Summary: An alternate take on what could have happened after Reno carried Cloud upstairs and put him to bed, in Advent Children. Rated M mainly for language; citrusy (but sappy!) moments, yaoi.
Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Final Fantasy (damn the luck!), Square Enix does.
My head keeps spinning;
I go to sleep and keep grinning;
If this is just the beginning,
My life's gonna be beautiful...
I couldn't feel any better or I'd be sick;
Tell me quick, oh ain't love a kick?
Tell me quick, ain't love a kick in the head?
Ain't That a Kick In the Head - lyrics by Sammy Cahn
The first thing Cloud realized when he woke up, was that he'd been hit in the head, and with some force, too; his head was pounding painfully, and felt tender when he touched his hand to it. He was slow to realize where he was, but as his eyes opened, the room came into focus. A shock of red hair came into his view. Reno, Cloud thought. What is he doing here?
Where is here? Cloud's thoughts came to him slowly, as in a fog. Sitting up abruptly, he finally realized he was in a double bed, in the apartments above Seventh Heaven. Cloud also realized that sitting up so quickly was definitely a bad idea, as he began to feel as if the room was spinning. "Ugh," he murmured, feeling himself slipping out of the bed.
"Whoa, Cloud," Reno muttered, reaching over to help Cloud upright again. Reno carefully arranged some pillows behind Cloud's head, and eased him back down. "Take it easy, yo. You got whacked in the head pretty hard. Might have even got kicked in the head - looks like you got a shoe print right here, man," Reno explained, as he pointed above Cloud's eyebrow, where there was a painful looking abrasion.
"Yeah," Cloud said, grimacing as he touched his fingers to tender spots at the front and back of his head. "What happened—who did this? Tifa—where's Tifa!" Cloud tried sitting up quickly again, and groaned, as the pounding in his head increased, along with the dizziness.
"Dude, seriously," Reno said firmly, frowning at Cloud. He sat on the edge of the bed next to Cloud, and smoothed blond bangs out of his eyes, still frowning. "You've got a concussion. Now don't pull that shit again. Your girlfriend's fine – Rude's looking after her, they're downstairs getting her something to eat. You're in way worse shape than she is."
"Tifa's not my girlfriend," Cloud muttered irritably, as he closed his eyes. Gods, it's getting old, having to explain this to people…
"Oh," Reno said quietly, looking thoughtful. "I'm sorry, man. You guys break up?"
"Reno," Cloud explained, somewhat irritably. "We were never together. Not like that, anyway. We just…look after Marlene and Denzel together. That's all."
"Sorry, yo," Reno muttered uncomfortably. The Turk studied Cloud's face as he lay on his pillow with his eyes shut, drifting into sleep. Wish I had known…I just assumed they were together…everyone did,
really.
Cloud's eyes fluttered open, and gazed directly at Reno. The redhead quickly averted his gaze, and coughed, feeling a bit awkward that Cloud caught him staring.
"So, um," Reno began awkwardly. "That means…Tifa's available, then?"
"Yes, Reno," Cloud replied, sighing. "She's available. I don't know if she'd be interested in you, though." The hint of a smile worked the corners of Cloud's mouth, as he shifted on the bed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Reno retorted, visibly annoyed. "I wasn't asking for me, anyways, Strife. It's Rude who's got a thing for Tifa."
"Rude?" Cloud remarked, somewhat disbelieving. "Really? I had no idea."
Reno sat back slightly on the foot of the bed and cackled. "Dude, you must be fucking blind, yo. Rude's had the hots for Tifa for years. Years. He just…never made a move, because he automatically assumed that you and she…"
"Yeah," Cloud interrupted. "That's what everyone assumed. Nobody ever bothered to ask, though."
"Hey, man, I'm sorry," Reno said, apologizing again. "I didn't mean to open a can of worms, yo."
Cloud smiled at Reno, and sighed tiredly. "It's okay, Reno. Not your fault. At least you actually asked. Well, you kind of asked. In a roundabout, indirect way." He chuckled, and Reno joined him, laughing softly. Don't think I've ever seen Strife smile before. Pretty sure I've never heard him laugh.
