From the sickfic poll (which is gone now, there's a new poll that you should all go look at), in which Chaos/Reno was requested. This would not have been possible without Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 !-- /* Font Definitions */ font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ , , {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} 1 {page:Section1;} -- Lysiaamazon, who gave me the base idea that got this off the ground. Thanks a bunch, LA, and I can promise you're gonna be seeing a lot more of your help coming up soon.
The next chapter of Not just One of the Guys is: 3 steamy pages in
The next chapter of Unearthly Desires is: 4.5 hilarious and thought-provoking pages in.
A typical Friday night: Reno and Rude go out to a bar- any bar- and drink until they either leave on their own or get thrown out. They return home and sleep it off.
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Atypical Friday night: It started like the usual Friday night. Reno and Rude picked a bar and settled in to drink and talk, not intending to get smashed, just enjoying a weekly ritual.
Something thudded against the wall. The bartender looked up, surprised and a little frightened. Another thud made the bar shake. The barkeep dropped a glass. By the third thud, he was huddled under the bar, apparently seeking shelter from what he thought was an earthquake.
"I'm gonna go see what's up," Reno muttered, sliding off his stool and heading for the door, mag-rod out and charged.
"Holler if you need help," Rude murmured, finishing his beer.
Reno marched outside and around the building, heading for the alley that the assaulted wall made one side of. As he entered it, something large and dark shot out at him, narrowly missing his shoulder before it retracted. Something in the darkness moaned.
"I'm tryin' to get drunk inside," Reno said irritably. "Can ya tone it down?"
Another moan, thick with pain. Reno hesitated, then sighed.
"You need help?"
The thing in the shadows gave a small scream. Reno dug in his pocket, pulled out his lighter, and flicked it on, holding it out before him to get a look at who or what he was dealing with.
The light fell on a pair of massive leathery bat wings, one stretched wide across the entire alley, the other crushed up against the bricks of the wall. They were attached to a body Reno had only seen a few times, wreaking havoc in a fight. Chaos, the most intelligent, deadly, and powerful of Vincent Valentine's demons. He was loose.
Not only was he loose, Reno noted, but he was in some kind of trouble. He was sprawled on the dirty concrete, face screwed up in a grimace. As Reno watched, he jerked, pawing at his leg, and moaned.
He took a step forward, trying to see what the problem was. Angling the lighter just right let him see Chaos' leg. He had clawed the fabric of his pants away from it, baring the skin to the open air. It was swollen, bruised where the demon had grabbed at it and apparently used too much force. Two puncture wounds were just visible in the swollen mess.
"Shiva's tits, yo, what'd you do?"
Bright gold eyes met his for a moment.
"Leave me," Chaos hissed dangerously. "Or I will kill you."
"Looks like you need help."
"I need no one."
Reno shrugged.
"Whatever. Just quit banging around on the wall, would ya? I'm trying to get drunk."
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Reno couldn't properly enjoy his beer after that. He sat, brooding, and wondered what was up. It wasn't like Vincent to let his demons out without good reason, and it wasn't like any of the demons- let alone Chaos- to behave so…..submissively. Reno had half expected to be attacked when he approached, not warned and allowed to leave.
"I'm calling it a night," he said finally, tossing back the last of his current bottle. "Just not in the mood."
"Mmhm. See you Monday."
"Yeah."
They went opposite directions when they left, Reno doubling back a few minutes later and returning to the alley.
"Chaos?" he ventured.
"What now?"
"I want to know where Vincent is."
"Within me, boy. Where else would he be?" The demon's voice was tight with pain.
Reno bristled.
"I meant why are you out?" he snapped.
"Because this poison is targeting me."
"Poison?"
"Yes. Now leave me be."
Reno left again, going back into the bar and borrowing a cheap flashlight before returning to the alley. He snapped it on and set it on top of a trashcan, aimed at where he had last seen Chaos. The demon was still there, crumpled agasint the dirty bricks, skin gleaming with sweat.
