Three days passed before Reno was released and allowed to leave the hospital, his first act was to yank the leads from his chest and push himself to his feet. He would walk out under his own power, smart or not, and get out to the car by himself. He had seen the decorations going up during his days in the hospital, though he didn't understand any of it. Jack was going to have fun trying to explain it to Reno, who had never celebrated Christmas, the closest they came on his world was Solstice, and the legends and traditions were much different than they were on Earth for Christmas. He watched the people walking up and down the hallway, the music coming from the speakers drawing a curious expression as well.
When he got into the car, he set his hand on the window and watched the scenery go by. He'd learned enough English over the time he'd been in the hospital, though it was broken and stilted, to say to Jack "I want to leave." and make himself understood. It had frustrated him to no end to not be able to communicate, and he was glad that was no longer true, at the very least. "Gonna make something from home when we get there, if you got the ingredients for it, or anything like." he murmured. "I may not be able to get home, but damned if I am not gonna try to bring a little bit of home here."
He was still a bit nervous, as close as he was beginning to feel to Jack, and he was, he didn't know him well enough to fully trust him quite yet, but it would come. As they got to Jack's place and got out, and inside, the first thing he saw were the photos. .. of him and Teri, and him and Kim. . .and Reno began to feel distinctly like an interloper into the life of a man who belonged very much to someone else.
"It's not much, but it's home," Jack told Reno, almost apologetically, as he ushered Reno into the small, one-bedroom bungalow he'd recently purchased. He'd only moved in two months prior, after Teri died. Jack had sold the home he'd once shared with his wife and daughter, feeling as if he could see her face, or hear her voice, every time he turned a corner. Now, in a smaller home, he was slowly adjusting to his new singlehood. Though Kim would stay overnight at her father's place on rare occasions, it would be odd to have a semi-permanent houseguest once again; Jack had been turning into a bit of a hermit in his new home, and was growing used to his solitude.
Reno seemed to shuffle about a bit nervously as Jack led him to the master bedroom. "You can have my bed, Reno," he told him. "I'll be fine on the couch. There's blankets and things in the closet here," Jack said, indicating the small linen closet outside in the hallway.
"Uh...I'm not much of a chef, but I'll try to scare something up for dinner for us if you're hungry," he said with a small smile at Reno. "My daughter would be horrified at my cooking methods, but I usually can manage to get something fairly edible on the plate," Jack said with a dry chuckle. He put a hand on Reno's shoulder before turning away, and headed toward the kitchen.
That made him feel yet more awkward, but he knew Jack was being polite, and saying no, even if he'd like to, would be impolite. He did trail out to the kitchen behind him though, and told him "I'm a pretty decent cook, if ya don't mind cleaning up the explosion in your kitchen afterward. I'm messy, but Rude, he's my partner, has said it's pretty good, even if it is messy." He smiled, just a little, as he went into the cabinets to get pans out. "Just trust, me, k?" He saw the tree sitting in the living room, and as he began to get ingredients out he asked "I wanted to ask you this when I came in, but I was tryin' to figure all of it out myself. Who's the chick? I mean, I had the blond one pegged for bein' your daughter, but the other one. . " he shook his head, he already felt as if he were intruding, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.
The scents of frying chicken and vegetables and other delectable things floated through the house as he got to work, true to his word it was messy, but it all smelled so fantastic, the mess would to most be forgivable. Reno's movements around the kitchen were sure and quick, very few people knew that he enjoyed cooking, that it was one of the things that relaxed him more than anything else in the world, as the words of a soft Solstice carol came from him in a haunting and sweet tenor that was very rarely heard. He closed his eyes as he pulled the last of the pots off the stove, still singing.
Shiva, may you scatter your blessings upon us. . .let them fall upon us as the snow falls and coats the fields, while your creatures sleep deep under their blankets of white. . .your breast may be cold, but you remind us of the peace that the winter brings. The old Cetran carol was one he'd learned from his mother, many years ago, and he'd never forgotten it. Singing it made him think of her, and though it stung a bit, it was a good sting, reminding him that he was indeed still alive, despite everything that life had tried to throw at him.
