Summary: Cloud changes Reno's oil. And then some.
Two-shot, one more chapter after this - Reno/Cloud pairing. Yaoi, and major lemon in chapter 2.
Usual disclaimer: Don't own them, wish I did. This is written for fun and not profit.
It was ninety-five degrees in the shade, and the last thing Cloud wanted to do was change the motor oil in someone's car. Reno, however, had a very persuasive way about him. He had a whole list of things at the ready to bribe Cloud into doing the work for him.
"I'll pay ya, Cloud," Reno promised him. "I'll pay ya a lot, yo. It's not like I'm looking for a free oil change, I'll pay ya for your time. And the oil."
"It's not that, Reno. It's just too damned hot. I have a fan in my garage, but that's it. I'm not doing any work today," Cloud said firmly. "It's supposed to be a hundred degrees today. I'm closing up my shop early."
"Look...I got a portable air conditioner I'll bring," Reno told Cloud over the phone. "Hell, I'll even let ya keep it after; I don't need it in my new apartment anyway. Got central air now."
"Hmm," Cloud hummed, intrigued by the offer. It would be nice to have an air conditioner in the garage, especially for days like today. Then Cloud wouldn't be forced to close his shop when the temperature became unbearable. "I don't know..."
"I'll throw in a case of beer," Reno upped the ante. "The good shit too, I can get ya some of that stout they brew over in Kalm."
"Deal," Cloud replied quickly. "Can you come now? Before it gets any hotter." Cloud shifted uncomfortably; a bead of sweat was slowly working its way down the middle of his back. The delivery boy-turned-mechanic was in his usual work attire; black cargo pants and black boots, and a work shirt that was buttoned halfway; a white wife-beater shirt peeked out from underneath.
"I'm on my way, yo," Reno replied. Cloud, of course, wouldn't be able to see the huge grin on the Turk's face, but it was fairly discernible in the tone of his voice. "See you in a few."
"Okay." Cloud suddenly felt odd as he hung up the phone. Dizzy almost, but not quite. Sort of...tingly. His heart did a weird tumble and flip as he puttered around his little shop, wanting to tidy up before Reno got there.
What the hell? It's a fucking garage...and I don't think Reno cares what it looks like in here, Cloud told himself, shaking his head. Ridiculous. He was being ridiculous.
It was also somewhat ridiculous, Cloud felt, that he and Reno were even friends, after everything they'd both been through. On opposing sides. Weren't Turks the bad guys, and Avalanche were the good guys?
Except, it wasn't like that anymore. Oh, Rufus Shinra was still a pompous asshole. Meteor - and the near destruction of the Planet - hadn't changed that one bit. But the Turks...that was a bit more ambiguous. They no longer tried to kill Cloud or his friends. Bonus. And, they'd tried to help defeat Sephiroth again, hadn't they? Reno and Rude had even tried blowing up Loz and Yazoo.
And then there was Reno. Sexy, crazy Reno. Cloud tried to ignore it, tried to pretend those fluttery little feelings he had were just leftover anxiety from those times Reno had tried to kill him - or, he'd chalk it up to eating a bad burrito.
It wasn't something that ever went away, though. Any time he saw the Turk venturing into the Seventh Heaven for a drink or several, sauntering in like some sort of predatory animal, Cloud would do a double-take and feel his heart drop into his stomach. Just nerves, he would tell himself. Just...PTSD. Whatever. I have to ignore him.
But he couldn't just ignore him. And Reno wasn't about to allow that to happen - as soon as Cloud seemed amenable to a sort-of friendship, the Turk seized that chance and fucking ran with it. Once an unspoken truce had been realized, Cloud was introduced to a whole other side of Reno. For one, the redhead was a lot smarter than Cloud - and a lot of other people - had ever given him credit for. And, he wasn't a complete and utter slob. He had the attention span of a Banoran fruit fly, that much was true.
Nor was Reno a womanizer. This little tidbit came out after quite a few rounds of whiskey one evening.
"I ain't into women," Reno had informed Cloud, taking a long swig of single malt scotch. "I prefer men." He stared at Cloud for just a second longer than he should have, and then quickly broke his gaze.
Cloud watched Reno swallow; watched that long tongue lick up the last precious drop of whiskey from the corner of his mouth.