"I'm gonna help you whether you like it or not," Reno informed him. "And don't you dare hit, bite, or scratch me." He crouched beside the angry demon and reached for his leg. "Okay?"
"Foolish boy," Chaos hissed, but didn't swat at him, for which Reno was grateful. This was a gamble he knew would end very badly if he lost.
Carefully, Reno drew Chaos' foot into his lap, stretching the leg out. Chaos hissed softly, a quiet, painful noise, but didn't fight the gentle pull.
Reno gently ran his fingers over the swollen, discolored flesh. It looked recent, judging by the swelling.
"What bit you?"
"A snake."
"What kind?"
"Neither of us recognized it."
Probably a mutated species then, Reno noted, examining the bite itself. He whistled. Whatever it had been, it could have gotten his wrist into its mouth quite easily.
"When did you get this?"
Chaos said nothing for a moment, then pursed his lips, thinking.
"At least six hours ago," he answered.
"Then odds are it isn't fatal, at least for you. If it was gonna kill you, it probably would have done it already. All you've got to do now if get through it without losing your leg below the knee."
Chaos jerked against his grip.
"What?"
"That's the biggest problem with non-fatal snake bites, yo. The stuff in the venom kills muscle, so worst cases wind up with a limb of necrotic tissue. It can kill you, y'know. Even you, I bet. You're gonna have to come with me."
"Where?"
"My apartment. I'm not playing doctor in an alley behind a bar."
Chaos shuddered, then picked himself up. He was trembling, and grabbed at Reno's shoulder when he first stood, swaying.
"Head rush?" Reno asked. Chaos nodded, cradling his head in his free hand. "Better now? We're gonna have to walk."
"I cannot go far with this leg," Chaos warned.
"We can't catch a ride with you looking like you do. Walking is all we can do."
"I can fly, still. How far from here is your dwelling?"
"Ten blocks, more or less."
"Close enough. Hold tight."
"I really don't- ack!"
Chaos wrapped his arms tightly around Reno and flapped hard. They lifted off, rising above the bar.
"Direct me."
"That way," Reno said, pointing. "First building with a rooftop garden. I'm the second balcony down on the south side."
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Chaos landed awkwardly, tumbling into a heap with Reno between his legs. He lay still, panting shallowly. Reno had to wriggle free on his own, careful of the sharp bits of the demon's outfit. Once he was loose, he pulled Chaos to his feet.
"Inside, yo."
He dumped Chaos on the couch and bustled around, turning on lights and checking his answering machine to see if Rude had truly noted his unusual behavior. Apparently not, thankfully.
"Okay," he said, returning to the living room. "Let's get that suit thing off of you."
"Why?"
"'cuz it's in the way. Working around ripped bits of fabric isn't fun."
"I have nothing under it. You humans have a taboo concerning nudity, don't you?"
"Then you can borrow something of mine. Can you get it off by yourself?"
Chaos' eyes flashed. Reno shrugged.
"Just checking. I'll go get you something to wear while you get that off, 'kay?"
Chaos nodded. Satisfied, Reno headed for his bedroom.
When he returned, Chaos was stretched out on the couch, utterly naked, his hurt leg extended before him. Reno couldn't help himself. He stared. Under the suit, Chaos was a smooth, uniform shade of pale gray, like fine, fine ash. He had lines that would make a sculptor weep, save for his leg. Without his headdress, his black hair fell thick and soft over his shoulders and into his eyes. He had one wing hanging off the edge of the couch and the other pushed up against the back, edge drooping over it. His suit was folded and resting on top of his boots, the gauntlet Reno hadn't known was removable lying on top of the suit.
Reno wanted to drop everything and jump on him. Only a good, long look at Chaos' bruised and swollen leg kept him from doing just that.
"Uh….wow. Here, you can wear these." He held out a pair of black shorts he rarely wore. Chaos took them, examined them, then slid them on, arching his hips up off the couch to get them on properly.