Jack was surprised but grateful with Reno's offer to cook dinner. "Sure...let me just, ah...show you where everything is." He led Reno into the small galley kitchen, and showed him where the pots and pans and utensils were. "Ah...I haven't been home much lately," Jack explained as he opened the refrigerator. "Still, I don't think anything is spoiled," he muttered as he took a quick inventory of the contents within. "If you can make something out of that mess," he told Reno with a grin, "you have my undying gratitude. And no, I don't mind doing the dishes afterwards...so long as someone else is doing the cooking."
A tired sigh came forth as Reno asked about the female in the framed photos displayed about Jack's home; and it was only natural that someone would ask, Jack figured. The subject of Teri was a painful one, the wound still fresh, as well as the guilt Jack still felt over her death. It hadn't been his fault, not directly, but having slept with the woman who was ultimately responsible for Teri's death...that was something for which Jack would never forgive himself.
"That...was Teri," Jack said quietly, as Reno asked about the photos. "She was my wife. She...died." He stopped there, giving Reno a look that said I don't want to talk about it right now. It would probably be easier explaining Christmas to Reno, Jack reasoned.
"I suppose you're wondering about the tree," Jack said to Reno as he bustled about the kitchen prepping the food. "I saw you staring at it before. It's...kind of ugly, I know," he added with a laugh. The slightly crooked, silver and white artificial tree had been purchased at a fire sale, and Jack had been given a lot of grief by Kim for it. Both Kim and Teri had always insisted on getting a real Christmas tree, and that was the one tradition that Jack couldn't bring himself to continue since the death of Teri, the whole routine of selecting and tagging a tree, then all of them going together to cut it down and dragging it home.
"Not sure if you have anything like Christmas or Yule where you come from," Jack went on, "but the tree is a part of that tradition, I guess." He got that faraway look in his eyes again, and sighed. "Not that tradition means much of anything to me anymore, now that I'm alone."
Reno knew when he was stepping on delicate territory, and when not to press. He thought to himself how he'd feel if Tseng, Rude, or Rufus died, and how he'd felt when he'd thought he'd lost Tseng and Rufus both, and just looked up at Jack with a sympathetic expression. "That sucks, man. . .I'm sorry. But ya know what. Ya ain't alone now. I mean. . .not really. I may not be much more than some rag tag tagalong ya had the misfortune to have ta take in because I had nowhere else to go, but it's somethin', right?" he shook his head, and sat, setting plates in front of them. "Nah, we have what they call Solstice back home, Shiva's Day, but it's different, I think."
He looks up at the ceiling before looking back down, tucking into his food with an almost distracted air. "I'd love to hear about it though. . an' maybe I'll go with you to find a tree, get rid of that thing, because to tell you the truth? That fucker is dog ugly, I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy." He could almost hear the don't bag on my tree before it was even said, but he couldn't help the smile that came to his mouth. It felt good just to spend time with Jack after everything they had been through, to just enjoy each other's company.
"That carol? Momma taught me it. . .a long time ago." he looked down, shaking his head. "I miss her too, like you miss your wife. It sucks losing people you care about, but all you can do? Is get through it, right? Push through it an' get past it, 'cause they wouldn't want you to just give in an' die."
"Thank you," Jack murmured as he poured wine for them both, setting the glasses on the dining room table. "No, I guess I'm not alone right now, you're right about that," he said quietly, sighing as he sipped his wine, and leaned back in his chair. "Kim...that's my daughter...she's been after me to start dating again. Says I'm getting too cranky and set in my ways. I told her...that has nothing to do with being single, it has to do with me growing old." He laughed, despite the truth behind the statement. Reno's mere presence was helping Jack to feel relaxed at ease, something he hadn't felt in quite some time.
"By the way," I happen to like that tree," Jack said, snorting a laugh. "What the hell's wrong with it, really? And so what if it's not green, I like how it looks, like it's covered with snow. And it's leaning funny because I forgot to prop a brick up under the tree stand, the floor is uneven. You're laughing at me...oh, fine."
Jack chuckled, then turned his attention back to the food that Reno had prepared. "You are a damned good cook," Jack told him appreciatively. "You sing very well, too, Reno. So, tell me - is there anything you can't do?" An amused smirk played across Jack's lips as he flirted with the redhead, not even realizing he was doing it.
