[EDITED 4.22.2010]: This story takes place years after Meteorfall. In this setting, Shinra has been rebuilt - both the company and the building - and Cloud is doing a bit of work for the company. There's not really much I can say about the main storyline; it's just happening as I write.
Reno/Cloud are the main pairing, but others are also mentioned. Genesis/Sephiroth are the secondary main pairing - however, this is Reno and Cloud's story all the way.
Thank you to those who have supported me and this story thus far, even when some of the chapters seem odd and unbalanced.
As is mandatory, I do not own the characters nor do I make money from this story; it's purely a figment of my imagination and written for fun.
With all of that out of the way, enjoy!
"When are you going to tell me?" Rude asked his longtime partner, Reno. The red-headed Turk shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
"I've seen the way you look at Cloud, Reno. It's pretty damned obvious that there's something going on in that head of yours," Rude said, giving Reno an eyebrow-raised look of disbelief. "But if you want to go ahead and keep denying it, go for it. It's your business. As your partner, though, I should know these kinds of things," he added.
Reno waved his hand to dismiss Rude, turning heel and leaving the office. He let the door close behind him and leaned against the wall outside in the hallway. He knew he would have to eventually verbally confess his secret to Rude, but it just wasn't time yet. Not even Cloud knew - at least he didn't think he did. Surely, though, Cloud had seen the looks of longing that Reno had thrown his way, no matter how discreet he had been. Surely Cloud sensed it. Either way, if he told Rude, Elena would find out, and then it would all be over with. The whole Shinra company would be buzzing with gossip led by Elena.
Elena. That woman could talk ninety miles an hour without stopping to catch her breath. Rude obviously liked that, as he and Elena had been together for some time now. Reno was barely friends with Elena -- the two just couldn't get along. Both of them bull-headed and sarcastic, they butted heads more often than not. Besides, Elena was prone to be air-headed and a real ditz. The only time he enjoyed her company was when she was drunk or had her mouth shut for a long length of time.
"Reno."
He heard Tseng call for him from the main Turk office near where he was leaning against the wall. Great. More orders, he was sure. He had just come back from a mission in the destroyed Midgar, cleaning up a few nasty members of a local group that had been going around terrorizing the area. He walked into Tseng's office, his head slightly lowered, not ready to go out again. He was so tired.
"Have a seat, Reno," Tseng told him, motioning to a chair in front of his desk. Reno sat and crossed one leg over the other. He clasped his hands together and twiddled his thumbs. Come out with it already, he thought. Patience was not his biggest virtue.
"Reno, it's come to my attention that you've been... slacking off a bit. Maybe you should take some time off. It's been years since you've had a vacation. Your mind's somewhere else. I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you'd just go away for a while. We don't need your head in the clouds when something serious happens again," Tseng said, his chin resting in his hand, looking slightly bored. "I'm giving Strife some time off as well. You two seem to have the same problem."
Reno raised an eyebrow and nervously tugged at his fire-red ponytail that hung down his back. "I uh, I'm not so sure about Cloud, but I uh, I think I'm just... tired, yo," he told Tseng. He saw Tseng shake his head and heard him laugh softly in disbelief. "Reno, it's obvious. Everyone knows you and Cloud have been giving each other the eye. Neither one of you can concentrate with all of this going on. You two need to go somewhere and get this out of your system so that you can both concentrate on your jobs once more."
Wait. This was news to Reno. Cloud had been giving him the eye? He felt his pulse quicken at the idea, and hoped that what Tseng was saying was true, though he never knew his boss to lie to him. "Sir, you said everyone knows?" Reno asked. Tseng nodded. Oh hell. He pictured Elena's laughing, smirking face and closed his eyes, squinting them shut tightly. He rubbed his forehead, feeling stress begin to boil at his temples. This was something that he didn't want anyone to know about, not yet. However, the fact that he now knew that Cloud was interested in him as well, it added a whole new dimension to everything.
"I'm sending the two of you on vacation together. I've got a helicopter waiting outside. Cissnei will take you. You have a few minutes to gather some things, and then you and Cloud will be staying together in Mideel," Tseng said. "That's a direct order, Reno," he added firmly when he saw Reno squirming in his chair and wanting to protest. "Go. Get this out of your system and come back in two weeks. I've already had this talk with Cloud. He's waiting in the helicopter already."