"You find me attractive," he observed.
"What?"
"You stared at my body. Your pulse increased and you began putting out pheromones. You are sexually attracted to me."
"So?"
Chaos smiled faintly.
"Most would call me a monster."
"They haven't seen what you're hiding under that suit. If they had, they'd think you were some kind of angel."
Chaos snorted, then stopped short and clapped both hands over his mouth, looking confused and frantic. Reno toed over the bucket he'd carried in when he'd been turning lights on.
"Use that," he said.
Chaos reached for it, lifted it carefully into his lap, and leaned over it, shivering. Reno put a gentle hand on his back, feeling the slick, cold sweat under his skin. Muscle flexed and shifted under Chaos' skin, testament to his fight to keep his stomach under control. Reno could feel the tense knots being built up and sighed.
"Just let it happen," he urged. "You're only hurting yourself by fighting it, and it'll be worse the longer you hold it off."
The response was a low growl that Reno felt as much as heard.
"Trust me on this. I've had enough hangovers to know."
"I am not hungover," Chaos said thickly.
"I know that, but the principal is the same. You need to puke because your body is trying to get rid of something and that's the fastest, most efficient way. And don't you try to argue that the bite's on your leg so your stomach has nothing to do with this. It's a venom thing, yo."
Chaos shook his head vehemently. Reno rolled his eyes. Trust the crazy Life Stream demon thing to be stubborn as a mule. Too bad for him that Reno was just as crazy and even more stubborn.
The simplest thing to do, he reasoned, was force Chaos to relax. With this in mind, Reno started to stroke the skin between Chaos' wings, digging his fingertips into the thick muscle. Chaos shuddered under the touch, wings falling out their half-raised position to lie limp. Reno smiled and curled his hands, using his knuckles instead of his fingertips to put more pressure on Chaos' back.
"What are you doing to me?" Chaos asked.
"Taking advantage of your position to touch this unbelievable skin. Does it bother you?"
"No, but- hllgk!"
Mission accomplished. Still, Reno continued to pet Chaos, calming him while he retched.
It lasted for longer than Reno had been expecting; Chaos heaved and struggled to vomit long after there was nothing left in his stomach to bring up.
"Calm down," Reno crooned softly, rubbing Chaos' trembling shoulders. "Just breathe, okay? Relax."
After a few more minutes of dry heaves on Chaos' part and worried coaxing on Reno's, Chaos put the bucket down and fell backwards into Reno's lap.
"You made me do that," he complained. "I was controlling it until you touched me."
"I told you why you needed to," Reno retorted, drawing his hands out from under Chaos and settling them on the demon's arms. He let one hand drift up to Chaos' neck, feeling for a pulse. "Hey….uh….are you supposed to have a pulse?"
Chaos blinked drowsily.
"Of course."
"I can't feel it. Hold still."
Reno slid out from under Chaos and knelt beside the couch, pressing his ear to the demon's chest, searching for the sound of a heartbeat. He found it after a moment, very faint, and that was when he noticed that the forearm he was holding to steady himself was cold to the touch. A quick look showed him that not only was Chaos' leg more swollen, but it was starting to blister. He swore.
"Stay put, okay? I've got to clean this."
Muttering under his breath about how he'd forgotten the basics of snakebite care, Reno fetched a bowl of water, soap, and a cloth, then carefully washed the bite. Chaos yowled and kicked at him, fighting the hold Reno had on his leg, but it seemed that the venom and pain were weakening him enough for Reno to hold him more or less still.
"How do you feel about shots?" Reno asked, patting the wound dry.
"What?"
"Y'know…needles."
"My host fears them. I am indifferent."
"Great. I'm going to give you one. It's a wide-range antivenin to help ease up some of your symptoms."
"All I require is a painkiller."
"That won't do anything for your pulse, or how cold your limbs are getting, the spread of the venom and the blistering on your leg…you need the shot."
Chaos scowled but said nothing when Reno went to find his standard issue first-aid kit. He returned with the syringe, which Chaos eyed skeptically.