"I suck at cleaning." he laughed, the answer completely straight forward. And it was the truth, he did suck at cleaning. "I'm also too damn mouthy for my own good sometimes, trust me, it's gotten me in trouble before." He looked Jack in the eye, and then away, he was still a bit shy around him, and he wasn't certain why, except that his body was heavily scarred and he wasn't sure if Jack would accept him with that. oh, who are you kidding? He probably won't anyway because you're the wrong gender for him. He seems to like chicks, if the fact that he was married to one is any indicator. Why be shy around him when he's not gonna want you more than likely anyway?
He finished his own food, and yawned, suddenly realizing how tired he still was after all of it. Reno really didn't want to try to figure it out, because he wasn't sure whether his crush on the CTU agent was really something he should pursue, or something he just felt because he was grateful the man had saved his life. "Thanks for the compliment, by the way. Learned most of how to cook and make due with whatever you could find from Momma, she was good with that. Where I lived when I was a kid, ya didn't have a whole lot of choice, it was make due or starve." It was the first time he'd said anything that could reveal something about himself that was actually deeply personal, there was a lot more beneath it, but he wouldn't say it. Not yet.
Jack would find out other ways, though, as Reno went to take a nap on the sofa after dinner. The pain meds made him sleepy, always had, and that sleepiness had triggered him to do so. But even in a medicated sleep, unless it was medicated to the point of being nearly comatose, the nightmares came calling around this time of year, and he would discover that when Reno began thrashing.
Jack laughed at Reno's remarks, and nodded. "I get that a lot too...about being mouthy. Mostly from my daughter, and a few of my co-workers. Still, I get my job done, even if some of my techniques are a bit...unconventional." He cleared the dishes from the table, telling Reno to get some rest while he did the dishes, and thanked him for cooking. Jack whistled as he loaded the dishwasher, contemplating on the redhead who was now nodding off to sleep on the sofa. He was attractive - almost exotic looking, there was no doubt about that, Jack thought. It shocked him a bit, to find himself crushing a bit on another man, not that he hadn't had felt such attractions before - it was more that he'd never acted upon them.
A groan from the living room drew Jack's attention, and he went out to the living room to check on his guest, thinking he might need a blanket or something covering him. He looked concerned as he saw Reno thrashing about, looking as if he were trying to fight off imaginary assailants in his sleep. "Shit," Jack muttered. "Nightmare...not sure if I should wake him...he might deck me..." As Reno flailed, one of his arms hit against a floor lamp behind him; Jack moved quickly to prevent the object from crashing to the floor, righting it. Reno's face was a mask of terror, Jack decided he'd better try to wake him, before the nightmare got worse.
"Momma, Momma he's hurting me! Make him stop!" the words came out in a shaking voice as a scream began to build deep in his chest, the sound beginning as a rumble, the sound a warning, as he shot straight upright, his flailing fist catching Jack across the chin before he clutched onto the man like a lifeline, body shaking, the scream ringing out into the room before dying down. He was half-awake at best, and if he was confronted with the nightmare when he woke completely he was likely to deny it. He hated being seen as weak, and tended to bury things and hide from them because to talk to someone about them made him look like he couldn't handle it.
Jack's stomach clenched as he heard Reno shouting out in his sleep; clearly, the man was reliving some horrid episode from his past, in his dream. Even with that knowledge. Jack was much taken by surprise when Reno's fist flew out, clocking him in the chin. "Damn it!" he shouted, gripping Reno by the shoulders as he pulled him off. The anger flared in Jack, but he held back, knowing that the punch was by no means intentional.
"Reno, wake up, damn it - you're dreaming!" Jack snapped, sounding a bit more irritated than he'd intended, though Reno probably hadn't even heard him anyway. As the terrified man clung desperately to Jack, the CTU agent's arms drew Reno in, hugging him - almost automatically. Though Reno would push him away out of embarrassment as soon as he came out of the nightmare, Jack couldn't deny the effect that the mysterious redhead was having on him. His face was flushed, his pulse was racing, and there was no ignoring the bulge he felt growing in his pants.
