Poor guy.]

[In typical Reno fashion, by the time he finally saunters around the corner and down the hallway toward Zack, it's about twenty minutes past the time they'd agreed to meet. If Reno's ever been on time in his life, he sure can't remember it.

Tonight he's in the same style of suit he always wears, though for once the usual wrinkles and frayed edges are conspicuously absent. The sharp black lines of the fabric look freshly pressed (Thanks, Cissnei), and he's even gone so far as to button his crisp white dress shirt almost all the way up. Still no tie, of course, because he isn't a total loser. The sleeves of his jacket have been rolled up along with the cuffs of his shirt, exposing the lean muscles of his forearms. Reno's not bulky by any means, but he isn't a beanpole either; while his lanky build and long limbs sometimes give the impression he's a bit scrawny, in reality he has the sort of trim definition that lends itself to speed and agility. A simple braid of black leather encircles one of his wrists just above the point where his hand disappears into the depths of his pants pocket, and his eyes are lined with something dark that seems to make the vibrant blue of his eyes all the more striking.

He approaches Zack wearing one of his characteristic lazy grins, but stops short a few feet away to scrutinize the uniform that hardly seems any different from the one Zack always wears.]

Okay, we gotta do somethin' about this.

[Okay, maybe he's looking rather seriously at Reno because wow, dude cleaned up rather nicely. But hey, so had Zack, right? He was even grinning until Reno gave him that look.

Had he done something wrong?]

Uh, about what? You being late? You should have thought of that sooner.

[Reno takes no small amount of pleasure in the way Zack looks at him. Why yes, he does clean up nicely when he bothers to try, thank you very much. Zack does too, actually. Even if he clearly has no idea how to dress for a cocktail party with the ShinRa execs.

Watching Zack's face fall is kind of like watching a puppy get kicked in the face. It's almost enough to make Reno feel bad... except Reno makes a point to never feel bad about anything, so there's that. Nope, he's totally not feeling bad right now at all.]

Nah, dude. I ain't late, I'm fashionably late. There's like a whole difference... Kinda like there's a difference between a nice, clean uniform and a dress uniform? Ringin' any bells?

[Well in his defense he’s usually going to cocktail parties with ShinRa execs as the guard contingent, not a proper guest. So he’s not used to the idea of this. At all.]

I’m really not getting what you’re trying to get at here, Reno. My uniform is in really good condition. And it’s not like i have a suit or anything.

[Of course Zack isn't understanding what he's getting at. Because Zack's the kind of SOLDIER who requires short sentences made up of only monosyllabic words, and even then he probably won't manage to follow along with the rest of the class, if yesterday's mess was anything to go by. Reno should have learned by now that Zack's the kind of guy who requires action, so that's what he's going to get.]

You have a suit, yo. Just... c'mon.

[Reno grabs Zack by the elbow and drags him back the way he'd come. The elevators aren't far and thankfully, the bracket for 'fashionably late' gives them at least another hour or so before they actually need to show up at the party.]

[Ouch, man. Ouch. Zack’s smart enough to get things, he’s just never been told by Lazard that he’s got a dress uniform. Hell, the things are used so rarely he’s never seen seen one. Not even in promo shots. Still, he’s being lead and he allows it, even if he could have broken the grip easily.]

Do I even get to know what you’re talking about?

[Zacky-boy, Reno literally had to kiss you to get his last message to translate through your thick SOLDIER head. PROTIPS: the thick skull might help in battle, but it definitely doesn't do you any favors elsewhere.]

You look great, babe-- [Reno's talking as he pulls Zack into the elevator, hitting the button for the executive floor.]

--but like I said? You got a fuckin' suit. I know where it is, even if you fuckin' don't. So we're 'bout to go get you dressed up proper for the night.

[Wow, that’s just him being a back country boy. It doesn’t mean he’s not smart, Reno.]

If I had a suit, I’d know it Reno. Like, I would have gone out to buy it and everything. Which, you know, I didn’t. Not like I had parties suited to it anyway.

[Shhhh, Zack. You're so pretty.

Or actually, what you are is being pulled out of the elevator and into Lazard's office. Don't ask why Reno has a key-card that swipes him in, because you probably don't want to know.

(No, really. You don't want to know.)

But anyway.

At some point, Reno's grip on Zack's elbow loosens. By the time he's leading Zack into the darkened room, Reno has him by the hand. Because yeah, he's stealthy like that. Holding hands now, for the win.]

Seriously, shut up. You're only makin' yourself sound... SOLDIERier.

[After that statement that totally makes sense, Reno somehow manages to navigate them through the pitch-black to a door along the far wall. Once again, the lock slides open like Reno belongs here (he definitely doesn't) and a second later, there's a click just before a row of fluorescent lights illuminates the small room. They're standing in some sort of private changing area, a few lockers lining the tiled walls leading toward what appears to be a ridiculously swanky bathroom.]

Right. So. [Reno points at one of the lockers.] There. Open it and prove me right about the suit.

[Listen, he knows that he shouldn’t be in Lazard’s office after hours. He also knows he could get in trouble for stealing things from here. But maybe he’s caught up in the whole hand holding thing. When had that happened? It was nice, yeah, but when had that happened?

Too bad things are going on here, though, that take that hand away. What is this, though? He sighs and reaches for the locker. Which has biometric locks. He’s doing this to humor Reno, not because he’s expecting it to open. Which, of course, it does, with that cheery beep and little rush of air that these sorts of lockers always have, and Zack is left goggling.]

What the hell? That’s…

[He opens the door all the way and WOW he can see how fancy the thing in there is. It’s even got those little colorful band things that are supposed to mean something or other.]

What?

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