No real warnings for this chapter, other than language. Reno and Cloud continue to be slightly OOC, as they were in the first chapter.
The realization of what they'd just done hit Cloud and Reno, as soon as the door shut behind Rude and the president. They grinned at each other stupidly, blushing as they gathered their discarded clothes, and headed into the bathroom to clean themselves up.
"That was—" Reno started, as he began putting his clothes back on in the bathroom.
"Yeah," Cloud replied, splashing water on his face. "That was…something."
"Something I'd like to do again, yo," Reno replied, smirking. His face suddenly bore a more serious expression, as he locked eyes with Cloud. "No regrets though, right? I mean…I know that wasn't exactly planned and shit, and I just—"
Saying nothing, Cloud grabbed the back of Reno's hair, and roughly drew him in for a kiss. "Reno," Cloud said in a low voice, grinning. "You talk too much." Reno snickered, and kissed Cloud quickly. "Yeah," he replied cheekily. "I get that a lot."
"So, why's Rufus in a wheelchair, by the way?" Cloud asked, pulling his boots back on. Reno sighed, and lowered the lid of the toilet, sitting on it. "Not sure if I should be telling you this, Cloud," he said seriously. "Rufus…has some kind of medical condition…a virus. They're calling it geostigma—"
"Geostigma?" Cloud interrupted, frowning. The word sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite remember where, or how, he'd heard it.
"Yeah," Reno replied, shaking his head. "It's…degenerative, and debilitating. The Shinra lab's been working on finding a cure, but nothing yet. They think they found out the cause, though – from the Lifestream."
"The Lifestream?" Cloud echoed, disbelieving. "But how?"
"Meteorfall," Reno replied quickly. "I'll explain more later. Hey, Cloud, listen – don't let on to Rufus that I told you anything, okay? I mean…he might fill you in anyway, but he might not. But I'd rather that you didn't tip him off that I told you."
"I won't say anything," Cloud promised. "But if the subject comes up…I'm probably going to ask questions."
"Fair enough," Reno replied, nodding. "We'd better get a move on, though."
Cloud nodded, and silently followed Reno out of the bathroom, and stood near the doorway while Reno let Rude and the president back in. Geostigma, Cloud thought, as he took the word apart in his head and wondering why it sounded so familiar. This is getting stranger and stranger…
Opening the door, Reno ushered the president and Rude back inside. "Sorry about that," he muttered quietly, his face reddening.
"No worries," Rufus said coolly, as he wheeled himself in, Rude following closely behind him. "Our apologies for…interrupting." Reno caught Rude staring at him, and could swear he saw the man laughing behind his ever-present shades.
"Yeah, well," Reno mumbled, coughing awkwardly as Cloud came up beside him. "Rufus," Cloud said plainly, acknowledging the president. "As you probably know…Reno sent for me…and he filled me in a bit about this gang of Sephiroth clones—"
"Remnants," Rufus interrupted. "They're remnants of Sephiroth's will. As far as we can tell, anyway."
"Remnants?" Cloud echoed, inquiringly. "What does that even mean?"
"This is what we know so far," Rufus continued, glancing up at Cloud, although his eyes were completely hidden by his shroud - which, for some reason, irked the swordsman. He didn't trust Rufus to begin with, but with his eyes concealed, the man seemed even more shady to Cloud. "These…remnants, for lack of a better word…seem to have originated from within the Northern Crater. And they seem to have just…materialized out of nowhere."
"They were like…regurgitated from the Lifestream," Reno added. "Something like that, anyway."
Rufus nodded in agreement. "It's a working theory, yes."
"So," Cloud said levelly, folding his arms across his chest as he stared down Rufus. "What do you want from me?"
"We need your insight, Cloud," Rufus replied. "You have an undeniable connection to Sephiroth...and, since these remnants appear to be born of Sephiroth's will...we are interested in any light you might be able to shed on them."
"That's a connection I'd rather forget," Cloud snapped irritably. "Sorry. I just - he took a lot from me, from all of us, and I don't know if I want to go back there. Besides," he continued, frowning, "I don't even know anything about these so-called remnants. The first I've even heard about them, is from Reno just now."
"Interesting," Rufus murmured. "You see, I've already met with their leader - Kadaj. Well, rather - he met with me. Demanding to know the whereabouts of 'Mother' - Jenova, presumably. Kadaj said...that you are their brother. I find that very...curious."