"…And he didn't turn the offer down?" Reno asked incredulously. Tseng nodded. "Yes. He did. He was blushing furiously and he was angry. He kept saying that he didn't appreciate my insinuating that he was, for lack of a better word, boning for you, but in the end, he agreed to go."
"Well... Thanks for the vacation time," he said sarcastically. "I find it hard to believe that the company is paying for two employees to fuck their brains out, though," Reno said, his face red and his tone angry. He was all at once excited to be alone with Cloud, but at the same time he was nervous and mightily pissed that the whole thing had been planned out in advance without his knowing about it. He almost felt as if he and Cloud were being forced into something.
"I didn't say anything about fucking, now did I?" Tseng said steadily, his eyes lowered at Reno.
Reno felt his heart leap into his throat. Ah, shit. He hurried out of Tseng's office, leaving to the sound of Tseng's laughter rolling out into the hallway. Let him laugh. This is embarrassing, Reno thought. I can't believe I said that!
He went to his room and was shocked to find Rude standing next to his dresser holding a suitcase. "Already packed for you, partner." Reno snatched the suitcase from him and stuck his finger into Rude's chest. "You put Tseng up to this, didn't you? I know you, man!" he shouted at Rude. Rude didn't reply, only crossed his arms and looked away. Reno heard a shuffling sound and saw Elena crawling out from under the other side of his bed, holding up a finger. "Um, that would have been me," she said.
"What were you doing under my bed?" Reno asked. Elena shrugged, and Reno noticed that she was trying to hide the fact that her suit was unbuttoned slightly. Reno gave her a disgusted look, then turned to look at Rude again. "Man, you've got your own room. Don't be using my room to screw your girl." Rude gave a small cough. Elena blushed. Reno shook his head. "I'm out of here. Just clean up when you're done. And wash the sheets. You guys make me crazy, yo."
He slammed the door to his room and stomped over to the elevator that would take him to the launching pad on the roof of the Shinra building. He was getting nervous and impatient. He really wanted a drink and a smoke. "Shit," he mumbled, knowing that Rude probably didn't pack his stash. Rude was notorious about stealing Reno's pot, and he knew that he and Elena were probably getting into it at that moment. Fuck it, he thought. Mideel has been booming with weed, ever since the Lifestream coursed through it a few years back. He was sure to find a seller somewhere.
As the elevator opened to the roof, he stepped out and covered one of his ears while running to the helicopter. Cloud was sitting in the back with a headset already on. Cissnei handed Reno a headset from her position in the driver's seat and gave him a thumbs up. Reno tossed his suitcase in the back with Cloud and shoved the headset on while he climbed into the helicopter. "'Sup, Cloud," he said into the headset's microphone. "Uh, hey," he heard Cloud reply softly. "Yeah, we'll talk later," Reno said, glancing back at a blushing Cloud. Cissnei took off and headed toward Mideel at top speed.
When they reached Mideel, Reno was the first one out of the helicopter, anxious for a smoke. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes from his suit pocket and lit one with a silver Zippo. He inhaled the smoke with his eyes closed, glad to be in Mideel. He waited for Cloud to get out and grabbed his suitcase, giving a short wave to Cissnei. When the helicopter was gone and they could speak at a normal level, Reno said to Cloud, "So, uh, are you cool?" Cloud gave him a puzzled look, and Reno understood that Cloud had no idea what he was suggesting. "I mean, do you get high, Strife?" he asked. Cloud shrugged. "I don't know. I never have," he told Reno. Reno laughed and reached over to ruffle Cloud's spiky hair. "First time for everything, yo." Cloud grinned. It had been a long time since anyone had ruffled his hair like that. Zack…
They found a room in a hotel near the beach - the only room available. A few years back, the water had been nothing but pure Lifestream. Now there was just a beach with water coming in from the ocean, a popular tourist attraction as Costa del Sol had once been - only the temperature was a lot cooler here.