"This will help?" he asked slowly. "My host has good reason to fear them. Even unconscious, his instincts tell me to stop you."
"I'd use it on myself to prove it to you," Reno said. "But you need it and I don't. If it doesn't work, you're welcome to get mad at me, so long as you don't kill me. Hold still while I do this."
Chaos obeyed, watching with interest as Reno slid the needle into his thigh and depressed the plunger. He hissed softly but didn't jerk away.
"There. That'll help."
Chaos wiped the tiny dot of blood away, licked it off his finger, then looked up at Reno.
"Thank you."
"Any time."
"Come here and keep me warm, Turk."
"My name is Reno."
"I know that. However, I see no reason to refer to you by name until I have decided you are worth my time and attention. Until that time, I well refer to you as if you were an object, thereby making clear your position in relation to mine."
"Fine, then. I'll call you freaky demon thing and we'll be even."
"Do not test me."
"I'm not testing you," Reno snapped. "I've worked damn hard to get where I am and be acknowledged as more than just a thing, and no uppity demon who ekes out an existence in someone else's body is gonna put me back in the place I crawled out of all on my own."
To his surprise, Chaos laughed, a breathless sound that would have been louder and richer if he'd been able to draw a decent breath. The kind of laugh you couldn't help but enjoy.
"Very well. Come here and keep me warm, Reno. The poison is leaving a chill in my limbs."
"Lemme get a blanket first, yo."
"As you like."
Reno fetched a plush microfiber blanket from the closet and returned. Chaos had scooted up to lean against the arm of the couch. When Reno arrived, he spread his legs.
"Sit here."
"I think I should be under you."
"I am larger."
"You're also hurt."
"My wings will be in the way. Just sit and stop arguing. This is one thing I insist on having my way."
Reno sighed and settled between Chaos' legs, careful not to bump the hurt one. He arranged the blanket over both of them and relaxed. He felt Chaos do the same under him, wrapping his arms around Reno's shoulders and resting his chin on top of Reno's head.
"You aren't like the usual sort of Turk," he commented.
"What makes you say that?"
"What wouldn't? You're a rangy alley cat to their carefully bred Abyssinians. You're scruffy, you drink, swear, smoke, sleep around, and get into heaps of trouble, yet you remain a top-notch operative and have somehow managed to keep the position of Second in Command despite all the reasons one might demote you. It's highly unusual."
Reno laughed.
"I'm just that good, yo."
Chaos snorted and nuzzled the back of Reno's head.
"If you say so."
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Reno slept soundly until late morning, when Chaos started shifting under him. He blinked sleepily.
"What's the matter?" he demanded groggily.
The response was a small gagging noise.
Reno had never gotten off the couch so quickly. He grabbed the bucket- which he was thankful he'd emptied the night before- and shoved it into Chaos' hands. There wasn't much for Chaos to bring up, just bile and acid, but his stomach had other ideas. He retched hard, nearly convulsing with his efforts. When he'd finished, he slumped against the couch and whined softly.
"I'm gonna get you something to drink, okay?"
"It would be much easier to just throttle me."
"Don't be such a drama queen."
He took the time to clean out the bucket, then returned to the living room with a cup of coffee for himself and a glass of water with salt, sugar, and a little lemon juice for Chaos.
"Here. Drink it all."
"No."
"You're dehydrated as hell and you sound like you've swallowed gravel. Drink it."
Chaos growled at him.
"If I have to grab your leg and dig my nails in real hard to make you drink it, I will. Wanna see if there's puss in those blisters?"
Chaos lifted the glass and sipped hesitantly, then took a decent swallow. While Reno watched, he finished the glass and looked at it, apparently surprised that it was empty.
"Still thirsty?" Reno chuckled.
"Yes. And I know I shouldn't be."
"You're running a fever."
"I am?"