"So," Cloud continued, yawning. "If Rude likes Tifa, who do you like, Reno?"
"Huh?" Reno blurted, his face reddening suddenly. He hadn't expected Cloud to ask him that.
"Um…nobody…" Reno muttered. "Well, there is someone, but he – has no idea how I feel."
"Oh," Cloud replied, sounding interested. "So it's a guy, huh."
"Yeah," Reno replied carefully. "A guy. Which is why I would never be interested in Tifa." He laughed nervously at this.
"No, that's cool," Cloud murmured. "I understand where you're coming from, I do." More than you know. Cloud sighed deeply again, as his eyelids became heavy with exhaustion. "Need…to…sleep," he groaned, moving about stiffly. "So tired."
"You can take a little rest, Cloud, but I have to wake you every fifteen minutes, so don't get pissed," Reno replied firmly. "Tseng's orders – he said to keep an eye on you. Like I said before- you got whacked in the head pretty good, yo."
"Oh," Cloud said weakly, groaning. "My head does hurt. How did I…get up here, anyway?"
"I carried you," Reno replied. "You know," he quipped, grinning, as he scooted up closer to Cloud, "you're kind of heavy."
"Sorry," Cloud mumbled. "Don't mean to…be a bother. Thanks, Reno…" His eyes shut, as sleep threatened to overtake him.
"You're welcome," Reno whispered, tucking the covers around Cloud. "And you could never be a bother…not to me."
"Reno," Cloud mumbled sleepily, mouth hanging open. "Need to talk to you…"
"I'm right here, yo," Reno replied quickly, sitting closer to Cloud. "What do ya need?"
"Need…you, Reno," Cloud mumbled. "I need you tonight…"
"What?" Reno stammered, not wanting to be too loud, in case Cloud was still half-asleep. But, was he asleep? Did Cloud even mean what Reno thought he meant? Had hoped he meant?
Cloud tucked his knees to his chest and smiled. "Hold me," he murmured, hugging his pillow. "Just…hold me."
He's dreaming, Reno realized, still sitting close to Cloud, with his mouth agape. Fat chance he's dreaming about me.
But…he could be. He could be.
"Reno," Cloud whispered. "Kiss me…"
The Turk's eyes flew wide open at the last remark. No questioning it now. He checked his watch; it wasn't quite fifteen minutes yet, but fuck it. His heart was beating so hard, it felt like a cavalry of men on horseback riding through his chest, as he slowly reached out to shake Cloud awake.
"Cloud," he said quietly, shaking his arm gently. "Cloud…you need to wake up, man. I have to wake you up." The blond wasn't responding, but grunted in a complaining tone.
"Cloud, please. Please wake up," Reno pleaded, gently prodding Cloud's shoulder.
"Huh?" Cloud muttered sleepily. "What? Oh…Reno," he said, as he opened his eyes, blinking. "Hi."
"Uh, hi, Cloud," Reno replied nervously. He looked down at his hands as he cleared his throat.
"We…need to talk, Cloud. There's something I've been meaning to tell you," At that precise, ill-timed moment, Reno's cell phone rang. He sighed loudly, as he reached into his pocket. "It's Tseng," Reno remarked, as he looked at the caller ID display. "Hey boss," Reno said into the phone. "What's shakin'?"
Reno heard Tseng sigh briefly on the other end, and held back a snicker. "What's 'shaking', Reno," Tseng replied, "is that I'm calling to see how Strife is doing. Did you follow that checklist I gave you?"
"List? What list?" Reno responded dumbly. He glanced over at a still-drowsy Cloud, and shrugged his shoulders.
Tseng sighed again. "The list of things you're supposed to go over with Cloud every time you wake him, Reno," he explained patiently. "You're supposed to be observing him for abnormal behavior, disorientation, that sort of thing. Has he behaved strangely? Said anything out of character, anything like that?"
"Well," Reno admitted, not wanting to go into detail with Tseng, of all people, "Cloud did say something a little…strange just now, when I woke him up."