"I find it interesting that there is only one bed in this room," Reno said. Cloud shrugged. "I'll sleep on the couch," he said. Reno shrugged back. "Whatever you want, Strife," he said to the blond.
After they had unpacked, they both sat on the couch for a couple of minutes, neither one of them wanting to mention why they had been sent together on vacation. Reno cleared his throat, feeling parched and thirsty. "Want to go for a drink?" he asked Cloud. "My treat." Cloud looked up and said, "Yeah, sure. Haven't had one in a while." They got up together and walked to the hotel's bar. Even though it was only early evening, there were already a lot of people there drinking, mostly tourists and bimbos. One female bartender was leaning over the bar flirting with a businessman, trying to pick up extra tips. When she saw Reno and Cloud come in, she motioned to them. "Over here, guys!"
Reno waved her off in disgust and instead went to a booth in a corner where he and Cloud would have some sort of privacy. Cloud had always been soft-spoken and wasn't much on going wild, while Reno was his direct opposite. Reno enjoyed drinking and being loud, and he was quick to say whatever came to his mind at the time. He waved over a waitress and ordered a round of beers. When the waitress came back with them, he slipped her five gil and said, "Keep them coming, sweetheart," with a wink.
"You're flirting with her," Cloud said when the waitress was out of earshot. Cloud hoped that the comment didn't come out too possessive; it was merely an observation. Reno laughed under his breath and said, "No, Cloud. That's just how you keep them being nice to you. I don't, uh, lean that way." Cloud nodded in agreement. "Right. Tifa tried one too many times to get me in bed with her, and I finally had to tell her, 'Look, i'm just not into you. Or any woman. Ever.' But still, she tried," he told Reno, looking down into his glass of beer. He glanced up to watch Reno's tongue licking the foam off of his own beer. Reno didn't know it, but Cloud was turned on watching him do this. Cloud averted his eyes when Reno looked up at him, feeling his gaze. "What?" he asked.
"You've got foam on your mouth."
In what seemed like the most brazen thing he had ever done in his life, Cloud stood up, his legs feeling like rubber, and walked over to Reno. Bending over, he ran his tongue slowly over Reno's lips, gathering the foam into his own mouth. Reno didn't hesitate for one moment and grabbed the back of Cloud's head, forcing him into a kiss. He felt Cloud's mouth open and let his tongue slide in, fully giving in to him. Reno pulled away suddenly. Cloud was blushing as he quickly went back to his seat on the other side of the booth. "Sorry. Was that too soon?" he asked. Reno looked at him. "Nothing to be sorry about, Cloud. It was a little sudden, but it's not like I minded it," he said. Reno's face was hot and he was blushing as badly as Cloud was. "We should talk," he added.
Cloud nodded and tried to speak, his words coming out in stutters. "I… I've liked you for some time, Reno. I know you've liked me for awhile as well… Or at least I figured you did, because I kept seeing you watch me. I guess everyone in the company knew about it, too. Apparently they've been keeping an eye on us. Said my performance was down," he said. "Yeah, they used that line with me, too," Reno remarked and laughed. "Why didn't you ever just come to me?" Cloud asked, looking a bit sad. Reno shrugged. "Because. I didn't know you felt like this about me. I was keeping it a secret from everyone, including Rude. But, it seems he knew all along, and so did you," he said.
They sat in silence for some time. finishing the beers they had in front of them. When the waitress came to bring more beers, Reno paid her in full and told her they were done for the evening. He took Cloud by the arm and they went outside into the night. A million warning alarms were going off in his head. This was too soon, too fast. He shook the thoughts from his head and just went with his emotions. He just had to taste those soft lips again. Had to. He led Cloud to the side of the hotel's building and pressed him against the wall. With his hands flat against the brick wall, he began his descent on Cloud's lips with a slow, teasing kiss that deepened into something more when Cloud brazenly pressed forward against Reno and grabbed his ass. Reno groaned and left Cloud's lips, trailing down to his neck and nuzzling a sensitive spot there that made Cloud moan softly.
"You are beautiful, Strife," Reno whispered into the blond's neck, his hot breath making the skin moist. He felt Cloud shiver and heard sweet words emerge from his lips.
