The Experiment
Authors: Yahnkehy and The Prince's Jewel
Notes: This is a collaboration fanfic, not role-play, per se, but similar being as it is a joint effort.
Genre: Final Fantasy VII, post AC, post DoC
Spoilers: Possibly a few, but mostly just mentions of major happenings in the original FF7 game, some for Advent Children.
Warnings: Uniquely done MPREG *ducks rotten tomatoes*, angst, broken Cloud, pissy Reno, slight OOC, hurt/comfort, yaoi, kissing, brat.
Pairing: Cloud x Reno
Disclaimer: Not mine; there'd be more yaoi if it was.
Chapter 8: The Art of Cross-Dressing – Not
Cloud walked slowly around Reno. The redhead really, really looked like his former wife. Their facial structure was the same, the slight build that made them seem so much more fragile than they actually were. The hair… Rena's had been a bit longer, especially in the front, but their hair was exactly the same shade. Small breasted, which still gave him the collywobbles considering Reno was male and had no extra holes between his legs – he'd checked that quite thoroughly earlier that morning, after all – and the heavily pregnant belly Reno sported fit perfectly into Rena's old dress.
Reno fit perfectly into Rena's old dress. It was one of the few blue ones she'd owned, in a shade that Cloud had never quite been sure wasn't actually a green. She'd called it blue, he hadn't argued. His eyes trailed over the scar that started over the curve of the left breast and slipped into the V of the neckline. A slight smile lit briefly on his lips as he realized that Rude would know Reno hadn't had such a mark. However, the hang was a bit crooked. Cloud slipped a finger under the strap that began above the scar, and traced it up over Reno's shoulder and behind his neck.
He tugged the strap free, and caught front as it fell down. "It's crooked," he explained as he tugged the waist a bit more to the right, then retied the straps. He took a step back, and regarded the redhead speculatively before walking around him. "Better."
If it hadn't been for the fact that Reno was still floating somewhere on cloud nine, he'd have been grumbling. The dress, while a satisfactory non-pink, felt strange. There was no material between his legs and it hugged his ribs below his breasts, which, by the way, he wasn't all that keen on showing off and this dress did more than enough of.
"Is it supposed to be tight right here?" Reno asked, plucking at the material below his breasts. "Feels weird, yo. And my tits are all but hangin' out. Not used to wearin' shit that lets 'em show." He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned when they rested on top of his belly. "Feel naked, yo."
"Stop saying 'yo', Reno. You'll be in that lab before you can blink otherwise," Cloud chided him gently. He moved behind his lover and adjusted the sash so it was looser. "It should be tight, but not restrictive. And you not being used to it is why you're getting used to it here, before we go back. Remember, you're trying to emphasize just how much not Reno you are. You're being Rena, now." He rubbed lightly down Reno's backbone. "And I'd better start calling you Rena from now on, too."
A shiver raced down Reno's back for a multitude of reasons; lab, obviously, Cloud's hand smoothing down his back, and, of course, the dreaded name. "Yeah, uh, can't we wait until I get used to droppin' the 'yo' before we get to the name changin' part? I'm a little… weird, about answerin' to a girl's name." And it was completely true; he just left out that it was that particular name that bugged him.
Turning, Reno tried for a grin in hopes it would encourage Cloud to accept the compromise. The skirt swished about his calves as he turned and, for reasons beyond the redhead's comprehension, it felt a little… nice. Of course, he'd never admit it out loud; Turks didn't feel nice in dresses.
Cloud tipped his head a bit, studying the hopeful blue eyes and the engaging grin. Unable to resist, he dragged his thumb over the full lower lip. "Sorry, sweetheart, but calling you Reno would only encourage you to use 'yo' like – " Cloud swallowed hard and forced himself to put Reno in the past " – Reno would normally. You'll have to be Rena Strife, or you'll have to stay here. And you'd be alone a lot more than you are now, because I'd have to stay away a lot more. Both to keep the two of you safe, and to run my businesses.
"But," and Cloud's voice went soft, his eyes dropping to watch his fingers trace along Reno's throat, "I would like… to call you… Rei?" He expected to hear 'no', could hear 'no' echoing already, and concentrated more on the delicate motion of his finger lightly stroking over smooth skin.
"Rei?" Reno's head cocked to the side, thinking about it. Then, his grin grew and he circled his fingers around Cloud's wrist. "Sure. I can get used to that." It would be better than being called 'Rena' all the time and, it was almost like a pet name. Reno brought Cloud's wrist up to his mouth and licked it playfully.
