This chapter includes lyric excerpts from The Divinyl's "I Touch Myself", Jeff Healey Band's "Angel Eyes", and Garbage's "1 Crush", respectively. I do not own the songs, nor do I make money from them; they are strictly to set the mood. Since writing the first few chapters, including this one, I have since stopped adding lyric excerpts to the middle of the story; it's annoying to some people, and eventually it got on my nerves as well. There are only a couple more chapters like this; I apologize for the annoyance.
Implied Tseng/Rufus.
They had barely made it back to their hotel room; eyes ablaze, skin on fire, groping and touching every inch of skin they could get their hands on between all of the clothing. Sweat had formed on Reno's hairline, making his fiery red hair glisten in the artificial lighting of the room. He slammed Cloud against the wall, fingers twitching and itching for more to touch... to grasp. He damn near ripped Cloud's shirt at the collar, yanking it aside to suck on that pale white flesh he was growing to worship. Hearing Cloud moan like this made him want to completely come undone, and he intended to do so, oh so very soon. He lifted his lips from Cloud's neck, staring in pride with lust-filled eyes at the dark, reddened mark that he had made on his lover. He gave the spot a quick lick, then chose to bite gently, nipping at the branded skin. "Ahhh..." Cloud's knees began to buckle, and Reno caught him just before he hit the floor.
"If I can do this just with my mouth, yo... Just think of what I can do to you with my hands," Reno teased, making Cloud groan again with need. He pushed Cloud toward the bathroom. "Wait... What?" Cloud asked in protest. "I told you I wanted to take a shower after breakfast," Reno told him, a sly smile on his face. "And you're going to join me." He began to undress Cloud slowly, teasingly, making sure his pants slid off at just the right angle to brush softly against the blond's erection. Cloud followed suit and undressed Reno, but at a faster pace. "No rushing," Reno said, pointing a finger, jokingly chastising Cloud. "We're on vacation, remember? We're supposed to relax." Cloud swallowed hard. "Kind of difficult when you're being a tease, Turk," he shot back at Reno, grinning smoothly.
They got into the shower; as small as it was, it easily fit the both of them -- just enough room. The taps were turned on and the water was tested, Reno making sure it was hot enough to relax under but not too hot to scald them. "Glad you brought some shampoo, Cloud. These hotel samples are shit," Reno remarked when he saw Cloud's shampoo on the shower shelf. He flipped open the cap on the bottle and inhaled. A soothing vanilla scent flowed through his nostrils and hit his senses hard enough to make him feel delirious. It smelled just like Cloud.
"Personally, I like to use strawberry-scented shampoo, but this will do. Now I can have your scent in my hair even when it's not on my hands..." Reno said, noticing Cloud blush at the comment. "Aw, come on Spiky. I like the way you smell." As if to prove his point, he leaned closer to Cloud and inhaled the skin on his neck, his hands roaming to caress the pale flesh on the sacred body of his lover. "Ohhh yes," he breathed out, the motion of his hot breath causing Cloud to tremble. "I want to wash your hair. Then I'm going to make you come," Reno whispered into Cloud's ear, nipping at and then dragging his tongue across it. Cloud whimpered and turned around to give Reno better access to his hair. He leaned back into the spray of the water and soaked his head thoroughly, then sighed deeply, contentedly, as he felt Reno begin to massage his head with the shampoo.
"I could do this forever, you know. If you let me," Reno said after a few minutes. Cloud hummed in response. "Sounds heavenly," he remarked with half-lidded blue eyes glazed over with lethargy. Reno suddenly knew there would be no sex in the shower for them this time, with Cloud half-asleep and much too relaxed, sporting a now-limp dick. "But you'd better stop or I'm going to pass out on you," Cloud added. Reno laughed. "Alright, alright. Rinse out," he told Cloud, beginning to wash his own hair. Cloud rinsed the shampoo from his head and washed Reno's back while Reno finished up his own hair. When they were both clean, they got out of the shower and wrapped towels around themselves. Reno sat in one of the wooden chairs at the table to light a cigarette, contemplating rolling a joint. The thought got the better of him eventually, and after a second drag from his cigarette, he got up and removed his stash case from the dresser drawer where he had put it the night before. Sitting back down, cigarette carefully balanced between two beautifully plumped lips, he rolled a damn near-perfect joint. Giving it a smile of satisfaction, he kissed it with a dramatic smack of his lips. "Join, Cloud?" Cloud nodded from the other side of the table in his own chair.