"No... Reno, say my name," Cloud urged softly.
"Mmm. Cloud..." Reno mumbled, nipping at Cloud's neck, tasting the man's name in his mouth, if that were possible, loving the way it rolled on his tongue. He felt Cloud becoming weakened by the sound of Reno saying his name, and knew that he had hit a weak spot. His hand drifted down to Cloud's crotch, giving it a light squeeze. Down, Turk!, he though - but he couldn't help let out a gasp and moaned again. "Tell me how bad you want it," Reno whispered huskily into Cloud's ear, nibbling on the lobe there and stroking Cloud through his pants. His other hand fumbled with his belt buckle, and Cloud could hear the metal clinking. "Right now," Cloud demanded quietly, out of breath. "…But not here," he added. Reno stopped and gave Cloud another deep kiss. "Right. Maybe later. This seems too soon, anyway. I'm sorry," Reno said. "Please. Don't apologize. I started it," Cloud said. Reno laughed and pulled Cloud by the hand back into the hotel. When they got into their room, the mood was lost when they noticed Rude sitting on the couch waiting for them.
With a sigh, Reno bowed his head and shook it, and walked over to Rude to see what he was doing there.
"Ruuuuude, what brings you here, partner?" Reno asked with a crooked smile. Rude glanced down at the noticeable bulge in Reno's pants, then glanced at the bulge in Cloud's pants. He gave one of his trademark small coughs and raised an eyebrow. "I can see I've interrupted things... But it seems I forgot to pack this for you," he told Reno, holding out a small black case with a Shinra logo on it. The case was worn and well-used, and Reno knew exactly what it contained before he even grabbed it from Rude's hand. "Oh Shiva! Thanks, Rude!" he said, opening the case and running his fingers over the soft velvet of the bag inside. He opened the small bag and glanced inside. "Hey! There's some missing!" Rude coughed again. "Elena. Tseng."
Reno rolled his eyes. "Don't lie, partner," he said. Rude gave Reno a smirk and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a pack of rolling papers. He handed it to Reno, who snatched it and stuffed it into the case with the bag of pot. "Yeah, that's what I thought," Reno said, smirking back at Rude. "Thanks for bringing it. Didn't really feel like hitting up one of the local sellers around here tonight. Some of them can be pretty stingy and shady."
"I'll be going then," Rude said, giving a friendly nod to Cloud, who was sitting on the edge of the bed quietly. Reno put the case on the table and slapped Rude on the back heartily. "See you in a couple of weeks, partner." Rude nodded and left. Reno closed the door and locked it, making sure to put the 'Do Not Disturb' tag on the doorknob.
"So, what's all of that?" Cloud asked curiously. He got up and walked over to the case. Reno flopped down into a chair at the table and grabbed the case. He placed the rolling papers onto the table and opened the case, removing the velvet bag. "This, Cloud. This is Shinra's best. Tseng grows it himself in the lab," Reno told him, emptying the contents of the bag onto the table. Cloud's eyes lit up when he saw the contents of the bag. "Are you... going to smoke some?" he asked Reno nervously. Reno nodded and gave Cloud a wink. "Best way to relax, yo. You going to join?" Cloud shrugged. "Sure, I guess," he told Reno. He noticed a devious sparkle in Reno's eyes as he set out to roll a perfect joint. "What do I have to do?" Cloud asked. Reno laughed and noticed that his laugh had made Cloud feel like an embarrassed child. He leaned over and softly stroked Cloud's cheek. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not teasing. I'll show you," he told the blond.
Grabbing the Zippo from his suit pocket, he sparked the joint and inhaled the smoke deeply, holding it in for quite some time, then let out his breath. Cloud wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Smells funny," he said. Reno laughed and passed it to him. Cloud took it and put it to his lips, nervous and unsure of what to do. Reno got up and walked over to Cloud. "You've got to inhale a lot and then just hold it in. That's all. Then breathe out," he told Cloud. Cloud did what he was told. His head felt swimmy, his mind was mush - all after one hit. Reno laughed at Cloud's half-lidded eyes and saw Cloud grin stupidly. He took the joint from Cloud and had some more for himself. The two of them finished it off minutes later, both of them high as a kite and laughing stupidly at each other. Reno thought it was cute how Cloud snorted every time he laughed now; he would have to get the man high more often than not.