Cloud's eyebrows shot up, expressing surprise. He looked inquiringly at Reno, who shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Their brother?" Cloud asked, incredulously. "I don't have any siblings. I don't...I don't get this. At all. I don't know them, I've never even met any of them, so how can they claim to be my brothers? I don't like this one bit."
"That's understandable, Cloud," Reno said quietly and sympathetically. "We're just trying to get to the bottom of this...who these guys really are, and what do they want?"
"It sounds pretty obvious, that they want Jenova, and are plotting something big," Cloud muttered dryly. "Like, oh...I don't know, destroying the planet? That's be my guess. That is, if they're clones - or whatever, of Sephiroth, I mean...that was always his grand plan."
"Interestingly enough," Rufus said quietly, leaning back in his chair, and folding his hands in his lap as he spoke, "I don't believe these three are fully aware of who they are...or what their purpose is. Kadaj himself has said that he has never met Sephiroth, but 'knows of him.'"
"Because I killed Sephiroth," Cloud replied, almost bitterly. "Maybe that's why this Kadaj has never met him."
"Indeed," Rufus replied. "So, Cloud...what do you say? Will you assist us?"
Cloud shrugged indifferently, and folded his arms across his chest. "I don't know yet," he replied, somewhat indifferently. "I'd like to know more. Next time this Kadaj...or his cohorts contact you, Rufus, call me. I'd like to hear whatever it is they have to say, then I'll make my decision."
"That's fair enough, I guess," Rufus replied evenly, grasping the arms of his wheelchair, as he made to leave. "Thank you for your time, Cloud. Rude? The door, please." Rude moved swiftly behind Rufus, and opened the door, ushering him back out. As he shut the door behind him, Rude smirked at Reno, and said, "See you later...partner." Reno grinned, and waved Rude off.
The redhead glanced curiously at Cloud, who was still standing in the middle of the room, apparently digesting what Rufus had just told him. He quietly sat back down on the couch, and stretched his long legs out, sighing.
"I don't even know what to make of all of that," Cloud said, finally breaking the brief silence. He joined Reno on the couch, sitting next to him. "The remnants. Have you...seen them, Reno?"
"I have," Reno replied, nodding. "First time Rufus met with them, me and Rude were there too. We weren't about to let the president meet with them alone, you know."
"My head is spinning," Cloud muttered, leaning slightly into Reno. "I just don't know what to think. Sephiroth? Gods." Cloud exhaled a deep breath, and settled into the crook of Reno's shoulder, allowing the Turk to drape an arm around his shoulders.
"Why don't we agree to not talk shop for a while, Cloud," Reno said softly, gently pulling Cloud into his side. "I...um, I don't know how you feel about this, but I...well, what I'm trying to say is...I'm not into one night stands. Despite what you may have heard," he added, chuckling.
"Neither am I," Cloud replied, turning his head to look into Reno's eyes. "In fact...well, this is all kind of new for me. Well, not exactly brand new, but it's...something I haven't done in a while. Being with another man, that is."
"Really?" Reno said, surprised. "Huh. Well...I obviously wasn't your first, but..."
"No, you weren't," Cloud interrupted, sighing. "Zack was."
Reno's eyebrows shot up about a half an inch at this admission. "Zack? You mean Zack Fair? Really? Wow, Cloud...I mean, I knew you two were close, but...I had no idea. Man. I'm...I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Reno," Cloud murmured, wrapping his right arm around Reno's waist. "He's in a better place now. I know he is. He's with Aerith now..."
"Oh man. Cloud...I wish I had known, man," Reno said sadly. "I mean...you know we tried, right? The Turks...well, Cissnei and Tseng...they tried to save Zack. And me and Rude...we searched for you in the chopper...but we never found you. If anyone failed, it was us," he concluded morosely.
"It was all on me, though," Cloud argued stubbornly. "I...I let him die. I won't ever forgive myself, either."
"No, Cloud!" Reno snapped, his eyes flashing angrily. "Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault! Dude...the entire fucking Shinra Army went after you guys. How in the fuck were you supposed to fight them off singlehandedly?"
"But I..." Cloud stammered, hesitatingly. "I should have done more. Yeah, I killed Sephiroth...that helped a bit, I guess. To feel like I redeemed myself, for failing to save Zack."