"Yep. It's called serum sickness. You're not supposed to get it this fast, if you get it at all, but I'm guessing your body processes that kind of thing faster, what with the not being human and all the Mako in your system."
"You could have warned me."
"It's supposed to kick in five to ten days later, not the morning after."
Chaos huffed and put the glass down, drawing the blanket up around himself again.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked.
"Hm?"
"This." Chaos gestured at the blanket, his leg, and the glass on the floor beside him. "You and I have no history, and my host is barely civil to you, yet here I am, being nursed and cared for with no idea why I'm receiving such treatment. I may not have been paying much attention to society for the last fifty years or so, but the last time I looked, total strangers don't comfort other total strangers while they attempt to vomit up their major organs."
Reno shrugged.
"Started 'cuz you interrupted my drinking, and then….felt like I should help you. I know what it's like to be in pain and alone. One of the things I wanted most was to have someone there for me."
"So it has nothing to do with the excessive pheromones you've been putting out since I undressed?"
Reno blushed furiously, grabbed Chaos' empty glass, and flounced into the kitchen.
"No!" he called over his shoulder. "It doesn't!"
Chaos eased himself off the couch and hobbled towards the kitchen, stopping to lean heavily on the doorframe.
"If I weren't hurt and weakened, Reno…..would you want to try and take me?"
Reno fumbled the glass and just barely managed to keep from dropping it.
"What?"
Chaos waited until Reno looked back at him, then smiled and ran his hand down his chest, over his belly, and under the waistband of his borrowed shorts.
"Would you want to find out what I'm like in bed? Surely a man like you has tasted the pleasures of both sexes before."
"I……"
"Perhaps I'll let you, as a reward for caring for me. Would you like that?"
"I don't take sex for pay, Chaos, just like I don't give it for pay. Never have, never will."
"And what if I came willingly to your bed? Just for the joy of being dominated? Would you mark me as yours?"
Reno shivered, imagining having that lean, powerful body writhing under him at full strength. It was a wonderful thought, but not one he planned on ever fulfilling.
"I'd love to, but that ain't the issue."
"Oh?" Chaos asked. "And what is?" He pushed off the doorframe and headed for Reno, putting a little extra sway in his step.
He managed two full steps before his leg gave out. Reno couldn't move fast enough to catch him and he hit the floor with a thud and a loud, painful squall. Reno went for him, then had to dance back when Chaos brought his wings into play, fluttering pathetically in an attempt to get back on his feet without either hitting his wings on the ceiling or putting much weight on his hurt leg. All Reno could do was step back and watch Chaos flap and struggle and make miserable noises.
Eventually, he made it back onto his feet and folded his wings back. Several of the blisters on his leg had burst when they'd been crushed against the floor and the resultant fluids made a slick mess on his calf.
"You okay?" Reno ventured.
Chaos glared at him.
"No," he snapped. "This is the weakest I've been in decades and more pain than I have had to personally bear in even longer. I am nauseous, cold, hardly able to support my own weight, and being foiled at every attempt I make at getting you to bed me. I am not okay."
"Uh…..wha?"
"You heard me, Turk-boy. I. Want. You. To. Screw. Me. Into. The. Mattress. And so far all I've gotten for my trouble is mixed signals and pus oozing down my leg."
Reno scowled.
"You'd better not have gotten that bite just for me."
"Of course I didn't! I'd never put Vincent in such danger for my own desires! He's the only reason I can take a corporeal form and interact with this world in the first place! Neither of us saw the snake until it already had its fangs in our leg. I took over to lessen damage to him, and found that it wouldn't let me return to him and heal the wound. The only thing to do was head back into the city to seek care. You know the rest."
"Sounds like a pretty good story to me," Reno muttered. "But you're oozing on my tiles and that's just nasty. Get in the bathroom. That leg needs cleaning again and you still smell like the alley behind the bar."
Chaos snorted and started limping towards the bathroom, wings out as far as was possible for balance. Reno bit down a chuckle and followed him.