He cleaned up the table and put everything away, placing his stash case in the dresser in the bedroom area. He lit a cigarette and flopped down lazily onto the couch, one leg propped up on the coffee table and the other leg on the couch. He closed his eyes. In his haze, he felt something touching his belt. Eyes pried open halfway, he glanced down and saw Cloud kneeled in front of him, slowly working on getting Reno's pants open. He shifted his hips to allow further and easier access to Cloud and said nothing, just wanted to go along with whatever the blond had in mind. Reno groaned when Cloud finally got his pants undone and felt that soft hand wrap around his hard cock. Cloud gave it a few short strokes, then lowered his mouth onto it. Reno could see that Cloud was blushing. He put the cigarette in his mouth and dangled it off of his lips, placing both hands on the sides of Cloud's head. Out of the corner of his mouth, he mumbled encouragement.
"Ah, fuck, Cloud," he groaned. It was by far the most erotic moment in his life, this blond going down on him, taking him by surprise. He had never had a lover, had never been with anyone. He knew it had to be the same with Cloud, for sure. Reno was known in the Shinra company to wine and dine everyone, but what they didn't know was that he had never had sex. Not a blowjob, not a handjob, nothing. They all thought he was the Casanova of Gaia. He laughed out loud at this thought, which made Cloud stop what he was doing and look up at him. "I'm sorry, am I doing something wrong?" he asked Reno, his blue eyes bright and glistening with lust.
Reno hesitated for a moment, then told Cloud the truth. "I, um... I've never been with anyone before," he stuttered, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. Cloud's mouth dropped open in shock, then slowly recovered and said, "Neither have I." Reno chuckled and said, "Yeah, well, you do this like you have experience. It's... It feels fucking great, Cloud." Cloud blushed even more than what he had been already and gave Reno a small smile. "Thanks." He lowered his head back down to Reno's cock and resumed his soft, slow sucking. Reno silently puffed on what was left of his cigarette, then leaned over and crushed it out in an ashtray. He put a hand under Cloud's chin and lifted his head up, making Cloud meet his eyes.
"If you don't stop, we're both going to be cleaning up this couch."
Cloud laughed softly. Reno stood up and pulled Cloud up with him. "I think... We should go over there," Reno said, motioning to the bed. Cloud took in a sharp breath, and Reno could tell he was nervous as all hell.
"Won't we get the bed dirty, too?" Cloud asked, with such childlike innocence in his voice. Reno laughed. "Like I give a shit. But I'd rather change the sheets than scrub the couch down."
They both sat on the edge of the bed next to each other. Reno could feel Cloud shaking nervously. He put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "We don't have to, you know." Cloud nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, I'm not sure what to do with myself now." Reno chuckled. "You were doing a pretty good job earlier, though," he said, nudging Cloud playfully with his elbow. Cloud blushed again. "Ya gotta remember, I've got no experience with this either, Cloud."
"So, we...." Cloud trailed off and found himself staring down at his feet, shuffling them anxiously. Despite his own nerves driving him insane, Reno reached out a hand and cupped Cloud's chin in it, turning his face towards his own. He leaned in and kissed Cloud gently, slowly. He didn't want to rush anything, especially not sex, and he knew Cloud felt the same. But Cloud leaned into the kiss eagerly, soft lips against even softer lips, drinking Reno in. He tasted like a good wine, Cloud thought, and he wanted to be drunk on Reno's flavor. He hesitated for a moment, then lifted his hand to Reno's ponytail and wound his fingers gently into the flaming red hair. Reno groaned deeply into Cloud's mouth; apparently, Cloud had found a weak spot.