Aqua eyes were still wide and unseeing, breath coming in shuddery gasps as the dream refused to entirely let loose for several long moments until they finally cleared, and the room began to slowly come into focus around him, and he realized he was clinging to Jack like a vine. He drew back, his face going bright red, then spotted the slowly forming bruise on Jack's chin, and his face went even more red. "Was that me?" he asked, as his fingers very gently measured it, his expression almost guilty as well as embarrassed. "Didn't realize I did that, m'sorry."
Reno felt awful he'd decked Jack, and thoroughly embarrassed that he'd gotten caught having one of his nightmares as well, there were things he'd never talked about with anyone, and his coworkers had been wise enough not to question him even when they did catch him. "I'll try ta be more careful, I really feel bad about it."
Jack let out a small groan as he sat next to Reno on the couch, suddenly feeling very self-conscious due to his unexpected and burgeoning desire for Reno. "You okay?" he asked in a soft murmur. "Bad dream, huh," he commented dumbly. "I...really need to take a cold shower, if you think you'll be okay? Maybe you should have a glass of wine...though maybe that's not such a good idea if you're still taking those painkillers..."
Jesus, I just said out loud that I need to take a cold shower, Jack realized as he headed toward the bathroom, groaning inwardly. Way to be fucking obvious that I'm crushing on the guy. He finally had to admit it, if only to himself; Jack was growing very attracted to Reno, and it had quite taken him by surprise.
"Y-yeah." Reno groaned out loud at the way he'd stuttered, it was massively embarrassing, and he hated it, but for the moment there was little else he could do. He was shaken up, which would not be too much of a surprise considering what he'd experienced in his sleep. "I'll be ok, go ahead and get your shower." he leaned back on the sofa trying to get his head back together, stilling his shaking and closing his eyes. Dammit, I can't believe I had that nightmare for the first time in a year, and in front of a stranger, no less. . .even if it's a stranger I'd like to. . .oh crap, I can't think like that, gotta stop thinking with my dick.
He was a bit nervous that Jack would start asking questions he wasn't sure how to answer or was even comfortable thinking about the answers to. There were dark corridors his mind didn't like traveling, he hated looking weak, or damaged, and the things those nightmares were about could not help but damage someone. Still, he shut those thoughts away, and started thinking more pleasant ones, like how warm Jack had been how good he had smelled, how strong his arms were, and by the time the sounds of Jack relieving his own tension leaked out into the living room he was more than a little worked up himself.
His hand traveled down into his pants as he began to pleasure himself to the sounds of the man he wanted to have doing the same to himself in the shower, a soft moan slipping free as he imagined Jack's' mouth wrapped around him as his hand was now, his face tinting a bit pink. He didn't even hear when the bathroom door opened again.
Jack finished his shower and cut the water, rubbing his eyes. He couldn't believe he'd gotten that carried away in there, and prayed he hadn't been heard. He had to get it out of his system somehow though, this unexpected, pent-up lust he was feeling toward Reno. And what better way to do that, than to jerk off in the shower, he thought wryly. God, have I no shame? Jack chastised himself.
He emerged from the steam-filled bathroom, intending to head down the small hallway directly to his bedroom, to change into some clean clothing. Instead, he became distracted by a moan heard from the living room. Shit...hope he's not having another nightmare, Jack thought, worried.
Reno, can I get you anything - " Jack began as he stepped out into the living room, clad only in the bath towel that was wrapped loosely around his waist. His voice trailed off as his eyes roamed over Reno lying on the couch, who was moaning softly as his hand roamed about inside his pants.
"Sorry," Jack whispered awkwardly, backing out of the room slowly, hoping to get away unseen. He wasn't angry with Reno, not by any means; hell, hadn't he been doing the same thing himself? He wondered, briefly, if Reno had been entertaining some of the same carnal thoughts he'd been thinking. Don't be ridiculous, Jack told himself scornfully.
Jack didn't even feel the bump in the carpeting as he tried to sneak out of the living room; it didn't cause him to fall, but it threw him slightly off balance. The towel began to slip from his waist, and Jack scrambled to retrieve it. "Shit!" he muttered quietly, as the towel slid down his naked body.