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Monday morning, Tseng was surprised and irritated to find that Reno wasn't at his desk more than an hour after he was supposed to have arrived. Muttering, he reached for the phone and dialed Reno's home number. He'd better have a damn good reason for not being there.
"Yo?"
"Reno, why aren't you at work?"
"Not coming in today."
"Why not?"
"My….uh….my boyfriend's sick."
"Reno, I want you in the office in half an hour. None of your excuses."
"Hey! I'm serious!"
"You're single, Reno."
"I was on Friday, yeah, but- fuck, hang on."
Tseng heard the sound of the phone being put down on something hard, then the unmistakable sound of someone being violently ill.
"I thought you were over this bit," Reno murmured quietly, just barely audible over the phone.
"So did I," another voice answered. It was deep, undeniably masculine, and not one Tseng recognized. "We were both-hllgck- wrong."
"Stop talking, yo, it's not helping."
"Would you just shoot me? Please?"
"No, that'd make a mess. Just hang on a sec, it's Tseng on the phone."
"Mmhm."
"Boss?"
Tseng hesitated. It sounded too real to be one of Reno's attempts at skipping work, but he wasn't sure he wanted to believe Reno was capable of picking up a significant other over the weekend, particularly one he was willing to have over and care for when he/she/it was ill.
"Fine," he sighed. "Take the day off."
"Thanks."
"Next time, call yourself in."
"Uh-huh."
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Late that afternoon, Tseng's curiosity got the best of him. He left early and went to Reno's apartment building. On arriving, he sat in the lot for a moment, wondering if he should just believe Reno and go home, then decided that, if Reno really had found himself a boyfriend, then he'd like to meet them and see what kind of taste Reno had in men. While he could easily spot women Reno liked, all he knew about Reno's kind of man was that he was not it. Reno had made that very clear after a drunken and not very well thought out weekend at Icicle Inn.
There was a moment of silence after he rang the bell, then the sound of someone running to the door with bare feet.
"Yeah? Whaddaya- oh. Boss."
"I came to meet this boyfriend of yours."
"My what?"
Tseng smiled thinly.
"Your boyfriend. The one I let you miss for today, because you claim he is ill."
"Oh…..right. C'mon in, but swear you won't shoot him."
"Why on earth would I do that?"
"Just do it."
"I swear I won't shoot your boyfriend."
"Fine."
Tseng stepped inside, removed his shoes- more habit than necessity, but Reno never stopped him like so many others did- and followed Reno into the living room.
Chaos was stretched out on the couch, wings spread wide, sound asleep. One leg was straight out before him, neatly splinted, displaying an impressive amount of bruising and some nasty blisters. A fuzzy blanket was spread over his lap and stomach. Someone had French-braided his hair. He was drooling.
Tseng stared.
"That's-" he started.
"Chaos. Yeah, it is."
"You said boyfriend, not homicidal demon!"
For some reason he couldn't completely understand, Tseng was really, truly angry that it was Chaos there, lounging on Reno's couch, wearing Reno's shorts, and apparently important enough to warrant Reno actually skipping work to care for him. He didn't understand why it bothered him. He had never envisioned such things for the two of them. Reno was a fantastic lay and an outstanding Turk, but he was and always would be a loner. He liked his friends when he wanted them, and too bad if you wanted to be near him when he didn't want you there. Why should he care if Chaos was going to be victim to Reno's whims and mood swings? Tseng didn't know, but he cared anyway.
"I did, but he's not-"
"You pick a demon over me?"
"I-"
"You pick a symbiotic, incorporeal, inherently deadly, certifiably insane demon that lives in an undead gun slinging Turk's body over me?"
Chaos stirred, unnoticed by Tseng, who tended to be a little unaware when he was in full ranting mode.
"Yes, but-"
"What does he have that I don't?"
"Teeth and claws to rend and tear," Chaos yawned, stretching. "Wings to carry me above the cares of the mundane world. Mystery to shroud. Power to protect. Complete and utter individuality. And…" He smiled, letting the blanket slide down over very bare skin and following it with one hand. "I'm just damn cute."