"Hmm," Tseng muttered. "Well, that could be a short-term thing, just a result of his concussion. Look, Reno – I don't have any other assignments for you right now – do you mind staying there with Strife for a bit? Find that checklist…it should be in your messenger bag. If you can't find it, text me and I'll send a copy to your PDA."
"Okay, boss. I'll stay, I don't mind," Reno replied, trying to keep the edge of excitement out of his voice. Excitement laced with sadness – Reno was starting to think Cloud's murmured dream, was simply a symptom of his concussion, and nothing more.
But now – now Reno had all night to find out whether Cloud's ramblings were sincere, or merely the result of his addled, injured brain. Reno fervently hoped it'd be the former, and not the latter.
"Found it," Reno told Tseng, as he rifled through his messenger bag. "I've got the list, so I'm all set. Hey, any leads yet, on who did this?"
"A few, but nothing's turned up yet," Tseng replied. "Elena and I are on it, though. Whenever Strife is lucid, I need you to question him, see if he can recall anything about the attack. Call if you need, I may check in with you later."
"Okay. Later, yo," Reno said, as he disconnected the call.
"What's going on, Reno?" Cloud inquired, squinting tiredly at Reno. "That was Tseng?"
"Yeah," Reno replied. "Apparently, I'm supposed to ask you these questions every time I wake you, make sure you know who you are, where you are, and all that shit."
"Questions?" Cloud muttered irritably. "Not interested."
"Look, yo," Reno said, starting to feel a bit testy. "This isn't my idea, it's Tseng's. And he said it's to make sure you don't have any, like, severe neurological damage."
Cloud sighed. "I'm sorry, Reno. I don't mean to be an asshole. It's just that I'm tired, and my head hurts…"
As if bowing to suggestion, Reno yawned. "Yeah," he said sleepily. "I'm feeling tired too, yo. But I gotta stay up and watch you."
"Sorry, Reno," Cloud apologized, wincing as he shifted himself on the bed. "Look, you don't have to stick around – I don't need a babysitter—"
"Not an option, Cloud," Reno stated firmly. "I'm staying, Tseng assigned me to you, so you're stuck with me for a while." He sat back, arms folded, with a stubborn look on his face.
Cloud laughed softly. He knew Reno well enough to know that arguing with him was an exercise in futility. "Okay…I do remember enough to know better than to argue with you, Reno," Cloud said, drawing the covers around him as he shivered. "How long are you staying?"
Reno raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You know," he remarked, "Tseng didn't really specify. So…I guess I'm here for the night, yo. Any blankets around here? I'll rest on the floor."
"No," Cloud interrupted, insistent. "Stay here, with me. It's a double bed…you'll fit. You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor, Reno."
The Turk blanched slightly, then nodded. "Okay. If you don't mind. I'll try…not to bother you too much. Not that I'll be sleeping much anyway, I gotta wake you up frequently, don't forget. But…thanks, Cloud." He glanced up at Cloud and smirked. "Strife…you don't snore, do you?"
Cloud laughed, then yawned, stretching as he lay back on his pillows. "Um…not that I know of. Hey," he continued, pointing at the piece of paper still in Reno's hand. "What's with the list?"
"Oh, this," Reno said, glancing down at the paper, as he sat on the bed opposite Cloud, kicking his boots off. "This is Tseng's magic list of questions for concussion and shit, I guess," he laughed. "Says I have to ask certain questions, to test your orientation, concentration, and memory. Okay. Um…first question – tell me your name?"
"Cloud Strife," he replied in a bored monotone. "And you're Reno, and we're at Seventh Heaven, in bed together." Cloud blushed crimson as he finished his sentence. "I, um…jumped ahead a bit with the questions," he explained sheepishly.
Reno's face was starting to redden as well, but he grinned nonetheless. "Sounds…like you've heard this line of questioning before. This your first concussion?"
"I seriously doubt it," Cloud replied, smiling. "Given my…history."
Reno laughed. "Yeah. I've had 'em before. Kind of lost count of how many, actually."