"You'll let me?" Cloud couldn't believe he'd heard correctly. His fingers curled around Reno's – Rei's hand. "I can call you Rei?" He looked up again, the faintest bit of hope shining in the confused Mako glow.
A soft chuckle and a nod answered Cloud's surprised question. "That's what I said, y—right? Kind of a pet name, the kind married couples would have, right? I kinda like it." Reno laced his fingers with Cloud's and then frowned. "Hey, um, do we—did you and Rena have…wedding rings?"
Cloud pulled his hand free of Reno's, and strode to his bed. He knelt next to the bags, sifting through them until he found the one he wanted, and dumped it out on his bed. Then he sorted through the junk to find a small box. That, he took back over to Rei.
Cloud balanced the box on the palm of his hand, looking down at it almost curiously. "Rena only wore the ring I bought for her on our wedding night. She didn't like it when I wore mine, so I didn't. When I buried her… I sold them." He held the box out to Rei. "I bought these for us."
Blue eyes blinked down at the velveteen box for a moment. Reno gauged Cloud's expression and then pried the box open. Inside were two decorative silver bands and an engagement ring. The engagement ring and wedding ring for Reno were designed to nest together. The engagement ring had one ruby of moderate size, which fit between the two smaller rubies set into the wedding band. All three rings were etched with a stylized Lifestream pattern colored by tiny materia crystals.
Understandably, Reno's jaw dropped and he stared up at Cloud with a mixture of shock and no tiny amount of elation shining in his eyes. "Holy shit." He gulped and lifted all three rings from their bed of black satin. It felt a little more real than it should have at that moment but Reno couldn't find any way to break the tension. Instead, he took Cloud's left hand and slid the wedding band onto the blonde's third finger.
"Your turn," Reno said and held out the rings for Cloud to take. If his hand shook a little bit, he could blame it on the baby. "Bad ju-ju if ya put your own ring on, right?"
Cloud accepted the rings hesitantly, turning them slowly between his fingers. "Is that what it was?" he murmured, not quite asking if that was what had gone so wrong with his marriage. Rena had taken the ring from him and put it on herself partway through the small speech she'd insisted he had to give.
He stared down at the two rings he held, remembering what she'd had him say. He'd humored her, but now, it seemed fitting that he say something before he slid the rings over Rei's finger. Except, the words he'd said back then weren't the right ones. They hadn't been right for the marriage he'd had, and weren't remotely right for the pretend marriage he was entering.
Cloud's hand closed over the rings. He was taking too long, he was taking far too long, but he wouldn't – couldn't – do what he was going to do without saying… saying… something! His eyes closed as he dropped to one knee in front of Rei, fist still tight around the rings. He had to find the right words. Why did he have to be so terrible about expressing himself?
Shock compounded as soon as Cloud hit one knee and Reno's heart tripped sideways in his chest. This had just gotten a helluva lot more real than it was supposed to have been. He'd thought that one day he might, possibly… maybe, in some distant future when he was retired from Turk, be in Cloud's position but to be on the receiving end of this particular situation had never crossed his mind.
Now, it was a little too much and Reno propped a hand on Cloud's shoulder to keep his feet. "Cloud, you okay?" he asked, attempting to prompt some sort of reaction or… something that would take away this sudden heaviness.
The tone of Reno's voice said it all. Idiot. Cloud agreed with himself this time. How stupid could he possibly get, anyway? He opened his hand, noticing he'd gripped the rings so tightly he'd managed to cut himself on the gems. Quickly, he hooked them together, the rubies nestling together the way they should. He wasted no more time trying to think of something to say. There wasn't any reason for him to say anything.
Cloud forced a laugh. "Cramp," he replied. "Kinda hurt." He pulled Reno's hand from his shoulder and hastily put the rings into place. "There."
He let go of Reno's hand and shifted his position, now sitting on the ground by the other man's feet. He rubbed absently at his calf, contemplating Reno's toes. He gave himself a mental smack. "Hey, Rei, how about I paint your toenails?"
It was an obvious cover, but one that Reno latched onto with both hands. He sighed in relief and resumed his usual, casual slouch then blinked down at Cloud's bowed head. "Paint my…toenails? What the fuck for? I can't even see my toes and ya wanna paint them?" It was, honestly, the craziest idea he'd ever heard. Well, after male pregnancy, tits on his chest, and soberly agreeing to wear dresses and make up.