"Well, they say hindsight is twenty-twenty," Reno muttered. He cupped Cloud's chin, forcing the swordsman to look him in the eye. "Look at me, Cloud. It's killing me to hear you beat yourself up like this, especially over something that was beyond your control. I...well, I care about you. I don't like to see you hurting like this."
"Reno," Cloud said quietly, lacing his fingers into Reno's wild red hair. "I'm so sorry. I'm not being fair to you, am I. Sitting here babbling about Zack and my...issues."
He shifted on the couch, and gently kissed Reno on the lips. "I...don't know where this will go, you and I," Cloud continued. "And I don't know what tomorrow will bring...but I do know that I want you, Reno. I want you in my life...I don't want just a one-night stand with you." He kissed Reno again, more roughly this time, his fingers toying with the end of Reno's ponytail.
"Good," Reno murmured as he broke the kiss. "I want that too, Cloud...I don't know where this will go either, yo, but I want to see what happens."
"Want to get out of here?" Cloud asked suddenly, smiling. "I'm really hungry."
Reno laughed. "Yeah. I'm fucking starving, now that you mention it," he replied. The Turk kissed Cloud again, as they both stood up, and made their way to the door. "Where to?" he asked Cloud, as he reached for his hand, clasping it.
"Hmm," Cloud hummed, considering. "I know a good Wutainese place in the city…that okay?"
"Yeah, sounds good," Reno said agreeably. "My car is out back-"
"Fuck your car, Reno," Cloud said firmly, grinning. "We'll take Fenrir."
"Hell yeah!" Reno crowed excitedly. "Can I drive?"
Cloud paused for a moment as they exited Healen, and Reno locked the door behind them. "Um...no," Cloud replied, smirking. "Maybe another time. You can ride bitch for now, though." He laughed as he pulled his keys out of his pants pocket, flipping them playfully in the air. Seizing the opportunity, Reno's fist shot out, quick as anything, and nabbed the keys. He snickered as he dashed outside and down the stairs, running away from Cloud, and toward Fenrir.
"You son of a—Reno, get back here!" Cloud shouted, laughing as he ran after Reno. I've laughed more in just a few hours with Reno, than I have in a very long time, Cloud thought with a smile as he pursued the fleeing Turk. Reno's red ponytail flew out behind him as he sprinted even faster toward Fenrir. Cloud charged forward with a sudden burst of speed, and threw himself at Reno in a flying tackle, knocking him sideways and down to the ground. He straddled Reno, flipping the man over on his back, and gave him a smirk. "So…hand them over, Reno," Cloud commanded, as he tried to grab Reno's wrists to pin them over his head. This proved to be nearly impossible, as Reno squirmed and writhed on the dusty ground, kicking his legs up as he tried to get Cloud off of him.
"Get—off!" Reno hissed, trying to hold back his laughter, and shifting the keys back and forth from one hand to another, trying to keep Cloud from getting to them. Suddenly, Cloud got a gleam in his eye, and leaned down, kissing Reno roughly and catching him off guard. "Mmm," Reno hummed appreciatively, relaxing his grip on the keys as he momentarily forgot about them. Cloud snaked his hand up and around, and snatched the keys out of Reno's hand. Grinning, Cloud stood up and dusted himself off, and pulled his goggles down over his eyes, as he stared down at Reno, who was still lying on the ground.
"You coming?" Cloud asked teasingly, glancing back at Reno as he mounted Fenrir.
"You," Reno said, standing and brushing the dust from his clothing, "are an asshole, Cloud Strife." He cracked a huge smile at Cloud, and sauntered over to Fenrir, taking a seat behind Cloud. Cloud started up the bike, and smiled as he felt Reno's arms encircle him from behind. He then felt Reno lean forward into his back, warm breath tickling his ear. "You did that on purpose, yo," Reno yelled into Cloud's ear, as the motorcycle's engine roared loudly. "You kissed me…just to get the keys away from me!"
Cloud glanced back at Reno and smiled. "That wasn't the only reason!" he shouted back at him; then, he quickly faced forward, and let the throttle out, piloting Fenrir away from Healen, and back toward the city.
Reno felt his heart thudding through his chest riding on the back of Fenrir, as Cloud navigated from Healen, back toward the city. He never felt so alive as he did just then, the wind whipping his ponytail out behind him; it blew back around on occasion and slapped him in the face, but Reno didn't care. Cloud was driving faster and faster, and Reno couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he wrapped his arms snugly around Cloud's waist. It felt so good, and so right in that moment – just he and Cloud, riding through the wilderness. Me and Cloud Strife, Reno thought happily. Go figure...never would have thought I'd hook up with him, of all people.