Reno knew Cloud was staring at him, but was somewhat oblivious. "What? Have I got something on my face?"
"No," Cloud had said in a small voice. In his head, he saw himself straddling Reno's lap, right on that bar stool, and kissing those whiskey-laden lips.
"Reno, sorry - but I have to go," Cloud had said very quickly - too quickly, excusing himself hurriedly, leaving Reno to pick up the tab.
Cloud had hoped Reno hadn't seen the effect he had on him...but he had. Oh, he had. Reno, truth be known, was having some similar difficulties himself. There was no denying the fact that Cloud Strife was one hell of a sexy man. And Reno wanted him. Badly.
But neither one was willing - or ready - to make the first move. And so things continued in this fashion; the awkward budding friendship, the flirting, the getting drunk together and falling against each other in the quiet, cozy, darkness of a corner booth.
So many times, Reno's eyes had fluttered open, only to see a half-drunk Cloud's head resting on his shoulder. And so many times, Reno desperately wanted to kiss him, but drew back - and he only did that because he knew he'd end up getting punched.
Might be worth suffering through a fucking black eye, though.
Reno sang a raunchy hardcore punk tune and played air-drums on the steering wheel as he drove his beat-up old convertible to the liquor store, to pick up the beer he'd promised to Cloud. Black smoke billowed out from behind the old rag-top, to which Reno shrugged his shoulders. It always did that, he reasoned, nothing to get all excited over. Old cars like this just aren't fuel efficient. Or some shit like that. Reno preferred flying, anyway. Cars pissed him off. Too many shitty drivers on the roads in Midgar, and with all of the highways being rebuilt since after Sephiroth was defeated a second time, the roads were a nightmare of detours and unfinished off-ramps.
The portable air conditioner was propped up in the back seat, nearly pristine. Reno had used it once, then had moved into a new apartment where he wouldn't need it anymore. He had the convertible's top down, and the wind was blowing his ponytail straight out behind him like a signal flag.
Cloud could smell the vehicle before he saw it come into view rounding the corner, and groaned. The noxious scent of burning motor oil was never a good sign. He got up from his stool and hit the button to open the garage door, waving the Turk to come on in. This...this is going to be a challenge, Cloud realized. As much as he loved what he did now - fixing cars beat the hell out of being a delivery boy, and it paid a hell of a lot better - Reno's car was going to require quite a bit of work.
And, he told him so, the moment he got out of the car. "Fubar. It's FUBAR, Reno. Fucked up beyond all recognition." The Turk's perpetual goofy grin slid off of his face and transformed into a frown.
"I know what FUBAR means, yo," Reno snapped. "Why? What's wrong with the car? I mean, other than that squeaky noise I told you about. That's what I want you to look at." Reno scratched his head, puzzled, and stared at Cloud. He smelled of grease, motor oil, and coconut-lime body wash.
That smell alone, of fresh Costan coconuts and lime, was enough to make Reno hard. He swallowed, forcing himself to look away from Cloud's ass as the mechanic popped open the hood and bent over, checking out the engine and battery.
Reno snickered when he Cloud poking around beneath the hood. "Checking my dipstick, are ya?" he said, with all the irreverent humor of a twelve-year-old boy.
Cloud barely smiled; he just gave Reno a roll of the eyes, and shook his head in disbelief. "I haven't checked the oil yet. Reno...you really should take better care of this car. It's a classic, you know. This could be something beautiful if it was fully restored."
"Ey. See...this is why I prefer helicopters to cars, yo. I hardly even drive the damned car, I don't like drivin'. People around here are fuckin' maniacs behind the wheel."
"You should see how they drive in Nibelheim," Cloud replied with a snort. "Seriously bad. You'd think, with all the narrow mountain roads up there, people would be a little more careful. But they're not."
"Well, I've seen you drive Fenrir," Reno shot back, sticking out his tongue. "So I ain't surprised."
"I'll pretend to be offended by that," Cloud muttered, grinning. "Oh...is that the air conditioner?" he asked, pointing into the back seat.
"Oh! Yeah!" Reno said excitedly, nodding. "Sorry, yo. Was running my mouth off and forgot. Let me get out and get it hooked up in here for ya. Should be nice and cool inside in just a few."