His wince was real. Both at Reno's words, and because he'd actually gotten the cramp he'd claimed. He dug his fingers into the twisting muscle, trying to soothe by force. It usually worked, after all. "Because," he paused to chase the cramp, which apparently was going to play havoc below his knee now, "I want to."
Because I never got to paint hers, because you'd look so cute with your toenails painted, because absolutely… He decided to voice the last thought. "Because no one would believe Reno Tsubasa would ever paint his toenails pale pink."
The rings felt odd on his hand and he twiddled it as he debated. Cloud had a point; no one would ever believe Reno would allow anyone near him with anything even remotely pink much less paint his toenails that color. On the other hand he desperately hated pink, which just seemed to feed Cloud's argument rather than naysay it.
Frowning, Reno nodded. "On one condition; you tell me how ya learned that name. Unless you've been lookin' through my medical records or the Shinra database, you shouldn't know that. Part of the suit when ya became a Turk; no last name to identify who the family is for fear of retaliation. So, Chocobo Head, wanna fill me in?" He lifted a foot and wriggled his toes as if holding out some sort of prize in exchange for the information.
Cloud grabbed Rei's foot and planted it firmly. "Subject, Tsubasa, Reno, male." There was absolutely no inflection in his voice. "Subject responding to loss of sexual partners with a decidedly steep increase in masturbatory techniques. Subject responding…"
Reno thumped down heavily on his backside and clamped a hand over Cloud's mouth. "Don't say it!" While he hadn't actually heard Hojo make his reports, it sounded a little too like something the old bastard would say. 'Subject' this and 'subject' that. "Fuck, I thought that Zack was the only one actually coherent in those fuckin' tubes! You heard that shit?! Saw what was…. Well, shit." He covered his face and groaned in embarrassment.
"I… wasn't. Coherent, I mean. I remember… bits. Parts. Pieces. Nothing… whole." Cloud frowned. "I've been remembering a lot…. No. Not remembering. Reliving. Except, I remember what I relived. Sometimes… I feel it again. My leg…" He was still working the cramp. "Hojo… a table… peeling the skin back… needles. But I saw… you then. Watching him do that to me, but not seeing it because he was… experimenting… on you, too."
Reno snorted and situated himself so that he could help rub away the cramp. "Yeah, experimenting is a way to put it. More like he was testing out which machines he could rig to cause the most explosive orgasm. Still dunno what the fuck the crazy old pervert wanted to do that for, but at least he never fucked me."
Fingers and thumbs massaged the muscles in Cloud's calf and all the while Reno watched the blonde's face. "I saw you, but only in the tube-thing. And, well, I kinda—kinda watched Zack while Hojo was hooking the machines up." Reno frowned and dropped his gaze to the leg he was working on. "Always told myself that when Hojo left, I was gonna let you two out. Never got the chance. The only day that Hojo left the lab for any lengthy period, you guys got out on your own before I could get down there and turn off the systems."
"Hn." Cloud let Rei rub his leg while he examined the other's foot. "I think I've got the stuff for a home pedicure, actually. Just give you the whole treatment, pamper you a little."
Reno chuckled and shook his head. "You're really set on doin' this, ain't ya? Fine, fine; you've got more experience with takin' care of women than I do, so I'll let ya do whatever. Within reason, of course; not gonna get those little sparkly stones put on 'em and not gonna make it all fancy, got it?"
Cloud got to his feet, and pulled Rei to his. Hers, he reminded himself. Hers, until it was safe for Reno to return as a male. And I'm not beyond keeping him pregnant, now, if that's what it takes to keep him safe from that lab. He might not like it, but those tits are really necessary for this to work. He led the other to his bed, where the nail polish he wanted was mixed up with the other makeup. "Sit down, let me find my stuff."
It took him a few minutes to find the basin, salts, lotions, and brushes he wanted. He filled the basin with warm water and mixed in one of the salts, then carefully placed Rei's feet in it. He chose one of the coarser brushes, and began a process that was as much scrubbing as it was massage. Cloud grabbed the coarsest brush when worked over Rei's heels, and the very softest for working the delicate arches.
Finished, he moved the basin away and dried Rei's feet with a soft towel. Glancing over his lotions, he chose one of the lighter scented ones, and began rubbing it in. This, he did make into a proper foot massage, paying particular attention to the toes. Still, he didn't linger overly long, and was soon patting excess lotion away.
Next, he began preparing Rei's toenails for their polishing. He pushed back softened cuticles, trimmed the nails, and filed the ends. A different sort of file removed the rough ridges, smoothed the nails, and brought them to a shiny finish. After a bit of deliberation, Cloud decided that he didn't need to use the nail strengthener on toenails, and applied a base coat instead.