A short time later, the skyline of the city loomed ahead, and Cloud slowed the bike down. He swerved up the highway, and drove into the heart of Edge, taking an exit near the main drag. Cloud quickly navigated the bike through several twisty side streets, and finally reached their destination – a very non-descript looking restaurant.
Cloud cut Fenrir's engine and engaged the kickstand, then dismounted the bike, with Reno following behind him. The pair entered the restaurant, and were quickly seated in a corner booth. It was quiet but not completely dead in the restaurant - they'd just missed the dinner rush by about an hour.
"So what's good here?" Reno asked Cloud, scanning over the menu.
"I like the tuna tartare appetizer...and I like the Wutainese hot pot," Cloud told Reno. "They give you a big tureen of boiling broth, and a platter of meats and vegetables...you kind of cook your own food in the broth."
Reno balked slightly at this, and shook his head. "That sounds good, but dude...I don't cook. Last time I tried, the fire department was called. And Tseng was pissed, since it happened at his condo."
Cloud snickered at this mental picture, then told Reno, "Don't worry. It's not actual cooking, Reno - you just dip the stuff in the broth using chopsticks, and swirl it around until it's hot. You can use chopsticks, can't you?"
"Of course I can," Reno huffed indignantly. "I'm just not allowed near the stove."
Cloud laughed out loud at this, as the server came over to take their order. "I think we'll have the tuna tartare to start, and the hot pot," Cloud told him.
"And a bottle of your best sake," Reno interjected, handing the menus over to the waiter. "Thanks."
"So," Reno said, leaning across the table and grinning. "We are totally ass-backwards, you know."
"What do you mean?" Cloud asked absently, sipping on his water.
"I mean," Reno replied steadily, gently grazing his fingers over Cloud's hand, "that we're having our first date after we slept together."
"Oh," Cloud said dumbly, smiling shyly. "Is this... a date, then?" he asked.
"Seems like it to me," Reno said, lacing his fingers with Cloud's. They both stared down at their hands entwined together; then as they looked up at each other, they both locked eyes.
"I thought we were supposed to hate each other?" Cloud commented, bemused. He leaned forward, closer to Reno, feeling unable to break his stare; Reno's eyes were the bluish green of the sea, and Cloud wanted to get lost in them.
"Yeah," Reno replied, smirking. "We're mortal enemies, remember?"
The server then came over with their bottle of sake, and set two small sake cups down in front of both men; he quickly poured the sake into both cups. "Your food will be out shortly," he said quietly. "Will there be anything else for now?"
"No, we're good for now," Cloud told him. "Thanks." He handed Reno a sake cup, and took one for himself. "Well," Cloud continued, raising his cup in a toast. "Here's to..."
"Here's to us. And whatever this...thing is, that we've got going on," Reno finished for him. They clinked their cups together, and downed their sake. "How's that for a half-assed toast?" Reno commented, chuckling.
"Not bad," Cloud replied, smiling. "You know...none of this makes sense. How many times did you and I try to kill each other, Reno?" he asked softly.
"I'd rather not think about that right now, Cloud," Reno murmured. "Yeah...we were just doing our jobs then, you know? I never held anything personal against you, Cloud. But...since you brought it up...all those times we faced each other as enemies...I never could bring myself to kill you. Something made me hold back."
"You did?" Cloud asked quietly, not breaking eye contact with Reno. Just then, the server brought over their food, setting it in front of them. "Thank you," Cloud told the server. "That'll be all for now, thanks."
"Why?" Cloud continued, staring intently at Reno, as they divvied up the appetizer between the both of them, sharing it. "Why'd you hold back, Reno? You're a Turk..."
"I am a Turk, yes," Reno said in between bites of food. "But I'm not without a heart, yo. I guess I must have...felt something for you, back then. That must be why I hesitated."
"But so did I, Reno," Cloud added. "I mean...at one point there were three of us against you...and I know I did injure you, but...I didn't finish you off. And I could have, but I didn't." Cloud felt his flesh crawl, when he realized what he'd just said; had things gone slightly differently, neither one of them would have been sitting with each other right now, eating dinner together.