"Next question," prodded Cloud, yawning. "Getting sleepy again…"
"Okay," Reno continued. "So, you know who you are, who I am, and where we are…that's all good. Do you remember…what happened, Cloud? How'd you get whacked on the head?"
Cloud closed his eyes and shook his head. "Don't remember. I was walking with Tifa, going toward Wall Market – we were arguing –"
"What were you guys arguing about?" a nosey Reno inquired. Shit…none of my business, really… He studied Cloud carefully for a response or a reaction.
"She…was bitching at me," Cloud mumbled, eyes now shut. He yawned yet again. "Telling me to grow a set, and just do it."
"Do what?" Reno prompted, hanging on to Cloud's every word. Why the fuck am I badgering him? Not supposed to be doing that…stick to the list, Turk…stick to the list…
"Told me to ask him…," Cloud murmured, his voice trailing off as he once again nodded off to sleep.
"Damn it," Reno muttered, carefully leaning back on the pillows behind him, as he stared at Cloud's sleeping form. "Gods, you look like an angel when you're sleeping, Cloud," the Turk whispered. He yawned, and checked his watch once again. "Gonna be a long night," he said to himself, as he sipped from the thermos of coffee he'd brought with him. Stretching his legs out, Reno's eyes became heavy, and despite his efforts to fight off sleep, quickly lost the battle, as he dozed off, turning over on his side as he fell asleep.
Sometime later, Reno awoke with a sudden start, feeling alarmed. He knew he wasn't supposed to fall asleep, for some reason, but it took him a few seconds to remember exactly why. The arm that was lazily draped around his waist served as a jarring reminder, and woke Reno up completely. Cloud? What the hell are you doing? Reno wondered, still amazed that he was somehow in a bed, with none other than Cloud Strife. Not only that, Cloud's arm was wrapped around Reno now. And…Cloud wasn't letting go.
Fuck, Reno thought irritably. I shouldn't have nodded off in the first place, but I really have to wake Cloud up now. As much as I don't want to.
"Cloud," Reno said softly, stroking the arm that was wrapped around him. "Cloud, it's Reno, please wake up. It's time to wake up again."
Responding with a groan, Cloud shifted and moved his head, as his eyes slowly opened. Blinking, as his eyes adjusted to the pre-dawn light filtering through the windows, he stared into Reno's eyes; then, looked at what his arm was doing. And looked back up at Reno, blushing madly.
"Uh…what….what happened?" Cloud asked, befuddled. "Did we…did we do anything, Reno?"
"No!" Reno said vehemently. "I mean…no, nothing happened, you just…must have moved your arm in your sleep, I guess. And I fell asleep too, even though I wasn't supposed to. Fuck, I should have set my cell phone alarm to go off every fifteen minutes…I'm really sorry."
"It's okay, Reno," Cloud replied, still not moving his arm. "Don't apologize, you must be exhausted."
"Yeah, well," Reno stated dryly, "Tseng'll have my ass in a sling if something happens, when I was supposed to be monitoring you."
"Okay," the Turk continued, clearing his throat. "Maybe…I should ask you questions and shit," he grinned. "What's the last thing you remember?" he inquired, wanting to see if Cloud could remember anything about the attack.
Misunderstanding the question, Cloud answered, "I…was having a really nice dream." He closed his eyes and smiled, unconsciously rubbing Reno's back now.
Holy Shiva, Reno thought, feeling as if he might melt under Cloud's warm touch. "Uh…what about?" he asked softly.
"Can't say," Cloud muttered quietly, turning away from Reno, and laying on his side, with his back to him.
Reno sighed, and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Do something! Say something! he urged himself.
Turning over, Reno hesitantly placed his hand on Cloud's bare shoulder, fingers gently grazing the strap of his tank top. "Cloud…" he whispered. Both men froze in that moment; neither one was sure what to do next.
Oh gods…he feels the same way, Cloud thought nervously. I…think he does, anyway. He took a deep breath, as he tried to organize his thoughts.