He leaned forward, blowing over Rei's toes to help the base coat dry, head bowed to hide his grin. For some reason, he doubted Rei would object if he ever offered another pampering session. There'd been too many happy little noises and softly breathed moans from the redhead during his ministrations. He was relieved to know he hadn't lost his touch over the years.
Of course, with the base coat dry, it was time for the hard part. Cloud took a deep breath and perched Rei's foot up on his knees. Ever so carefully, he began to coat each nail with the pale pink he'd chosen. The tip of his tongue escaped the corner of his mouth where he'd sucked in a bit of his upper lip. His mouth was open, however, and a tiny frown furrowed his brows as he concentrated on keeping the polish from painting Rei's toes instead of his toenails. He finished at last, and discovered the first nail had dried while he'd worked over the others, so he paid equal attention – and time – at putting the top coat on.
"There. Done." Cloud sat back with a satisfied smile. "What do you think?"
"You're hired." Reno grinned down at Cloud from beneath partially lowered lids, his expression relaxed and content. He didn't particularly care what they looked like being as he wouldn't be seeing them until after the baby was born, but would probably accept should Cloud ever offer to do it again. The blonde had amazing hands, Reno decided, and would be nuts to deny such pampering again. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, mind.
Though, since Cloud had spent the time to pamper him, Reno lifted his feet and wiggled his toes, looking at them critically. There were no embellishments or sparkling gems and, he supposed, they looked pretty good. It felt odd to have the heaviness of the paint on his toenails but they weren't gaudy. "Looks pretty good, I guess. Not really sure how I should feel about polish on my toenails, but I guess women do this—Shiva knows why—and it hasn't killed them yet so… I guess we're good?"
Cloud leaned over, pulling something from one of the packs. He lifted one of Rei's feet, then the other, and slid something up his – her, dammit, her – thighs under the skirt. "Stand up for me?" he requested, hands still hiding under the skirt.
The relaxation left Reno's face and he frowned. "Tell me that's not a pair of panties, Strife." He gripped Cloud's hands and held them still, uncaring that they were under his skirt. "Might hafta look like a woman, but I'm not gonna wear lace panties. Nobody but us would ever see 'em, right? I can wear boxers or… something." His upper lip curled in distaste at the idea of wearing underclothes.
"You'd look like shit in lace panties. Stand up for me." But there was something gone from his face and his voice. An emotion, or the nuance of one, considering how he'd learned to guard himself. He noted the lack, hoped Reno… Reno didn't. What good does it do for me to think of him as my pregnant wife if he doesn't care? Maybe it would be better to leave him here alone. I can bring some of the chocobos here, by carriage. They'd keep him and the baby protected from the monsters. Maybe… maybe that would be better. But… I have to give him a chance, first. And he's got to see Mamma. "I promise it's not lace panties."
"All right." Begrudgingly, Reno nodded and got to his feet but stalled Cloud's hands from pulling up whatever it was. "Don't do that hidin' shit again, Strife. What's the problem?" The subtle change from the warm and almost romantic tone Cloud had used since he'd gotten there that morning was decidedly missing, and Reno recalled only too well how awkward things had been before
"It's nothing." Cloud rose to his own feet, tugging the underthings up sharply. "Just something to keep your dick from flopping around and giving your secret away." He strode over to the kitchen, grabbing one of the knives and taking it to the vegetable's he'd laid out earlier. So far Reno hadn't had fits over any of the vegetably dishes he'd made, but meat was a surefire puke inducer.
That was an all new level of uncomfortable that Reno hadn't ever had the displeasure of experiencing before. An uncomfortable sneer curled his lips and he yanked the silky, spandex-y panties off. The damn things were crawling up his ass and split his boys damn near completely in half.
"The fuck there's not," he growled and stalked over to Cloud. Reno lifted the panties up and yanked them back down over Cloud's head. "You're about as 'fine' as Rufus is when he misses a manicure appointment—you're fuckin' vibrating with something. Spit it out. Can't have even a pretend marriage without communication. Last time a bug crawled up your nose, ya ditched me without a word and I thought that me and Tempest were gonna end up as monster food before I even got a chance to pop her out."
Cloud took two seconds to toss the underwear into the kitchen trash before he went back to mincing the vegetables. "No, Reno, they're nothing. Just a tool to help keep your secret off this island. If you don't want to, that's fine. It'd be easier for you to stay safe here, anyway. I own the island. There's no one here, I don't allow visitors, and that means no one can turn you in for the reward."