Reno's face went even brighter red, but then he noticed the tent behind the towel that was beginning to fall, and he grinned, snaking out one hand fast to encourage it to fall faster, the soft thud of the towel hitting the floor lost on his ears almost as he pulled Jack close, taking the chance. If he was wrong, he might have to find a new place to live, it was a huge risk, and he knew it, but if he was right. . .the rewards were huge, and in his eyes they were worth the risk. "I want you. . ." he murmured. "And I think you want me to, if what's under that towel is anything at all to go by." The jaw drop didn't bother him, he had a feeling he'd stunned the man, but that raw sexuality was just his way and always had been.
He leaned in and seized Jack's lips with his own, body flush against his, and a soft moan slipped from his lips. The man tasted spectacular, a musky and wild flavor that was exclusively his, and Reno felt like chasing it around with his lips and tongue until he'd figured out completely what it was, because damned if it wasn't something he could hold forever. There were no more words, just bodies lining up in sync and hearts pounding in time and sheer lust in the air. "Try to tell me you don't want me like I want you, I know you'd be fuckin' lyin'. . ." his eyes were hazy with desire when they met Jack's.
"I know better than that." and he crooked a slight grin before diving in for another kiss, hand reaching down to feel what it is he could find.
"Jesus..." Jack murmured breathlessly as the towel fell, exposing his arousal fully; there was no denying it now. "Did you - hear me in there?" he muttered, but the question was never answered, Reno had pulled Jack down, claiming his lips in a hungry kiss. A soft moan slipped out as Jack allowed himself to be pulled down onto the sofa, forgetting momentarily that Reno had been injured just days ago.
"No, I can't deny it," Jack said, as they broke the kiss. "I think I've wanted you ever since you were brought into interrogation. I just...it took me by surprise, I guess," he added, not wanting to share that this was the first time he'd ever acted on such an attraction toward another male. No, right now was not the time for that particular confession, though if things progressed the way they seemed to be, the topic might come up eventually.
He straddled Reno on the couch, moaning into the redhead's open mouth as he felt a hand enclose upon his shaft, stroking it. "Fuck," Jack muttered, his tongue parting Reno's lips as he dove in for another bruising kiss, not giving another thought to his inexperience with other men, he was starting to not care very much about that small point. This felt good, Reno felt good, and it had been too long since Jack had felt the touch of another.
Reno would have no problem showing him, though a sudden wave of shyness nearly overcame him. He was severely scarred from both the explosion as well as multiple other mishaps that were part and parcel of his career. He wasn't sure what Jack would think of it. Though it didn't make him want this any less, not at all. He closed his eyes as he ground down on him, the scent surrounding them musk blended with an almost honey-floral scent. "I know I'm a little overdressed for this, but. . ." he looked down, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip. "I want you to promise me, no matter what, you won't flip out."
He'd gotten hung up in the physical attraction and he totally not given thought to what Jack might think of what he would find when he got underneath the clothing on the slim body. But he wasn't going to let the nervousness of it bother him, not now. This man was one he was attracted to, but more. . .he'd taken him into his home, allowed him to be here, even if he had no real reason to trust him, and that meant something to Reno, on top of the fact that he himself had not had sex in a good while, even now.
Reno slowly began to draw his clothes off, and lead Jack back toward the bedroom, laying back on the bed and letting him see everything, from the slim throat, to the slender and muscular arms, the chest and belly with scar tissue that was more pink, those from where he'd been hit by debris from the explosion, and fish-belly white, older scars from his lifetime as a Turk. . .one in particular across his belly from hip to hip looking like a massive and ugly C-section scar almost, and another, in the shape of a large blade, under his ribs on the left hand side.
There was not much in the world that would shake Jack Bauer up; he'd pretty much seen it all during his military career, and then as a CTU agent. He couldn't help it though; he drew in a small, sharp intake of breath as Reno revealed the mass of scars along his abdomen. Like a bad science experiment, was the first impression to come to Jack's mind. He didn't know it yet, but his first impression would be damned close to the reality of what Reno had actually been through.