Reno moved back slightly, withdrawing his hand from Cloud's shoulder. Fuck, Reno thought, as he observed Cloud just lying there, not reacting at all to his touch. I must have misinterpreted everything…feel like a jackass… Suddenly, Cloud's hand reached back, and pulled Reno's hand toward him. "Reno," Cloud whispered hoarsely, as he turned around to face the Turk. The two were now face to face, hearts beating wildly. Cloud brought his hand up to Reno's face, fingers tracing the tattoos that accented the Turk's cheekbones. "Reno…what…what is this, between us? Please tell me that…you feel it too?"
"Gods, Cloud, I never thought you'd say that," Reno said, relief flooding over him in waves. "I never thought… that I could even hope that you felt the same way. And please tell me this isn't simply the result of your concussion, either." They both laughed softly, as they pressed their foreheads together.
"It's not," Cloud replied, smiling, as he gazed warmly into Reno's ice blue eyes. Reno's arm hugged around Cloud's waist, as he pulled him in under the covers.
"Gods, you're warm, Cloud," Reno murmured, his lips just centimeters away from Cloud's "So warm…so soft…"
"Kiss me, Reno," Cloud pleaded. "Kiss me. I was…dreaming about it, before."
"You were just dreaming about me kissing you?" Reno asked, disbelieving. "Um…wow. I hope…it'll live up to your dream, yo," he whispered, moving in to kiss Cloud.
"I know it will," Cloud murmured, stifling a moan as lips and tongue met in a tender kiss. Reno inhaled sharply, and kissed Cloud again, harder this time. "Mmm," the Turk groaned, as they embraced each other, pressing against each other tightly.
"So," Cloud said, fingers playing with a thatch of red hair that kept falling into Reno's eyes. "There's something I wanted to ask you—" The question was interrupted when Reno's cell phone rang.
"I bet you it's fucking Tseng again," Reno growled, as he reached over to the nightstand for his phone. "Fucking piss-poor timing, as always—yeah, it's him," the Turk grumbled, observing the caller ID display. "Yeah, boss?" Reno said into the phone.
"Reno, how's Strife doing this morning? Have you been able to question him about the attack, get any more details?" Tseng probed.
"I was…just about to question Cloud again, sir," Reno replied, smiling over at Cloud. Cloud's hand had wandered around to Reno's back, and his fingers were making gentle circles on bare flesh. The effect felt electrifying to Reno, and he couldn't help but gasp aloud.
"Reno? Are you okay? What's going on?" Tseng inquired.
"N-nothing, sir," Reno replied sheepishly. "Just ah…felt a little twinge in my back." He grinned at Cloud, who scooted even closer to Reno, his hot breath tickling the Turk's lips.
"Who is that on the phone?" Tseng demanded. "I hear heavy breathing, what is going on?"
"Nothing at all, Tseng," Reno lied quickly, stifling a giggle. "Listen, I gotta go, I'm going to ask Cloud more questions, and I'll report back to you later. Bye." The Turk quickly disconnected the call, and threw the phone on the floor. "Where were we?" he murmured, wrapping his arm around Cloud's waist.
"I was about to ask you something," Cloud began, giving Reno a lopsided grin, his blue eyes sparkling.
"Oh?" Reno replied, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow toward Cloud.
A quick rap came at the bedroom door, and just as quickly – the door flew open. Reno and Cloud both looked up guiltily as Rude entered. He glanced down at the two men lying together on the bed, entwined together in an embrace underneath the covers, and smirked as he gave a small cough.
"Reno," he stated flatly, a sly smirk still working the corners of his mouth. "Tseng called, he wanted to know if Cloud remembered anything…"
"Yeah, I know," Reno said irritably, sitting up on the bed. "He just called me too, about the same thing. Gaia, that man is a fucking workaholic—"
"Guess I'll…leave you two alone," Rude interjected, chuckling, as he backed out the door, shutting it behind him. "Let me – or Tseng – know if Cloud remembers anything. Tifa said she didn't see much of anything, so hopefully Cloud did."
