Mystery Chapter 3


He woke to rain. At first, he thought it was another dream but when he opened his eyes, it was actually raining. As an added bonus, he didn't feel like he was burning with fever anymore.

"Shhhhh. Your fever broke while you were sleeping. Did you have any bad dreams?" Cloud wiped his face with a cool cloth, then held up a cup of water. He shook his head. Gods, he was exhausted. Another sip.

"Tseng called. They caught the bad guys or, more accurately, this round of bad guys. That's the good news. Bad news is that the blueprints for making these things, the technology for upgrading them even, is still out there. Welcome to the brave new world."

"Great! Next you'll tell me we get the cat for another week." Reno didn't know how to feel about it all. On one hand, he was relieved; his dreams had rattled him more than he could even describe. The less danger Cloud was in, the better. On the other hand, it all seemed a little…anticlimactic. He was not a man accustomed to sleeping through the final battle. Though the alternative was…coughing them to death? Drowning by phlegm? If he felt less like shit he might even miss his manly dignity.

"No, the cat goes back on Tuesday. You want me to call in some delivery? Sushi or something?"

Reno tried sitting up. It worked. He thought he might try standing next. "Sushi sounds awesome. Thanks for putting up with me. I can't be the best patient."

"I'm sure I'm worse. Get out of bed so I can change these sheets, they're a sweaty mess and for once, we didn't have any fun making them that way."

"I'll grab a shower in the meantime. I smell."

Reno stripped and stepped into the shower. Damn Cloud for making that sweaty sheet comment. His mind hadn't missed the sex until that moment, being half off his gourd with fever, but obviously his body had. The thought of Cloud stretching across the bed to hook the corners of the fitted sheet over the mattress, that firm ass in the air…gods. Reno groaned. He made quick work of his long hair and was in the middle of soaping up the rest of his body when a very naked Cloud slipped in beside him, heat simmering in his eyes.

"How are you feeling? Tell me to get out of the shower if you're too tired."

"Get out of the shower….and I'll kill you." He leaned down to kiss Cloud for the first time since he'd started coughing. That made it a week, at least. He deepened the kiss, leaning back into the cool tile. Still weak, he let Cloud work him, with his hands, with his mouth. It was good. Cloud's hand was around his shaft, alternating rough and gentle strokes so that Reno's hazed brain couldn't construct any defenses against it; the sensations were making spots form in his vision. The other hand was snaking around to his ass.

"Want to move to the bed?" Cloud whispered. Reno nodded; he was beyond speech and nearly beyond standing, and it had nothing to do with recent illness. He used the last of his motor skills to shut off the water.

They didn't bother to dry themselves, falling on the bed wet and nude and hungry. Reno ground his erection up into Cloud's and gasped a little with pleasure. That seemed the extent of his communication skills. It proved sufficient.

Cloud raised himself up to reach the lube. Reno took the opportunity to spread his legs a little wider to provide his lover better access. It was nice to lie here, really, and let Cloud do all the work. Strong warm hands roamed over his sensitive body, allowing him to be a little lazy this one time. He lay back into the pillow and let his lover have his way with him. As if reading his mind, Cloud returned to Reno's mouth, kissing and sucking at it until its owner was half mad with lust, stopping to gaze at him with raw hunger. Sometimes Reno swore that Cloud could bring him to his peak with his eyes and kisses alone.

"Gods…just fuck me. I'm not a well man, you know."

Cloud grinned again, pressing lubricated fingers up into Reno's ass until he nearly wept from need, then slicking his own shaft and entering him. His own groan, then, was one of relief. He stroked Reno's thighs with a touch so gentle it was nearly a tickle, but Reno didn't laugh. He arched off the bed in near agony; with the lightness of Cloud's touches and the slowness of his thrusts, his sanity was slipping from him and he didn't even mind. Cloud turned that soft slow touch to his lover's aching cock then and Reno lost his fucking mind.

He sat up then, holding Cloud to him, riding him from beneath with a kind of madness born of need, of nightmares that hadn't come true, of love and gratitude and a thousand things he couldn't have put into words, but he could put into his body. Cloud pumped him then, hard, both of them approaching their climax and crying out with it. When it was done, Reno kissed him, rough, panting.

"I thought you weren't a well man."

"You fucked me into complete insanity. Not for the first time, damn it." He winced with hypersensitivity when Cloud pulled out of him. Cloud even got up to bring him a warm towel to clean up.

Maybe being sick wasn't so bad after all. That is, when he was no longer actually sick.

"Can I tell you something I hardly ever tell anyone?"

"Mpfh." Cloud was nearly asleep. One of Reno's less endearing qualities was his fondness for midnight confessions.

"I really don't like cats. You know, you tell people that and they look at you like you're a monster. Drop a plate on Sector 7? Man, we all did things we wish we hadn't, express remorse, move on. Hate kittens? What kind of sick fuck are you? I just don't get it."

"He did find the Screamer, Reno."

"He probably dragged it in here to begin with. You think it's because they cut his balls off?"

Cloud considered smothering his boyfriend with a pillow and thought better of it. "We only have three more days and for what it's worth, I don't like cats either."

"I love you."

"I love you too." It occurred to Cloud to wonder why Reno hated cats but he didn't want to know badly enough to sacrifice sleep for it, and what this had to do with neutering and ass licking.

"Cloud?" Gaia save him, where were those narcotics?

"Yes, Reno?"

There was no response. Cloud looked up and saw his lover sound asleep, mouth open in a silent snore.