"Someone did this to you," Jack breathed, running a finger along the largest of the scars. It was a statement of observation, not an accusation, and Jack felt a further pang of empathy for Reno. Clearly he'd been through some kind of hell in his past, and here he was, light years from the place he called home. If 'home' even existed anywhere in reality, though Jack didn't want to think about that right now, it was too much for either of them to make sense of just yet.
His eye caught something as he positioned himself over Reno, placing his hands on either side of his shoulders as he leaned down, kissing him. Jack pulled back a bit, and did a bit of a double take, gently parting Reno's knees slightly as he stared. That's...no, that can't be possible...is he really...like that? The questions were forming in Jack's mind one after the other, he didn't want to voice them out loud just yet; he didn't want to come across as offensive, but his curiosity - and lust for Reno - was getting the best of him.
There was nothing quite like being direct, though, Jack decided, nervously sliding his hand in between Reno's legs as he whispered softly in his ear. "I...god, it's been a long time for me...and let's just say, this is the first time I've met someone...like you. If you want me to stop," Jack added, his thumb stroking Reno's phallus, as his remaining fingers plunged within, "just say the word."
The gentle exploration, the acceptance, made him smile, just a bit. "You remember I talked about Hojo? Well, some of this is fucking handiwork. . .the scar under my ribs was from a big fucking sword, I pissed someone off I was better off leavin' alone, but at the time I wasn't given a choice." He shuddered through his whole body at the prodding fingers sliding into him, no one had ever touched there before, he'd really tried for the most part to forget it was there, but it sent a blast of sensation up his nerves, making him shudder hard. "Oh. ..oh fuck me, what was that?" He had no idea what Jack had just touched but it had made his whole body light up.
"Ngn!" The monosyllabic utterance was his only response to the second touch that about blew him away, his cheeks flushing brilliant red. "Never had anyone touch that, holy shit. . ." He couldn't believe he'd just told Jack that that place was virgin, but it was a distant disbelief at the moment. "D-don't stop, whatever you do, don't stop." Possible consequences were far from his mind, after all, chances are it wouldn't work the way Hojo had intended anyway, after all, weren't menstrual cycles supposed to be part and parcel of the whole thing? He hadn't bled out of there once since the mad doctor had had his way with him, so he figured he was pretty much safe.
The sensation was strong, and instead of being centered just between his legs it seemed to spread through his whole body and make all of his muscles tense and throb, but it was a good throb. He was trembling, his eyes closing as he clung to Jack. "You're worth a million fuckin' gil, yo. Most people would see this an' freak out, that you didn't means a fuck ton."
It was strange, Jack thought, but the realization that Reno was not one-hundred percent male didn't put him off; in fact, it oddly put him at ease. Initially, he'd been wrapping his mind around the fact that he was jerking off in the shower because of the man taking up temporary residence on his sofa; now, with the revelation that there was more to Reno than met the eye, that knowledge only served to further excite Jack.
"Never been touched there, huh?" Jack murmured as he snaked his fingers in further, crooking his middle finger back up toward the front of Reno's pelvis. Hell, he had no idea if someone equipped the way Reno was even had a G-spot, but he figured there was no harm in trying to find out.
"I never would have predicted any of this happening...several days ago when I met you," Jack whispered, kissing Reno as he worked his fingers further in. The reaction he was getting from Reno was more than favorable, judging from the sounds coming out of him. "And I'm not about to stop, I want you. Tell me...tell me what you want, Reno. Because I ...well, this is kind of a first for me."
Jack frowned for a moment as he suddenly considered something. "I don't mean to kill the mood, but...ah...you...can't get pregnant, can you?"
"I don't think so." His words came out a soft pant. What Jack was doing to him felt incredible, he didn't want it to stop for anything in the world. "Take me." he whispered, and pulled Jack on top of him. His whole body was humming with the sensations, he wanted this, but more. . .he wanted Jack, in his bed, but more. . .and he didn't understand it. so fast. . .so fierce. Where are these emotions coming from? I've never fallen this hard or fast before, it's fucked up, but I wouldn't change it. He gasped out as white lights exploded behind his eye lids, body arching up as he made a keening noise. He could feel himself teetering on the brink.