Tseng sputtered, too shocked and insulted to manage anything more coherent. Reno patted him on the shoulder.
"Once I get a handle on him, you're welcome to join in."
"I like that idea," Chaos put in.
"Back up, please. Tell me exactly what is going on."
Reno sat Tseng down, made him some very strong coffee, and explained everything very clearly and carefully, making sure Tseng heard every word. When he was finished, Tseng wasn't entirely sure if he should believe it, but the soft snoring coming from the living room was proof enough. Somehow Reno had managed to collar Chaos, had tamed him into something that was still to be feared but not to be run from in terror. All because of a snakebite. Reno assured him that, if Chaos really wanted to, he could still destroy the apartment and probably level the building, but he was comfortable and content where he was and had no desire to annihilate the thing that was making him feel that way.
Tseng left with a new respect for his rough and tumble second in command and a desire to go drink himself under the table. Rather than do that and be miserably hungover the next morning, he made a pot of strong tea and locked himself in his bedroom to meditate and remind himself that this was not the end of the world. It wouldn't be unless Chaos was somehow capable of having children, in which case the entire world was doomed. If that were to ever happen, Tseng resolved to do a quick, triumphant round of yelling "I told you so" before he died, regardless of whether or not Reno was anywhere near at the time.
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"Boyfriend, hmm?"
"It was the best I could come up with, yo! You think Tseng's gonna listen to me if I say I want the day off because I've got a snakebit demon moaning on my couch? Yeah, that'd go over real well."
Chaos snorted and started to finger-comb Reno's ponytail.
"As you like. However, such a title generally implies that I will be spending large amounts of time with you, and you have failed to factor Vincent and his opinion of all this into your calculations. You get to explain yourself to him."
"I'd better get brownie points for playing nurse."
"I can only hope that you will."
Reno sighed and leaned back into Chaos. The demon huffed, not pleased with being interrupted while he played with Reno's ponytail, but settled down, burying his face in Reno's hair and inhaling, imprinting the redhead's scent.
"How long until my leg heals?" he asked.
"Dunno. A few days, maybe. I don't really know how fast you heal. Why?"
"I think we might have enough time to see if courting you is actually worth my time. What do you say to a quick round of rough sex after this leg of mine can support my weight again? Call it a test run."
Reno grinned toothily and twisted in Chaos' embrace, turning around to kiss him soundly and let his right hand drift down to parts further south. Chaos hissed softly, the sound more of surprise than anger and slid his hands down to cup Reno's ass.
"Who says we have to wait until your leg is healed, yo? If I'm on top, then I'm doing all the work."
Chaos mirrored Reno's grin, baring his fangs and making Reno shiver in delight.
"I'm game."
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The following Friday: Vincent sat in a booth in a small bar, staring across the table at Reno. Reno smiled and sipped his beer, then pushed a shot glass into Vincent's hand.
"I'm serious."
"He didn't kill you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"The last idiot he talked into sleeping with him woke up dead. He tore him to shreds, bathed in the blood, and ate a few bits. You slept with him and you're not only alive, you're all in one piece. What did you do?"
"I topped," Reno said simply.
Vincent blinked, looked down at the glass in his hand, and tossed it back.
"Fine," he said, giving the glass back to Reno for a refill. "But he gets out when I want to let him out, and no sooner."
"As long as I get him at least three times a week, we're good. And no taking over just because you don't like what we're up to."
"I don't plan on paying any attention at all to what you and he do with each other. If you tell me to fulfill your sadistic tendencies, the deal is off."
"Whatever you say," Reno drawled, giving the glass back and pouring a shot for himself.
They clinked glasses, then drank. As Vincent put the glass down, his shape flickered, then melted into massive wings and a skintight black bodysuit. Chaos grinned.
"See? I knew you could talk him down."
Reno just smiled and refilled Chaos' glass.