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Talk of the Town, or, The Infamous Footprints

Such a drag to want something sometime
One thing leads to another I know
Was a time wanted you for mine
Nobody knew
You arrived like a day
And passed like a cloud
I made a wish, I said it out loud
Out loud in a crowd
Everybody heard
'twas the talk of the town—Pretenders, Talk of the Town

It was the last clear, warm day of summer and the whole crowd had turned out for it. Even Vincent, who had recently discovered that a short sleeve guayabera and sandals did not, in fact, turn him to dust in direct sunlight, though he wasn't taking any chances with the sunscreen.

Tifa had retained some relief for the bar to join the festivities and was allowing herself to be waited on for once. Marlene and Denzel, who were at last count much too old to play (according to them, anyway), were shrieking around in the water park and being egged on by Barret, while at some distance away Cid was cursing that his cigarette had been put out by a rogue jet of water. Barret passed the hose off to his daughter and walked away, whistling to himself as though nothing had happened.

Reno smiled, his own smoke relatively safe under the cabana of Lulu's Marina, Bar, and Grill, a catch-all complex of art booths, playgrounds, bars, restaurants, boat slips, and bandstands that taken over the last bit of land before the Costa ferry. Somewhat more fashionable than his and Cloud's favorite bar slightly to the north, it was nevertheless fun. He leaned back and observed with some appreciation the swimsuit clad form of his husband of just under one year.

It still wasn't real, in his mind. He had to constantly remind himself, when he woke, that they weren't traipsing all over the planet trying to kill each other and that his desire for Cloud wasn't some dark secret that he locked in the safe places of his heart, but that Cloud was his, and everyone knew it. It had certainly given people something to talk about for a while. He ordered another beer and motioned across the cabana.

Cloud nodded and emptied his glass, and smiled.

"Barret will never get the sand off those kids."

"He's got both of them tonight?"

"Yeah, Tifa said something about payback." He grinned, and Reno's heart stopped.

"Glad we came out today."

"Yeah." Yuffie joined in the water fight and Vincent, wisely, moved behind his boyfriend. The ninja thought Rude was terrifying and that he loathed her, for whatever reason, and it was not a misconception that Vincent had found time to correct.

Cloud leaned up and kissed him. "Wonder why we never came here before?"

"Never had anyone to kill here? After that I guess it was just too family oriented, yo."

"Well. This is our family, fucked up as it is."

"That it is. Gil for your thoughts."

"Thought it was a penny." Cloud nuzzled at his chest.

"Inflation."

"It's just…after killing bad guys and saving planets and other things that just wear my ass thin, this isn't a bad way to live. I never thought I'd think that way. I thought people who were happy like this were boring. I was wrong."

Reno grinned. "Yeah. Well, it's back to work on Monday for me, I guess."

"We'd best head back. It's been kinda fun, riding in the Shitbox all weekend."

"One of these days I have got to get a real car." They downed the last of their beers and said their goodbyes, tactfully declining hugs from Barret and Cid and the two wet children who by now resembled nothing so much as a couple of fish filets battered and ready for the fry pot. They climbed into Reno's ancient Duster with its non-functioning air conditioner, its junkyard transmission, and its quirky seat adjustment, and rumbled off into the night.

They were a little over halfway back to Edge from the small beachside community, when the car quietly sputtered to a stop.

"Fuckpuppets." Reno muttered unhelpfully.

"Clogged line, you think?"

"Hoping so, babe. If it's the pump and not the line we're in for a world of hurt." He pulled a sizable tool box out of the jumbled trunk and tested the battery and alternator first—it was both comforting and disturbing that he had so many car repair and diagnostic tools on him at any given time—but the problem wasn't electrical. He hooked up a work light to the cigarette lighter and began to fiddle around with various and sundry things under the hood.

Cloud perched on the side of the car and watched him, though he really didn't know what he was watching. True, he had built and customized Fenrir with his own bare hands, but he was of admittedly limited use when things went wrong with a car as old and decrepit as Reno's. Finally his husband stood up and wiped the grease from his hands. "Fuck, man. It's gotta be the pump." He opened his cell and dialed. "Hour for a tow."

"Well, we are in the middle of nowhere. Wanna see if we can catch Barret?"

"Nah, we can wait. Just help me push the car off the road." They did, and sat back in the car to wait.

"You really do need a new car, Reno."

"I need a different, slightly less shitty used car. I don't drive often enough to justify a new, new car."

"Okay, compromise. We'll go looking at slightly less shitty cars next weekend."

"No. Next weekend we start work on that damn formal expo for Reeve and the whole planet is gonna be turned on its ass for a week. I know because Tseng has talked about nothing else in morning briefings. Weekend after all the shit dies down, we'll do it then."

"Deal." They were quiet for a while and their hands slowly crept over to clasp each other. Whatever console the old car had once had, it was dust now, and so nothing got in the way of Reno's thigh slipping over, widening its stance somewhat to rub against Cloud's warm muscular leg. "Reno…"

"We have an hour, Cloud." His smile was lit only by moonlight, and filled with familiarity that was as intoxicating in its own way, as the burning heat of excitement was at the very beginning of their relationship.