The kisses became deeper, more passionate. Reno began to gently push Cloud onto his back. He didn't feel Cloud protest, so he went with it. His hands began to explore, taking a chance and slipping one hand underneath Cloud's shirt to pinch a hardened nipple. Cloud groaned and arched his back off the bed, urging Reno on. Reno could feel Cloud's erection through the thin pants that he was wearing. He helped Cloud slide out of them and tossed them off the side of the bed. Looking down at Cloud in all his glory, Reno felt something let go inside of himself. Pure instinct, pure animalistic lust was now driving him to do what his nervous brain was protesting against. He stuck two fingers to Cloud's lips, and Cloud eagerly took them into his mouth and sucked on them. When he felt there was enough saliva soaking his digits, he removed them and slowly began to ease one finger into Cloud's tight ass. Cloud hissed, whether from pain or pleasure, and wriggled around a little bit. Reno went with it, slowly moving his finger in and out. After a few seconds, he added a second finger.
Cloud was beside himself, moaning as Reno's fingers brushed his prostate, sending a sweet lightning bolt of pleasure streaking up his backbone. "Gaia, Reno!" he gasped loudly, cursing as he held onto Reno's shoulders. Reno removed his fingers reluctantly and allowed Cloud to lean up slightly to take his shirt off. Reno stood up to take his own clothes off. Cloud took a moment to pull back the sheets on the bed and got underneath them, reveling in the feel of the coldness on his naked skin. Reno slid in next to him and said, "I'm leaving the lights on... I want to see you." Cloud couldn't care less if the lights were on or off -- he just wanted Reno inside of him again, whether it be fingers or something larger.
Reno shifted in the bed and got into a kneeling position in front of Cloud. He tenderly kissed the blond, and he could feel Cloud wrap his legs around his waist, pulling him closer to his body. "I'm sorry," Reno whispered. Cloud shook his head. "It's okay," he told Reno. "I'm ready."
Reno spit into his palm and slicked his cock with it, placing the crown against Cloud's tight hole. "This.... This will be my first declaration," Reno whispered, pushing Cloud's knees up. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and tried to relax his muscles, preparing for entry. He didn't have to ask what Reno was talking about. A flash of pain stabbed him thoroughly and he gasped loudly, but the pain slowly turned into a pleasurable feeling. He opened one eye and saw Reno above him, beautiful and glorious, holding absolutely still with his eyes closed, trying to maintain control. But...
"Reno, let your hair down," Cloud whispered.
Reno opened his eyes and looked down at Cloud, almost drowning in his bright blue eyes. He reached back to his ponytail and grasped the tie, pulling it down and letting his red hair flow down. No one had ever seen Reno with his hair down. Cloud sucked in a quick breath. "Reno... You are... even more beautiful like this," he said, reaching up to grab a tendril of red hair between his fingers.
He felt something come undone inside of him, and Reno leaned down and slid his hand underneath Cloud's head quickly, pulling him in for a bruising kiss. He began slow strokes inside of Cloud, slow strokes that had them both panting in each others' mouths. He felt Cloud's fingers grasp his hair tightly, felt Cloud's other hand reach behind Reno and grab his ass, digging his nails into the cheek. "Oh, oh shit, Cloud!" Reno shouted as he felt blood being drawn. His strokes became faster, sliding his cock in and out as deeply as he could. He took one hand and grasped Cloud's leaking cock, pumping it quickly. He knew he was about to come, and he wanted Cloud to come with him. He could feel Cloud's ass spasm around his cock; he knew it would not be long now, and he was dead right. Cloud grunted and let out a shout as he came all over Reno's hand and stomach. "I.. I love you!"
Hearing those three words that he had been unable to say himself earlier before entering his lover, Reno let himself go and came while biting into the thin flesh on Cloud's shoulder. As he rode the last wave of pleasure out, he removed himself from Cloud and rolled over to get his shirt at the side of the bed. Cleaning himself off, he passed it to Cloud, who was breathless and looked like he was in shock. Reno chuckled and curled up against Cloud's heated body. Cloud dried himself off and turned over to face Reno.
"You... You love me, too."
Reno nodded. He had not said the words himself, but Cloud had figured out his so-called declaration. It was the last thing he thought of before passing out cold, fully spent from the lovemaking. And he told himself, yes: it was making love, not sex. Cloud was awake for a few minutes after Reno fell asleep, wondering how things had happened so fast.