"Okay," Cloud replied, wiping sweat off of his brow with his forearm. "Gods...feels even warmer in here now." The garage felt stifling, even with the door open to let in the breeze; Cloud unbuttoned his work shirt and shrugged it off, letting it lay on a chair. He wore only the white tank top, which clung to him here and there with sweat.
Reno looked up at that precise moment, and stared at Cloud, hoping he didn't actually drool. Suddenly, Reno's fingers slipped, and he dropped the air conditioner as he was taking it out of his car. "Shit!" he yelped, yanking his foot out of the way just in the nick of time. "Shit! Motherfucker! I hope I didn't break it..."
"You didn't drop it on your foot, did you?" Cloud asked, mildly concerned.
"Naw," Reno replied, wheeling the air conditioner over toward a window. "Didn't get my foot. Gonna plug 'er in and see if she works, I've gotta vent it out a window."
"All right," Cloud agreed. "Guess I'll get to work." He pulled his car creeper from behind the workbench and placed it on the floor, kicking it toward the vehicle. As Reno busied himself with installing the air conditioner, Cloud grabbed a rag from the bench, and went to check the dipstick for the oil in Reno's car. He grinned wryly as he remembered Reno's wisecrack from earlier.
The grin vanished slightly as he pulled the dipstick out and attempted to wipe it clean with the rag. He couldn't - it was like tar.
"Shit," Cloud swore. "Hey, Reno...when's the last time you changed the oil in this?" Cloud called to the Turk.
"Change the oil?" Reno echoed, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know...well, I've had the car for three years now. But I barely drive it, so I guess I didn't bother."
Cloud clenched his jaw in frustration. Really, the man could take care of regularly maintaining a helicopter, but not a car? "You've never changed the oil? Are you fucking serious!" Cloud was actually starting to feel upset - for the car. "This is a beautiful, classic convertible! And you didn't change the oil."
Reno frowned at Cloud, and pushed a button on the air conditioning unit, turning it on. "You're welcome," he said coldly. "Look, I don't know much about cars! That's why I called you...you're the mechanic. Can ya make that squeaky noise go away?"
"I'll give you a fucking squeaky noise," Cloud muttered under his breath. "I haven't even looked at the springs yet. You may need new struts. This might take more than a day, Reno. To start, though...I'm going to change the oil. Even though I might have to scoop it out with a fucking soup spoon." He sighed, exasperated, but had to admit - the garage did feel several degrees cooler already. It really was nice of Reno to bring him that air conditioner.
"Thanks, by the way...for bringing me the air conditioner," Cloud said quietly. "It's helping to cool things down around here." It was noticeably cooler, Cloud noted. So why did his face still feel flushed and hot?
"Yeah, no prob," Reno replied. He was fanning himself with the instruction manual, and Cloud motioned him over.
"Hey...grab another creeper from over there," Cloud directed Reno. "I want you to roll under and take a look under the car with me."
"Why? I'd rather just watch you work, yo," Reno said with a sultry smile.
Cloud chuckled, holding up a wrench. "Because I'm going to show you how to change your own oil. That way you won't forget to do it again. You know how to do this on the chopper, right?"
"Yeah, but it's different," Reno protested. "Kinda. I don't have to crawl under shit as much as you do with a car."
"And don't forget, even if you never drive the car, you still have to change the oil," Cloud lectured him. "Letting it sit around like that will just lead to more problems."
"Okay, okay, ma," Reno pretended to complain. "I solemnly swear, on my honor as a Turk, I will change the oil."
"Turks have honor?" Cloud teased. "Since when?"
"Hey!" The remark stung slightly, even though Reno knew Cloud was kidding. Was he? Did Cloud still have a stick up his ass over the whole Shinra/Avalanche thing? "...I thought we were friends, Cloud?" Reno said quietly, feeling somewhat hurt.
Shit, Cloud thought ruefully. Me and my big mouth. "It was just a joke, Reno, sorry," Cloud quickly apologized. "A bad one, I guess."
"Good. I mean, I thought you and I were cool, ya know?" Reno said, cocking his head. He wandered over to the large peg-board on the wall and pulled down the auto-creeper. Grinning, Reno stepped on it and began using it as if it was a skateboard, careening into Cloud.