"Oh. . oh sweet Shiva. . " if Jack didn't fuck him soon he swore he would lose his damn mind, the feelings coursing through him were that intense, he needed to be finished. "I'm pretty sure it's not gonna work the way he intended, this thing has never bled even once, thanks. Now just fuck me already before I lose my fucking mind." He bucked his hips up into Jack, trying to encourage him to go ahead and break that barrier and do him already now. Reno was more than capable of being demanding when he was horny, and Jack had managed to get him just that.
His legs wrapped around the lean waist to encourage a deflowering. "Gods fuck, if I'd known it was gonna feel this good I'd a used those parts a long fucking time ago." Red hair spread out across the back of the sofa as his head tilted back, his face tinged pink with lust.
"Fuck, Reno," Jack blurted in a hoarse cry; the utterance was met with a smart-assed remark from Reno. Jack grinned. "I'm ready if you are," he murmured, suddenly realizing how redundant the remark was - Reno was doing everything short of flipping Jack on his back and riding him, so worked up was he.
Any thoughts of running into the bathroom to search for his box of condoms - which were probably expired by now from non-use - quickly disappeared from Jack's mind as Reno pulled him down, demanding to be penetrated, now. The blood roared in his ears, his pulse pounding, Jack felt alive for the first time in so long, he needed this, needed Reno, even more than he'd realized.
Jack entered Reno slowly, not wanting to hurt him too badly, knowing this was the first time Reno had been taken in this fashion. As Reno's legs wrapped around him, drawing him in deeper, Jack quickened his pace, pulling out of Reno slightly as he thrust into him yet harder.
"Holy fuck...you're tight," Jack muttered dumbly, the sweat dripping from his forehead as he entered Reno again, and again. As he looked down at his newfound lover, hair splayed all over the pillow like some sort of sea nymph, something came undone inside of Jack, something he couldn't even put a name to or explain. He knew, though, that he felt something for this man, something beyond raw lust, and if it ever came down to it, he would lay down his life for him.
Reno's hips rolled, body moving almost on autopilot as his own blood roared through his veins, the sound of it in his ears as he started shaking, passion sweeping through him like a flood. Reno had never felt emotions like this, like what he was feeling as this man fucked him into oblivion. It wasn't just lust, there was a burgeoning trust there, and other indefinable emotions he wasn't sure he had names for yet, and he wasn't sure he wanted to give them names even once he didn't have them. "J-jack. . ." he spoke the name on a stutter, his eyes fluttering closed. It was there, dancing on the edges of his awareness like some odd will o'the wisp. The sensation that made his whole body arch and lose control.
He had no idea what was coming, but it didn't really matter. All that did was what he could feel, in the here and now, this surge of desire and need that swamped his mind and rocked his heart, tingeing his skin pink and making him quiver with a moist sheen over his face, sticking the crimson strands to his forehead as his mouth opened, panting gasps and soft moans slipping from between the lust-swollen and reddened lips. He was trembling, clinging to Jack for dear life, though he didn't seem to realize it yet.
Each strike to that place inside, and each stroke of his erect, twitching, and leaking shaft made him rise up higher still, trembling and quivering with a need he'd never felt before. "Oh. . .oh fuck. . ." his emotional resolve not to get involved with anyone here was melting fast, as fast as the ice around his heart and body that had been there since Meteor was.
If anyone had told Jack Bauer a week prior that the following week he'd be making love to a hermaphrodite he'd only just met, he would have laughed at them. Maybe even punched them out. Things were different now, though, and while Jack wasn't sure exactly when his feelings for Reno had intensified, he knew that they had done so one-hundredfold.
Jack grunted in surprise, as Reno rolled him over on his back and straddled him, showing little signs of his injury as he rode hard on Jack. "Oh...fuck..." Jack whispered, grabbing a handful of ass as he pistoned his hips up, slamming into Reno as he felt himself peaking. "Touch yourself," Jack hissed at Reno. "Touch yourself...do it."
All it took was one touch, and his body bent backward into a bow shape, mouth open wide, limbs shuddering, the contractions starting through the opening that was being plunged into so masterfully, seeding spilling all over his hand, all over his belly, all over Jack's belly, as he shook his way through the climax, then collapsed against the other man, not minding one bit the mess getting on him. He didn't realize that his eyes had begun to fill, not that he would have admitted it even if he had, the emotion of the moment beginning to overwhelm him, just the tiniest bit. He held onto him, and felt a bit like an idiot even as he felt Jack fill him up.