"Yeah, I just hope it doesn't give me a bad dream like it did last night."
Reno cocked his head and passed the joint to Cloud so he could be the first to light it and take a toke. "You never told me what it was about, man. What's up?" he asked. Cloud shrugged and inhaled on the joint, then passed it back to Reno. "It's stupid. Just a nightmare, the same shit as usual."
"Nothing you dream could ever be stupid. Share with me."
Cloud blushed -- there was that blush again, thought Reno -- and stuttered, "It was nothing. I really don't want to talk about it. Maybe later, but just right now. Reno...."
Snuffing out the joint, Reno got up and kneeled in front of Cloud, hooking his arms around the blond and laying his head gently in his towel-covered lap. Hot, silent tears began to trickle down Reno's face and soaked into the towel. He couldn't help it. He was so in love with Cloud now, and he knew Cloud was in pain, holding back something he could not speak of.
"I wish I could take your pain away. I wish I could help you, Cloud. You keep everything locked inside. I want to see the real you. I've only partially seen the real you. I want to see all of you. You're hiding from me."
Aerith -- their planet's last living ancient, a young woman who could hear the voice of the dying planet and knew the Lifestream like the back of her hand, who had died at the hands of Sephiroth so long ago -- had been popping into Cloud's consciousness a lot lately. And with Reno's words, there was her face again. She had said that once to him, a long time ago. She had wanted to know the true him as well. Thinking of Aerith only made him remember Zack. Oh gods, Zack..... the blood...
Cloud sighed, sniffling from his own tears. Now he was getting sad thinking of Zack. In hopes of lightening the mood, he forced himself to smile, and said, "Does that make me untouchable to you now? Not yet knowing who I truly am?"
Not hesitating for a moment, Reno looked him seriously in the eyes.
"Not. On. Your. Life."
He kissed Cloud's hand firmly and hugged him. He would not leave this man's side. Not now, not ever.
"I love myself; I want you to love me. When I feel down, I want you above me.......…"
Hot lips pressed to his neck, Cloud shivered at the sensation. "I love you, Cloud," he heard Reno murmer into his skin. "I love you," Cloud said softly, tears in his eyes. "I don't know what I did to deserve you..."
"You're the sun who makes me shine......…"
"Be with me, Cloud. Be mine."
"I close my eyes and see you before me. Think I would die if you were to ignore me. A fool could see just how much I adore you. I'd get down on my knees, i'd do anything for you.....…"
Reno lifted Cloud gently off of the chair, and took him to the bed, laying him down and covering him with light kisses. He lay down next to the blond, stroking his cheek gently, doing his best to wipe away the salty stains left by tears cried out of angst. A tender kiss, a soft sigh, they began the slow dance of lovemaking. So gentle, so easy and soft this time, like never before. Cloud lost himself in Reno, forgetting time and all that had happened years before. He let the memory of Zack's death fade into twilight as he let Reno enter him, let Aerith's death become nothing but a pinprick on the horizon. When they came together as they always did, sweat clinging to skin and muffled moans swallowed by each other's mouths, Cloud drowned himself in Reno, his soul intertwined with Reno's soul. He could tell by the look in the red-headed Turk's eyes that something had changed with him as well, but what it was, he didn't know. He lay back on the pillow and felt Reno's arm slide smoothly over his chest.
"We could grow old together," Cloud mumbled absent-mindedly, lost in the haze of his satiated brain, and his breath caught in his throat as he realized what he had just said. Reno picked his head up to look Cloud in the eyes. "Yeah?" Reno asked. Cloud nodded slowly. "You saying you'd put up with me forever?" Reno asked once more for certainty, his tone gentle and disbelieving. Cloud gulped. "Yeah." He didn't quite know what he was getting himself into, but it seemed right.
"I want you, I don't want anybody else.....…"
"Oh Gaia..." Reno mumbled, crushing his lips to Cloud's. "I love you so much, Cloud. I believe I always have. I shouldn't have waited so damned long."
"Same here. I just... don't want this, us, to end. I still feel like it's a dream," Cloud said.
"Marry me, then, Cloud."