Thoughtlessly, Reno reached out and grabbed a handful of blonde spikes, and jerked Cloud's head around, glaring murder. "I fuckin' wanna do this! I wanna play fuckin' house with you, wanna see ya grin at me, have ya rub my goddamned feet but you're makin' it hard to know what the fuck I'm doin' wrong if you don't. Tell. ME!"
Cloud twisted, the knife coming up, sinking into his attacker's arm. He dropped out of reach, the knife dropping with him, coming to a halt seconds later, the point just far enough into the underside of Reno's belly to have drawn blood. He watched the blood trickle down the blade. Carefully, he drew back. "It's not deep. The baby's safe enough. There's a potion in the pack by the door that'll take care of your arm." He looked up at the redhead. "We can't have a pretend marriage. Not if you're going to be Reno instead of Rei. You have to be a woman if you want this to work. And you're being… male. I wouldn't have attacked Rena."
Every instinct screamed at him to snap and snarl, to leap into the fight and kill something, but the blade poking into the underside of his stomach turned the need into something else entirely. Reno ignored the wound in his arm and instead focused on the threat to his child.
Hands covered the bulging stomach protectively and Reno backed away slowly, eyes narrowed on the blonde. "Fine." He continued until the wall of the cave met his back and then slowly eased to the side, toward the mouth of the cave. "I'll show ya exactly what I've seen women do." He turned on his heel and stalked out without another word.
"Well, that went well," Cloud decided. He washed Reno's blood off his knife and went back to preparing their supper.
Reno didn't stop until wooziness forced him to his knees. The entire right side of his dress and the inside of his thighs were sticky with blood and his arm was throbbing painfully. Luckily, the knife had gone into his right arm instead of his left, or he'd have been dead sooner rather than later.
He knelt in a faintly familiar stretch of woods but was beyond caring at the moment where. One tree was the same as another at this point; it didn't matter which was which because he had no intentions of going back to the cave. The knife in his arm he might have forgiven because, technically, he'd asked for it by manhandling the deadliest man on the Planet. The danger to the baby, though, couldn't be forgiven.
Reno ripped the bottom of the ruined dress off and wrapped his arm as best he could, and winced at the sheer amount of blood that he'd lost. It couldn't be healthy for the baby, especially as close to delivery as Reno assumed he was.
Arm bandaged as tightly as he could manage, Reno crawled over to the nearest tree and nestled down between a series of roots that formed a cradle of sorts. At least he'd be partially protected in case monsters were drawn to the scent of blood.
The thin sundress did little to warm him in the rapidly cooling evening air but he tucked his feet beneath the torn hem and wrapped his arms around himself. Tomorrow he'd find a way to make a shelter. Right now, he was exhausted and willingly allowed himself to be pulled into the insistent arms of sleep.
*.*
It looked like puke. Cloud glared at his casserole in disgust. Worse than that, it smelled like puke. There was no way Reno would be able to eat it, not in its current condition. He shot a glance toward the entrance. Reno'd been gone awhile now. A really long while, if he thought about it… and the idiot hadn't taken the potion!
Scowling, Cloud dumped the casserole in the fridge. He grabbed his blades and sheathed them quickly. A whistle brought one of his birds, a curt order sent it loping into the underbrush. He wasn't all that surprised when he saw Shushu eating nuts near the tree where Reno had stopped to rest. He regarded the bloodied, bandaged figure tucked into the dubious shelter of protruding roots. He cast a Cure, seeing as how the other's arm was still bleeding sluggishly, then turned his bird towards the cave.
Once there, he returned to his cooking. He mixed up several casseroles, kneaded enough dough to make a plentiful amount of breads and buns. He also mixed biscuits and muffins. He did not allow himself to think until the last loaf of bread had finished cooking and was safely stored. The sun was just cresting the top of the crater, and Reno hadn't come back.
He washed the dishes, then the laundry. Cleaned up the stable area in the cave. Tidied his bed, then Reno's. Cloud fixed himself snacks as when he got hungry, but didn't bother trying to make full meals. When the sun was at the top of the western wall, he mounted Shim and scouted the area he'd last seen Reno. He observed for only a few minutes, then sent his bird back to the cave.
Reno wasn't coming back.
Reno wasn't coming back, because he'd been an idiot. But the shelter the other had put together was laughable at best. So, what was he to do? Not even back two whole days, and Reno couldn't stand to stay with him.