"I'm glad you didn't, Cloud," Reno said, smirking as he picked up his chopsticks again. "I never would have predicted you and me ending up together like this...but I wouldn't have wanted to miss it for the world, I can tell you that much."
"Yeah," Cloud whispered, suddenly feeling a bit emotional. He picked up his own chopsticks, and turned his attention toward the Wutainese hot pot. "So, ah. This is how you do it, Reno," he told the Turk. "Take the meat or whatever, in your chopsticks - like this - then dunk it in the broth. Leave it there a few minutes until it cooks a bit...then fish it back out. See?"
"Isn't that double dipping, yo?" Reno demanded, smirking. "Gross."
Cloud laughed. "I never thought about that...but, I guess it is double dipping. What? I don't have cooties, Reno..."
"Cloud, about a half an hour ago, you had your tongue down my throat," Reno replied dryly, grinning. "Obviously I don't have a problem swapping spit with you, I was joking, yo."
"Oh," Cloud replied, chuckling. "I guess it's not an issue, then." They continued eating in companionable silence, pausing every now and then to exchange quiet banter and conversation. Soon, their dishes were empty, the bottle of sake was drained, and it seemed the evening was coming to an end.
"Want me to bring you back to your car, Reno?" Cloud asked him, as they paid their dining check. "Or I can bring you to your apartment now, and we'll get your car tomorrow."
"Doesn't matter to me," Reno said, shrugging; but secretly hoping he could somehow lure Cloud back to his apartment that evening. "You heading back to Seventh Heaven?" he asked, knowing that Cloud still had an apartment there on the second floor.
"No," Cloud replied stonily. "I haven't stayed there in months. I've been sleeping in the church...Aerith's church." They were now outside the restaurant, having paid their bill, and Reno spun around to stare at Cloud, not quite believing what he'd heard. He placed his hands on Cloud's shoulders, staring him in the eye. "What the fuck are you talking about, Cloud?" he asked. "Did you move out of Tifa's?"
"Yes and no," Cloud replied, sighing. "I...I just can't be with her anymore. I tried to make it work, I really did. The kids...they look up to me, you know. So I felt like I had to stay. But I'm not happy with her. I'm not sure I ever was. Gods, I am so fucking selfish," Cloud muttered, breaking away from Reno as he stared down at Fenrir.
Reno walked up behind Cloud, and put an arm around him. "You're coming with me, and you're staying at my place tonight," he stated firmly. "No, don't look at me like that, Cloud," Reno said pleadingly, as Cloud gave him a sideways glance. "I'm not trying to get into your pants or anything like that. Well...I mean, that'd be nice, really," he said, grinning. "But no, really. I want you to stay with me tonight, Cloud. Please...I don't want to think about you sleeping in that church all alone. I mean, I know you can take care of yourself and shit, but I just-"
"Did I ever tell you, Reno," Cloud murmured, as he moved in closer to Reno and grabbed him by his lapels, pulling him into his chest. "...that you talk too much." He leaned in and kissed Reno tenderly. The Turk's hands wandered over Cloud's ass and up his backside, as he leaned into the kiss, slowly pulling away as he caught Cloud's bottom lip in between his teeth, tugging on it gently.
"Yeah," Reno replied breathlessly, kissing Cloud again quickly. "You have mentioned that."
"I have to warn you, Reno," Cloud continued, sighing tiredly. "I'll have to tell Tifa...about us, eventually. She's probably going to hate both of us..."
"I can handle it, yo," Reno replied. "Seriously. Let's just worry about that tomorrow, okay?" Cloud nodded, and they both walked over to where Fenrir was parked. Cloud straddled the bike, as Reno got on behind him. "You didn't try to steal my keys this time," Cloud commented teasingly, as he half-turned in his seat to regard Reno.
"Nah," Reno replied, grinning easily. "I kind of like having your ass in between my legs like this," he said, leering at Cloud. Leaning forward, he wrapped his arms around Cloud, and kissed him on the back of his neck. "Let's go home, babe," he whispered.
"Yeah," Cloud murmured, mostly to himself, as he started up the bike. "Home," he repeated, as he drove off. The word suddenly felt as if it had a different, more hopeful meaning to Cloud.
A/N: Um...well, there was SUPPOSED to be a lemon in this chapter, but I got carried away with more Reno/Cloud sap. What can I say, I can't resist! Lemon to come in chapter 3...since Cloud's staying the night at Reno's and all. *wink wink* :)