There was something to be said for this. There was, in fact, a lot to be said for this. As thrilling and tense as it was when he wanted Cloud, those stolen glances across what seemed like a hundred battlefields and barrooms, just sitting here next to the man in a broken down car in the middle of nowhere and holding his hand was simply the other part of his soul.

He leaned across the seat to take the soft, warm lips in his own. "I love you."

"Love you too." Cloud grinned. "Hour for a tow, huh?"

"Whole hour. Whatcha wanna do?"

"Mmmmm." Cloud reached across and started to stroke Reno through his beach pants. "Maybe..."

"Maybe?" His breath was getting short and he was melting like caramel, in spite of the slightly cooling night air. "Fuck, Cloud. What you do to me, yo." Then Cloud pushed a hot tongue between his lips and he stopped talking. Damned if the bastard didn't always know how to shut him up.

They stayed like that for several minutes, fencing tongues, stroking each other through thin clothing meant for warmer weather than this but they were so heated with need, they didn't feel the changing temperature. Reno was so damn hard he hurt, the friction of his pants a delicious agony but he stroked a similar hardness on Cloud until he just pulled the swimsuit off him in one motion and crawled on top of him, leaning the passenger seat back as far as it would go and plunging into the blond's mouth as hard and fast as he could. Cloud moaned and slipped Reno's pants down as far as he could reach and began to stroke him in earnest, never letting up his attack on his lips. He stopped briefly to twist around and open the glove box, and pull out a bottle of lube. It was still warm from the sun on the car, yet he shivered with arousal as he applied it to himself, and then began to prepare Cloud. The action brought an appreciative groan.

"Reno…oh gods. That feels, damn. That almost feels too good."

"Want me to stop, babe?"

"Nnnh." Cloud seemed to think about it. Reno pressed one finger in deeper and stroked his prostate, which made him grab Reno's wrist in warning.

"Oops, I get the message…" Reno grinned. But he didn't look very repentant, not really. He pulled Cloud's hips down a little and entered him slowly, holding his breath against the hot, tight pleasure that surrounded him.

It was a little awkward, as the seat only partially reclined, but Cloud made up for it by scooting down farther and propping his bare feet up on the windshield. Reno groaned aloud at the new position and drove himself into his lover's body until he was buried completely, thin hips flush against warm thighs. "Oh, fuck, baby you feel so good." And he did, hot velvet gripping him with each movement until he thought he would go mad. It had never been like this with anyone else, or maybe he had just never cared enough about anyone to feel that bond. He could feel every movement Cloud made, every shift of his legs, when he angled his ass to find that one perfect spot to bring himself ecstasy.

He could feel him breathe.

He thrust into him again and felt Cloud's nails dig into his bare back. He welcomed the pain as a distraction. He raised his head a little, began to kiss along the length of Cloud's arched throat. Gods, he was so beautiful, here in the full moon. Reno kept pummeling into him, driven now out of a desperate need, trying to hold back. The passion on Cloud's face was incredible now, his peak near. He bit one full, bruised lip and the sight made Reno's stomach clench with need.

He looked just past Cloud's head at a frayed seam in the headrest, seeking anything to stare at to distract himself, to give himself just a few more strokes inside that insane heat. But then Cloud gave a little mewling noise and he realized what an idiot he was, staring at the fucking upholstery when he could be watching this beautiful man come.

"Do it for me, baby. Let me see you." Cloud looked at him then and reached for his own cock, stroking himself off as they clutched at each other. Reno climaxed, hard, filling him with his seed as he saw Cloud's face contort and heard him cry out. They jerked together, awkwardly, for nearly a full minute, before Cloud swallowed hard and gave a little laugh.

"What?"

"Was scared I was gonna break your windshield with my feet." Reno pulled out of him and looked over his shoulder to where Cloud's feet still rested.

"Oops. Gotta watch where I get busy with you enhanced folks." He pulled some wipes out of the glove box and cleaned them both up, and shoved them into one of the numerous fast food bags that littered the car. "I swear, I'm going to clean out this car."

"Right." Cloud pulled up his swimsuit and righted the seat. "We still have thirty minutes till the tow truck shows."

"Nah. Rather hold you than clean the damn car."

"Won't argue. You gonna trash it after this?"

"Nah. Still need it for the next few weeks. Probably pull a pump from a junkyard and have Jake down at the shop put it in."

"Reno, you are never getting rid of this car, are you?" Reno kissed him, rather than answer. And so they leaned into each other, late into the night, until the truck rumbled by to take them back to Edge and civilization. In a fit of etiquette, Reno remembered to take out the bag of trash, but forgot entirely about Cloud's feet, damp and sandy from the water park, where they had been resting on his windshield.

The next week…

"Partner? Are those footprints…?"

And Reno laughed.

A/N: And so, the footprints end up on Reno's windshield, and horrify Rude, and give Vincent an idea, and so on. There, the mystery solved!