Reno didn't have to ask twice.
Reno snuck out while Cloud was napping, leaving only a small note on his empty pillow: Gone shopping, be back soon. Love you. He walked alone to one of the specialty shops that was in Mideel, a shop that sold rings and other items. A bell tinkled when he entered the shop, an elderly woman glancing up at him from behind the counter. "Good afternoon, can I help you find something?" she asked. Reno felt kind of uneasy; he had never shopped for an engagement ring before. But he wanted to do this the right way, wanted to show Cloud that he was serious, no matter how long they had been together. Whether two days or two decades, he knew this was 'it' for him. No other man had been made for him; he knew this now. He approached the woman and said, "Hi, yeah, I'm looking for a simple silver ring, nothing fancy."
"Getting married?" the woman asked. "Yep, that's the idea, ma'am!" Reno exclaimed with a proud grin on his face. He like the sound of that. Imagine, someone finally getting Reno to settle down. Wouldn't Rude be surprised! The woman smiled back at him and led him to a smaller counter where rings of all sizes and designs were displayed. He hemmed and hawwed while looking at the selection, not really seeing one he liked. There was one, however, that did catch his eye: a simple ring, silver, like he wanted. On the band, a kanji symbol glared at him in black inlay. He pointed at it rapidly, like an excited child. "That one, that one!" The woman removed it from the case and handed it to him. He rolled it around between his fingers, thinking to himself. "Can you engrave it with something?" he asked. "Of course I can, sweetheart. It'll only take about five minutes, if you want to wait. What do you want it to say?" she said.
"Love you to death," he said without hesitation. The woman smiled warmly at him. "Must be a wonderful woman to steal your heart that way, son," she said. Reno smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Yes he is, he really is," he said, stifling a laugh. "Oh! I'm sorry!" she apologized, blushing. "My oh my..." she mumbled to herself, rushing off to the back of the shop to make the engraving. Reno stepped outside to smoke a cigarette while he waited for the ring to be finished. He had just ground out the last of it with the heel of his boot when he turned around and glanced through the window, noticing the woman had already completed her work.
"How much do I owe you?" he asked, reaching for his wallet. "Three-hundred gil." "Gaia, that's tough," Reno remarked. "Ah, two-hundred fifty, then," the woman said. "Sounds better," he said, and paid her. He gave a quick, friendly wave and left the shop in a hurry. He honestly wanted to be there before Cloud woke up. In fact, he wanted to be the one to wake him up. He crept into the quiet hotel room, noting that Cloud was still fast asleep. He walked to the bed where the blond was laying peacefully. He ran the back of his hand softly over Cloud's face and lay down beside him. "Hey. Cloud, wake up, beautiful," he whispered. Cloud stirred a little but did not open his eyes. Reno knew what he wanted to do, and set everything in motion. He fished the ring out of his pocket, and, ever so gently, began to slip the ring onto Cloud's finger. Before sliding it on all the way, he kissed Cloud softly on the lips, whispering once again, "Cloud, wake up, angel." Cloud woke up completely this time, his eyes fluttering open and his gaze falling directly in view with the cold sensation on his left ring finger. Sliding the ring past the knuckle and kissing Cloud again, Reno whispered, "With me always, Cloud. Always."
A soft sigh escaped Cloud's lips, his eyes glistening with the beginning of happy tears. "Reno..." It was not just the fact that Reno had given him a ring that was making him weepy; it was also what the kanji symbol represented.
Fate.
Reno held Cloud in his arms for a while, then told him to check the inside of the ring. Cloud did so, and his mouth gaped open as he read the words that he knew were true, and always would be.
"So, it's official now," Reno said. "A little fast, maybe..." He shook his head quickly. "Nah," he added. "This should have happened ages ago." He kissed Cloud on the cheek, licking the salt from his own lips, left by happy tears. "See, there, I like to see happy tears. I don't ever want sad tears in your eyes ever again, Cloud."
Cloud laughed a little, then shrugged one shoulder. He sighed softly, embracing Reno in a tight hug. "Thank you." It was simply all he had left to say at this moment in time. There were no other words he could say. Their hands intertwined, Reno grasping the hand on which the ring was on, he said, "Want to go dancing?" Cloud blushed. "I... I can't really dance, Reno," he stammered. Reno chuckled lightly. "I'll teach you, then. Nothing to it," he told the blond. "Okay," Cloud agreed.