Then he got up and headed into the bathroom fast, shutting the door. This had suddenly gotten so awkward, for reasons Reno was not even all that sure of, though most of it was likely because he was on the verge of tears, and he had no idea why, which just made him feel all the more awkward and idiotic. get your ass together, for fuck's sake, Reno. You know you want him, you know you want this, but it happened so fucking fast. . .that's what's making this so fucking hard. He took several deep breaths, trying to get his head back on straight. He didn't want to make Jack get worried that something had happened between them or that he was rejecting him, he wasn't, it just had gotten too intense.
The sound Jack would hear through the door would be a soft, choked sob then the sound of water running, trying to cover it up. "It isn't you, you know." floated through the closed door. "I just want you to know it's not you."
Jack sighed as he pulled out of Reno, a sigh of pleasured satisfaction escaping his lips. He couldn't stop the grin that was now plastered across his face either, basking in the afterglow as he was. As Reno collapsed against him, Jack pulled him gently to his chest, whispering terms of endearment while stroking his hair. This wasn't like Jack, to fall so quickly, but he was. He wasn't the type to have one-night stands, either, not at this point in his life, anyway. As a younger man he would have done so, but not now. And not with Reno, the truth of the matter was, the displaced redhead had suddenly and unexpectedly captured Jack's heart; just at a point in time where Jack thought he might grow old alone, and becoming somewhat okay with the idea of that.
He felt Reno's body stiffen, and quirked an eyebrow in surprise when his lover abruptly got up and ran to the bathroom, hiding his face. Is he...crying? Jack thought, worried. Fuck...what the hell did we just do? He must...be regretting this, or something. But I don't. I have no regrets at all...he needs to know that.
"Reno," Jack called through the bathroom door, knocking softly. "Reno, please...don't think I regret for one second what just happened, because I don't. I wanted you...I still want you...hey are you okay in there? I'll...be in the bedroom, if you want to talk."
Reno slipped out of the bathroom and plopped himself back down on the bed, red hair hanging in his face and hiding his eyes. "Sorry I took off like that." The apology was a rare thing for the redhead, but he honestly did feel lousy for taking off and making Jack feel like an ass. "I just generally don't well. . ." and his face was tinged pink again, this time in embarrassment. I don't do relationships, and here I am suddenly. . .wanting one, and I don't know how. "I don't do the whole relationship thing generally, what I had with the others, it was kinda more a keeping it in the family thing. But. . .with you I wanna an' it scares the piss outta me."
He looked up at Jack, eyes half-lidded. "I know love ain't supposed to be scary, but this is. . .it's scary as fucking Hell, and I have no idea what the fucking Hell I'm doing, what makes it worse is for once I don't wanna fuck this up, and I have a tendency ta fuck up the things I don't want to fuck up, which is a good part of why I don't normally do relationships." The explanation was a circuitous, he knew, but Reno had a bit of an issue explaining himself all the way with some things.
Jack sighed and nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed as he draped an arm around Reno, trying to comfort him and help put him at ease. He wasn't about to go into his own track record, not yet, anyway. There was no need for Jack to tell Reno at this point how the last woman he'd had an affair with, had been directly responsible for Teri's death.
"Reno...I'll be honest, this is scaring the hell out of me too. It's happened so fast..." He paused, trying to get Reno to look him in the eye. "It's happening fast, yeah, but it feels right, too. I can't really explain what it is that I'm feeling, except I know I don't want it to end. I want you to stay with me...we'll see where this goes." Jack pulled Reno into his side in a gentle embrace, kissing his forehead.
"I won't walk off again I promise, but-" And Reno looked up as the front door opened, seeing the same blond girl as in the photo framed there in the door, her eyes taking in the scene. "Well. . .shit." Is all he says to the expression of disbelief and distaste on her face.
The next thing Jack knew, he was looking up into the disapproving eyes of Kim. "Christ, Kim," he muttered, grabbing a throw blanket in an attempt to cover himself and Reno. "I know I gave you a key, but you know, you could knock once in a while."