"Oh…hey, partner!" Reno called. Rude turned back for a moment, staring at Reno. "By the way…Tifa's available, yo. Cloud told me so."
"I know," Rude replied simply, grinning slyly, as he shut the door.
"Huh!" Reno muttered, as he lay back down. "Guess he and Teef have done some talking! You doing okay, Cloud?" the Turk asked worriedly. Cloud was grimacing in pain again, as he rubbed his head.
"Yeah," Cloud replied, groaning a bit. "Head still hurts a bit, though."
"Well, just take a rest, yo," Reno encouraged, gingerly rubbing Cloud's shoulder. "I'll be here if you need anything."
"Hmm," Cloud hummed, opening one eye to look thoughtfully at Reno. "I need…I think I need you to kiss me again," he said impulsively.
"How's your head, though?" Reno inquired, sounding concerned.
"I've never had any complaints," Cloud responded, giggling.
Reno groaned. "That…was lame, Cloud," he commented, chuckling. "I mean, really."
"And you walked right into it," Cloud guffawed. "Ow!" he yelped, grimacing as he touched his forehead gingerly.
"Take it easy, yo," Reno urged. "Just…lay back and relax. We'll get to Tseng's fucking questions later, yo. So...what were you going to ask me?"
Cloud smiled, and squinted at Reno through pain-slitted eyes. "Oh yeah, that. Well, I was going to ask—"
The door flew open again, and there stood Tifa, wearing a odd grin. "So! How are you feeling, Cloud?" she chirped, a bit too loudly. "Did you ask him yet?"
"Isn't there a fucking lock on that door?" Reno muttered, exasperated.
"No, there isn't," Cloud replied irritably. "Tifa – I'm still sore, but it could have been worse, I guess. And to answer your other question, I would have, if you hadn't just fucking barged in here just now."
"Oh gods, I'm sorry!" Tifa babbled excitedly. "Rude said he was just up here, and he caught you guys making out—"
"We were not making out," Reno retorted, a bit angrily. Not yet. "Like anyone would give us a fucking chance in the first place, the way people just keep coming in here…"
"Oh," Tifa replied awkwardly, finally realizing what she'd interrupted. "Oh. I'm…sorry. I'll go now! Reno, you take it easy on Cloud! He has a head injury!" she reminded Reno, as she exited.
"Yes, mom," Reno retorted mockingly to the closed door. "Damn it!" he muttered, exasperatingly, as he sank back down onto the pillows. Reno smiled as he felt Cloud's arm snake around him.
"Before I fall asleep again," Cloud murmured, "and before anybody else fucking interrupts us again…let me ask you this, Reno…"
"Yeah? What is it, Cloud?" Reno said eagerly, staring at the sleepy blond with giddy anticipation.
"If I told you...that you had a nice body...would you hold it against me?" Cloud murmured, giggling softly.
Reno gaped at Cloud, then laughed loudly. "Gaia, Cloud...I didn't know you had a sense of humor, yo," he said. "But I'm already holding it against you. My body, I mean," he tittered. "Is that...all you wanted to ask me, Cloud?" Reno asked hesitantly.
"No," Cloud admitted. "I was just being a dork. Probably because I got kicked in the fucking head? Ow..." he muttered, wincing a bit as he rubbed his head gently with his fingers. "Seriously, though," Cloud continued. "I wanted to know...do you want to…have dinner with me some time, Reno?" Cloud asked shyly, blushing crimson.
"What do you think?" Reno replied teasingly. "Of course. I'd love to. Can I suggest that we do it somewhere far, far away from here, though?" he asked, rolling his eyes theatrically.
"Yeah," Cloud answered sleepily. "I know a nice little dim sum place in Wutai…" He never finished the sentence, as he drifted off to sleep once again.
Reno sighed, then grinned, as he set the alarm on his cell phone. "Every fifteen minutes for a concussion check," he murmured, as he buried himself underneath the covers, curling next to Cloud. I wonder if I'm getting overtime pay for this? Reno thought with a smile as he drifted off to sleep, cuddling next to a sleeping Cloud.