Cloud got himself dressed in something nice yet comfortable, and they went to the hotel bar. There was an old song playing that both Reno and Cloud knew very well; the song was from days past and had always tugged on Reno's heartstrings. Now he had a new understanding of the lyrics, as he led Cloud to the small dance area in the bar. He gathered Cloud in his arms, close and tight, and began to sway with him.
Cloud didn't have to worry about his two left feet; Reno took charge and helped him along, never missing a beat. It was hot in the bar, so many people dancing on the floor - but all he could see was Reno. Reno.... Reno... He laid his head on Reno's shoulder and just let himself be rocked and swayed.
"I'm the guy who never learned to dance, never even got one second glance. Across a crowded room was close enough: I could look but I could never touch...."
He shivered at the words of the song. Perfect, he thought. This song is so true. He felt Reno's arms holding him gently. He didn't want this beautiful man to let go of him, ever.
"Don't anyone wake me if it's just a dream...."
Reno slid a hand to the back of Cloud's head and tilted it for a kiss. "Reno," Cloud said breathlessly, his eyes shut tightly. "I don't want to wake up..." Reno chuckled under his breath. "It's not a dream, Cloud. Open your eyes. I'm here." Cloud opened his eyes and fell into the depths of Reno's blue eyes, shining brightly. He could see himself reflected in that bright mako-enhanced glow. "I love you," he told Reno, and slid his own hand beneath Reno's head, crushing his mouth against his own. "Love you, so much," he mumbled between their lips. He heard Reno sigh contentedly. Cloud peered over Reno's shoulder and caught sight of familiar faces sitting at a table across the bar. "Reno, look," he said, and pointed to the group.
Tseng, Elena, Rude, Scarlet, Rufus, Reeve… All were there. "What the hell?" Reno wondered aloud. "First it was just Rude and Elena. Now everyone?" he added. He grabbed Cloud's hand and they walked over to the table, where it seemed that the entire Shinra company had gathered. Even Scarlet, presumed dead years ago, was dressed to the nines. "Yo, what's up boss?" Reno asked Tseng.
"Everyone felt like they needed a vacation like you and Cloud. And, here we are," Tseng told him, his dark eyes not entirely relaying the truth to the well-seasoned Turk who could smell bullshit a mile away. Even Rude seemed to hide something extra behind his dark glasses.
"A round on me," Tseng ordered a waitress. "Sake'… and your best rum for Reno," he motioned toward the redhead. The alcohol arrived minutes later and glasses were lifted to the center of the table. "To Reno, the finest Turk there ever will be. And to Cloud, who finally reigned him in," Rude spoke, nodding to the ring on Cloud's finger. Reno groaned; nothing escaped Rude's knowledge, no matter how private the matter was. Glasses clinked together, the ringing noise of the fine crystal shot glasses sounding above the music playing on the jukebox, and Reno kissed Cloud after gulping down his shot of rum. "Shit!" Reno yelled with a whoop, feeling the alcohol hit him like a brick. Strange, he thought, usually it takes some time to hit me. Must be really, really good quality. He hummed quietly in his throat, enjoying the feeling. "Nice choice, Tseng," he gave the dark-haired man a thumbs-up and grinned.
One shot of rum followed another, then another. When his surroundings began to spin and darken, he slammed down his glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He grabbed Cloud and dragged him to the dance area once again. Cloud was tipsy himself, and stumbled into Reno's arms as Reno pulled him close. He giggled and kissed Reno on the curve of his neck. "You're drunk, Turk." "Nahhh, i'm not drunk," Reno slurred, pausing to twirl Cloud in a flurry of movements. A different song began to play on the jukebox. Reno groaned. "Nnngghhh... HATE this song!" he exclaimed. Cloud laughed. "Yeah, well, I like it," he challenged. "Nah, this is lame. Can't even dance to it, really," Reno remarked. "Oh?" Cloud asked, an eyebrow raised. "Is there something else we could do to it beside dance?" Reno stopped suddenly, staring Cloud down with his half-lidded eyes. A naughty smile lifted one side of his mouth, his eyes gleaming. He grabbed Cloud's hand roughly. "Hey!" Cloud shouted, unsure of the sudden change in Reno's stature.
