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The Perk, Sunday Morning

Okay, so there were probably better things that Reno could do with his mornings than head out to get coffee from the Perk. He had a final to prepare, a lesson plan for next term to write up, a girlfriend to entertain, and all.

So maybe this particular outing was an attempt to replace some of his current vices with some new, slightly more responsible ones. There was nothing the matter with coffee, right?

Or maybe it was just an excuse to get out and stretch his legs for a bit. Because exercise was good for him, too, and hanging out in one of the town's more reputable businesses was probably good for the psyche after a year spent in Edge.

Or maybe he was just trying to lose the duck who had tailed him out the door of his apartment, who was now standing outside the entrance to the perk, flapping its wings and quacking after Reno, loudly.

Reno didn't hear it. Honest. He was just here to drink coffee. Delicious, dark roast, black, bitter, coffee. Duck? What duck? He knew of no duck.

[Open!]

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There was a duck outside of the Perk.

Ino stared down at the duck who was blocking her way into the Perk where sugary goodness in the form of hot chocolate awaited her.

"You want in?" she asked the duck, raising her eyebrows. The duck quacked and honked and waved its wings around.

... Ino was taking that as a yes. For all she knew, it was a student with a massive caffeine addiction. Who was she to get in its way?

"Sure," she said, shrugging. "Let me get that door for you."

Once she (and the duck were inside) the duck made a beeline for Reno.

... So maybe it wasn't a student after all. She snickered as she went to get her hot chocolate.

[Duck modded with permission omigod!]

Reno just sighed. Sighed and relented as the duck gave him angry eyes. Fine. He'd get himself another cup of coffee.

Because a duck on a caffeine high was totally an awesome idea, right? Stupid friggin' duck.

"You let it in, Rookie," he called, across the room. "This means you owe me another coffee, yo!"

"Ain't my fault," she called back over her shoulder. "It coulda been a student!"

But she'd get him his coffee anyway. It wasn't like that was expensive.

"What, you don't recognize the damn duck that you introduced to the wonders of indoor plumbing?" Reno almost grinned at her, at that.

Yes. He was still proud of his Rookies for the prank that had led to the waterfowl deciding that it was going to take up residence in his bathroom. He'd managed to get most of them out of his apartment, but this one had been... stubborn.

"I resent your accusations," Ino protested as she paid for the drinks and brought them over. "I have had nothing to do with the ducks."

Oh yes she had. But protesting was what had to be done here.

"Gimmie." First thing was first, Reno needed a coffee that didn't currently have a yellow bill dabbling about in it. "And I'll take your word for it, yo."

No, he wouldn't.

"But now you know. This duck's a pain in my ass, yo."

Also, it apparently watched Rikku pee.

Ino arched her eyebrows but handed over the coffee as she curled herself up in a chair by him.

"So you go 'bout blamin' people? How cruel, Reno."

Reno laughed at that, toasting Ino with his coffee before putting it to his lips.

It wasn't booze, but hey, it was wet.

"What can I say," he mused, "I'm a professional bastard, yo."

"Yes yes," she said, rolling her eyes. "Big bad Turk, I get it. What've you been up to, o teacherly one?"

"Entertainin' the girlfriend, tryin' to lose the duck, workin' on class crap, zoto."

'Class crap' was clearly the technical term for it. And he was leaving out 'screwing up the timeline with one Rookie while completely fucking you over in regards to your boyfriend.' That one probably wouldn't go over terribly well.

"Ain't been too busy, I guess. You?"

It really wouldn't, at that.

"Not much happenin'," she said, sipping at her whipped cream in an attempt to get to the hot chocolate underneath it. "It's been quiet lately, you know?"

"Has it?" Reno hadn't noticed. "I heard on radio you asked that SOLDIER boy of yours to move in with you," he added. "That's gotta count for somethin', right?"

Subtle.

"He was already stayin' there anyway," she said, casting a glance over her cup at him. "Just made it formal."

"So, this means you two are," he tapered off, there. He had almost said 'boyfriend and girlfriend,' but there was that little voice in the back of his head. The one that reminded him who he was talking to. The one that pointed out that, if somebody had said the word 'dating' to him a few years back, he would have (and had) freaked out something terrible. "... Comfortable?"

That seemed safer.

She lifted her shoulders in some sort of a shrug.

"We're comfy with each other," Ino said, toying with her drink. "So, why not?"

That was almost insulting to Zack, to downplay it that much.

Another mouthful of coffee. Another moment spent resisting the urge to pick up the duck and throw it out the door like a football.

Hey, it would be funny.

"Comfy, huh?" See, coffee. Very important commodity. "That the kinda comfy that you invite to live with you because you feel better with it near you at night?"

She really didn't know where he was going with that.

"You got a problem with me and Zack livin' together? We wanted to."

Reno waved a dismissive hand her way, causing the duck to ruffle his feathers indignantly, and then returned to his java.

"I ain't got a problem," he said, lying with a perfectly straight face. "I'm just tryin' to figure out what it is my rookie's gettin' herself into, yo."

Ino chewed the likelihood of that over in her mind. She can't decide if he's telling the truth or not.

"Getting myself into?" she asked archly. "Ain't it pretty simple?"

"What, a relationship?" And now, yes, Reno's voice had gone from carefully open to something that was almost teasing. Just a little nibbing between Rookie and Turk.

That's all. Just a little nibbing.

"Now, what am I gonna do if the Puppy goes and gets down on one knee an' steals my Rookie away from me, huh?"

She was so lucky she hadn't been drinking as a flush stole across her face.

"He wouldn't do that!"

Because, at this point, Zack really had to know that Ino would freak out.

Reno was carefully taking that blush, noting it, filing it away. Doing what it was that Turks did, while slipping into a laugh that came all too easily, letting the side of him that didn't care about the situation show itself while the rest of him sat back and took notes.

"What, because you don't want him to? The color in your cheeks has gotta mean somethin', yo."

"Don't joke about things like that!" Ino protested. "It's embarrassing!"

And that colour wasn't going anywhere fast.

"We're not--like that."

No, they'd skipped the whole 'newlywed' stage and wandered into 'old married couple' months ago.

"Nah?" And now Reno was leaning forward, over the stupid duck (who was nearly finished his coffee), with that look in his eye that usually showed when he was about to ask things like, 'hey, Rude! Who do you like?'

"So, what are you like, then?"

Reno. Gossip. It was a thing.

It was a thing and she almost contemplated lobbing a kick his way.

"We're..." How to put it. Ino shrugged a bit irritably. "Us. It's not so much a 'me and him' as it is an 'us' and we're okay with that."

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