He built a fire just outside the entrance that night, and stared at the flickering flames as he contemplated his choices. None of them were particularly good. The fire was dead and the sun nearly set again before he moved back into the cave. It was well past dark when he remounted Shim and headed for Reno's last location. He tucked the blanket he'd brought over the shivering man, and pinned his note over the redhead with a knife.
He was well out into the ocean before the sun rose.
*.*
The first morning, Reno had no doubt that Cloud had found him. The fact that his injuries were cured was enough of a clue, which just pissed Reno off. He didn't need the help, damn it. Again, Reno had taken to his heels and walked until an ache had set up in his gut, warning him that he'd over done it as well as skipped too many meals. A late lunch of nuts and berries held him over while he gathered rudimentary supplies to build a shelter. It was shit at best and worthless at worst, but it was better than being in the cave with Cloud.
While he worked on the crap shelter, Reno had plenty of time to think over everything that had been said and the one thing that stuck out the most was the one thing that pissed him off to no end.
'Can I trust you, yo? …Yeah.'
That was the kicker; Reno'd trusted Cloud to keep him safe, and then the blonde jerk had gone and stabbed him. But, it wasn't that Cloud had shoved the knife through Reno's arm so much as the threat of shoving the knife into his belly that had Reno so pissed.
Back in the days when Shinra had been trying to stop Cloud and his pals, Reno and Cloud had done heavy damage to each other on a near regular occasion. Physical harm from the blonde was a sort of given, but not to the baby. Shiva only knew whose kid he carried, but regardless of who the father was, the baby was Reno's. And Reno protected what was his.
So, it was with no little surprise when Reno woke up a few days after he'd left to find a blanket over him and a note pinned to the tree.
You can go back to the cave. I've gone back to the mainland. It's safer for you if I'm not here.
I had hoped that this time you... I never have been good enough. Not for you, not for Rena. Not for Tifa or anyone. I'm no hero. I'm a joke. A mistake. One of Hojo's failed experiments. I wasn't even good enough for him.
Even before Shinra, I wasn't good enough. I remembered that. I was "that Strife kid" that the kids were warned not to play with. At Shinra… well, I guess I was good enough to be fucked. By everyone except you. I couldn't suck cock well enough to please you, so why would you want to fuck me? You asked me that once. The sad thing? I tried harder.
And I failed you then, just like I've failed you now. I wasn't ever good enough for the Shinra slut, and I'm not good enough now to help Rei. I feel so stupid, because all I wanted to do was help, and I fucked it up instead. I can't think of another way to help besides leaving, so that you won't be living out in the forest. I saw your shelter. If you won't stay with me, then I have to leave. It's the only option.
ShuShu, Zweet, Kuzo and Mebrid will guard you. You can ride them, but they won't leave the crater if you're riding them. You can send... me... no, send a message out to Rude or whoever you think won't turn you in for the reward money if you need more supplies before I come back with some. I'm going to get everything I can think of that you might need. Clothes for fat men, livestock, some real furniture, and whatever I can steal of what's left in your apartment. Whatever else I can think of.
It will probably take me a few trips. It will take me two weeks to get the first load together. And I'll have to tell Mamma that it's not safe for you to leave after all.
I wish it would have worked out. I wish you could have been Rei Strife. But I was right, what I told Tifa after the remnants, wasn't I? I'm not fit to help anyone.
Reno read the note twice, jaw hanging down around his knees. He'd fucked around with Strife back then? He couldn't remember ever messing around with Cloud, but then he couldn't really recall the majority of his past fuck-buddies. Really, Sephiroth, Zack and the one time he'd managed to sleep with Elena were the only names he really recalled.
It was crazy to think that he'd messed around with Cloud back then, and then been enough of an asshole to tell the guy that he was bad at sucking cock. Unless Cloud had been practicing since then, that part was utter bullshit. Then again, Reno hadn't given a damn as long as he got off and being a jerk made sure that none of them got attached enough to want to try and keep him.
The fucked thing about the whole situation was that now Reno felt guilty for protecting himself. Obviously Cloud wasn't as fixed as Reno had assumed and instead of saying any of this to Reno's face and talking about it like adults, the idiot ran off and ditched him again. Granted, Reno could see the thread of logic; don't linger when you're unwanted.
Sighing, Reno looked down at his left hand and thumbed the wedding set still circling his third finger. "You're an idiot, Cloud, and when you get back, I'm gonna strap you down and make you fuckin' talk to me."