"Shhh!" he whispered heatedly to Cloud. "Don't say nothin', don't look around. Follow me. Quickly!" As if he had a choice! Cloud was pulled and rushed along by Reno, and wasn't too shocked when he saw that Reno was leading them to the men's bathroom at the back of the bar. "Reno! Reno, we can't!" Cloud sputtered. Reno snorted deviously. "Like I give a shit!"
They burst through the bathroom. "Anyone in here, get the fuck out!" Reno yelled. Cloud held his breath for a second then let it out with a whoosh when he found that no one was in the room.
"Ah, uh, Reno? No lock on the door."
"Hmph," Reno smirked. "Even better."
He pushed Cloud against the cabinet that the sink was in, covering his mouth with his own, fumbling with Cloud's belt. "Damn, yo! Why you gotta wear a belt all the time?" Reno gasped, breaking away from Cloud's hot, moist mouth. Cloud smirked and tugged at Reno's belt. "Hmm, you wear one all the time, too, Red," Cloud pointed out. Reno smirked back, then wiped the smirk from Cloud's face with a hot kiss, melting that smirk right off. Finally succeeding with unbuckling Cloud's belt, Reno ripped it from his pants and tossed it where it hit the wall with a loud, metallic smack ringing out from the buckle. He grasped Cloud's pants and yanked them off with one pull. Grabbing Cloud by the hips, he pulled him up to set him roughly on the counter and pushed the blond's knees up, leaving Cloud exposed to him. A low groan emerged forth from Reno's lips as he dropped his own pants just low enough to pull out his cock.
Cloud was breathless by now, the alcohol and heated passion making him breathe hard. He saw Reno looking around hastily for something to use for lube. Cloud grabbed the bottle of liquid soap from the counter. "Here, this will do." Reno's eyes grew wide. "Holy shit, Cloud. That is gonna burn like hell! Stupid! No!" he said, exasperated, and shook his head furiously. "Nuh-uh, no way," he added, then spit into his hand. "Nah, this will work. Just as good as ever," he said, rubbing it over his hardened flesh and slipping a finger into Cloud. Cloud bucked slightly against the movement and moaned softly. "R-Reno, don't hold back," he mumbled drunkenly, grasping Reno by the shoulders.
"Oh fuck. Cloud..." Reno gasped when he entered Cloud. So tight, so hot. He began to slam-fuck Cloud, rapidly moving in and out -- not just out of desire and need, but knowing that they could get caught was also spurring him on.
The song played on in the main room, and Reno could hear it vibrating in his brain as he fucked Cloud. His orgasm hit him hard, but he kept fucking his husband within an inch of his life. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep the motion going. Hurry, Cloud. Hurry! he repeated in his mind.
"To be close to you, to be a part of you. I believe in you, I believe in you. I would die for you.…"
Just then, the door opened and Reno spun around, his long red ponytail slapping Cloud in the face. Cloud peered around Reno's shoulder to see who had come in, his face twisted in sweet agony as he came, moaning loudly, sweat trickling down his temple and his cock jerking and spurting onto his stomach. "Sir!" Reno shouted. It was Tseng, his eyes wide at what he was witnessing. A timid Rufus peered over from behind Tseng's shoulder, mouth agape. It had all happened in seconds flat, and Tseng made a hasty retreat, closing the door quickly."Ah, hell," Reno said. He and Cloud looked at each other and burst out laughing, their laughs bouncing off of the walls. He pulled himself out of Cloud and grabbed some paper towels from the dispenser on the wall. They cleaned themselves up and Cloud put his pants back on. They were still laughing when they stumbled drunkenly out of the bathroom and straight into Tseng and Rufus.
"...Awk-ward!" Reno declared, laughing. "Sorry, boss. Uh, bathroom's free now...," he said, slinging an arm around Cloud's shoulders loosely and walking toward the table they had reserved. Rufus had a smirk on his face and Reno turned around just in time to see him smack Tseng on the ass before they both entered the bathroom together.
Elena was sitting in Rude's lap, her hands on top of his bald head, kissing him on the forehead over and over. Reno could tell Rude was now so drunk that he probably didn't even know where he was any longer. Reeve and Scarlet had already left. The night was still young, and Reno still had a wild hair up his ass.