"Watch out!" Cloud exclaimed, putting his arms out to keep Reno from crashing into him and knocking him over. Cloud's breath hitched in his throat as his eye traveled up and down the Turks' lean body. It was odd seeing him out of his usual uniform like this; Reno's attire consisted of a black tank top, and baggy cargo shorts with a camouflage pattern on them. Black boots similar to Cloud's completed the outfit. Reno's body was all lean muscle and long limbs; something that was well hidden beneath the baggy Turk uniform that was intentionally a few sizes too big, by Reno's request.
Reno felt Cloud's eyes on him, and felt both flattered and nervous at this extra attention from the blond. "Sorry, yo," he muttered, blushing. "I know, I know...it's not a skateboard. I'm a dumbass."
"Exactly," Cloud replied, chuckling. "All right...let's take a look underneath." Cloud placed the creeper on the floor and quickly got himself situated on it, rolling himself under the jacked-up car. "There's room for you here," Cloud called out to Reno, patting a spot on the concrete floor next to him.
Reno swallowed hard; when had his mouth gone completely bone dry? His gaze fell directly in between Cloud's legs, which were bent at the knee and spread out as the blond scooted back further underneath the car.
Shit. I just popped a boner. Reno looked down at his shorts and scowled at the telltale tenting in the front. Fuck. Well, this is awkward. Hopefully Cloud wouldn't notice, since he was already tinkering away with his wrench. Reno placed the creeper on the ground and lay upon it, scooting up next to Cloud, their bodies separated only by the array of wrenches Cloud had spread out on a rag.
"Ain't this cozy?" Reno said with a smirk, turning his head to the side to regard Cloud. He sucked in his breath; Cloud, brows knit together in a frown concentrating hard on what he was doing, was one of the sexiest things Reno had ever seen in his life. Not to mention, the arm muscles rippling with each movement of the wrench, and the legs that were spread out like butter on toast.
"Yeah," Cloud muttered. "Shit. I've got a stuck nut - " He groaned as Reno burst out laughing. "Okay, okay, Reno...I meant, this nut won't budge."
Reno hooted. "I know what you meant, Cloud. Still funny, yo."
Cloud chuckled. "Yeah...that much is quite clear. Shit!" he exclaimed again, pulling hard on the wrench. "I need - one-sixteenth, maybe..." He felt around next to him on the floor, fingers looking for the correct size wrench.
Cloud frowned. That's...not a wrench. He heard Reno gasp, and then moan; only then did Cloud realize his error.
"Shit, Reno - I'm sorry!" Cloud stammered, quickly pulling his hand away. Reno shook his head and turned toward Cloud, breathing heavily. He pulled Cloud's hand back toward his crotch.
"Don't apologize, Cloud," Reno rasped. "Just - ohhh..." Realization slowly dawned over Cloud and he nodded, hand moving up and down the outside of Reno's shorts.
"You - you really want this?" Cloud asked quietly, as Reno nodded his head vigorously in reply.
"Fuck, yes," Reno panted. "Cloud - I've been wantin' you for a long time. I just wasn't sure...if you felt the same way."
Cloud thought he might melt on the spot, and it wasn't due to the temperature. Something came undone inside of him at Reno's words, and he reached up to cup the Turk's face. "Reno..." He didn't know what to say. Or how to say it. Instead of agonizing over it, Cloud abruptly kissed the Turk, soft and slow, yet gently insistent. They moaned into each other's mouths, and Reno's hand idly wandered over the back of Cloud's neck, playing with his spikes.
"Cloud..." Reno whispered. "The car can wait. Anywhere we can go and...be private for a bit?"
Cloud nodded. "Yeah," he replied, reluctantly breaking the kiss with Reno. "I have a small office in the back - " With a whoosh, Reno rolled himself out from under the car lickety-split, grinning as he did so.
"I hafta say, I should get my oil changed more often," Reno quipped. "Talk about full service!"
Cloud groaned, giving Reno a shove as they headed into the back office. "You...are horrible."
Reno smirked, pulling Cloud in for a kiss. "You have no idea, Cloud. You have no idea."
…But you're about to find out.
Author's note: Okay, now that is the longest build-up before the actual lemon, that I think I've ever written. 3000+ words and all this tension. Eh well, it's my favorite pairing, and the visual of Cloud, all sweaty and working on cars, was too good, I couldn't not write this!
Chapter two - and naughty naughty lemons - to come very soon!