Haunted, a Cloud/Reno story
By Kigichi and Bekas Strife
Contains extremely OOC!Reno, slight OOC!Cloud, MPreg, angst and much more.
Disclaimer: These characters and the world they live in aren't ours. Only the storyline is.
AN: Kigichi mostly writes Reno and Bekas Cloud.
Enjoy!!
--
Humming happily, Reno practically skipped down the street, careful not to joust the precious bundle in his arms. Looking down, a loving look came to his face when Gizmo reached up with one paw, large for its age, and weakly whapped at the hair hanging down from his face in an act of play.
"Don't worry baby." He cooed, nuzzling Gizmo's soft belly with his nose, loving the loud purr he got in return. "Uncle Axel will have some milk for you! And you can meet Cloud. He should love you too and you will also love him. He's a sweetheart."
Watching Reno baby talk to the small creature, a soft look came to Marluxia's eyes. He was amazed at how the redhead could go from being so sad and depressed to so enormously happy, just because of a cat. But he was glad. It had been a long time since he had seen such a happy light in the other's green eyes. Hearing the comment about Cloud, Marluxia started to regret. He knew that he shouldn't feel the way he did, but some part of him wished that Cloud WOULDN'T remember. That way, he could be there to comfort Reno in his time of need. To be the one to hold him, cuddle with him, make him smile once more. He was horrible, he knew that, but right now he was fighting the urge to just grab Reno and hide him away where no one but he could hold him, hear him, have him. But he would never show it. His Kitten's happiness was far more important than his selfish wants.
Totally oblivious to the other man's thoughts, Reno grinned and jogged faster, seeing his brother's house coming up. "Let's go Gizmo!" Running up, he knocked three times on the door, not even waiting for Axel to fully open it before squeezing in and heading straight for kitchen. "GottagetfoodforGizmo,kaythanks!"
Chuckling warmly, Marluxia walked past a stunned Axel. "He found a cat."
Axel mouthed an 'oh', chuckling as he closed the door after Marluxia. "What did he said, I couldn't catch it." He asked, stretching.
"He said that he would get food for Gizmo. That is the cat."
The redhead's eyes widened. "Oh shit." He breathed. "Reno, Cl--" He cringed, listening to two surprised squeaks - one slightly terrified - and a soft mewl coming from the kitchen. "... I was gonna say that Cloud was in the kitchen..." Axel moaned weakly, slapping a hand against his forehead.
…Too late.
--
Cloud held his glass of water close to his chest, nearly squished against the counter as he stared at the other man standing by the doorway. Oh no. It wasn't Axel... Though, the guy looked like him... At least the top of his head did, since it was the only thing he could see… but it wasn't Axel! Reno shook himself from his initial shock of seeing his lover awake and standing and closed his widened eyes, slightly raising the cat on his hands. "I c-came in peace, yo..." He said softly, looking at Cloud through his red strands and making sure not to scare the blond. Gizmo mewled gently. "I just came to get a bit of milk for Gizmo..."
The blond let his eyes fall onto the tiny being, his look softening at the sight of the poor animal. "...R-right." He nodded, walking near the counter to get the bottle of milk. He wouldn't get too close if he didn't need to: he would need to check if this man was worth of his trust before taking a small step towards him. He did not know who he was, after all.
Keeping his steps light and careful, Reno walked forward and past Cloud, a slightly shaking hand reaching for the milk bottle. "Thanks..." He mumbled, taking the bottle before backing away, not able to meet Cloud's eyes. They would show too many emotions and he didn't want to scare him. Keeping his head low, he looked around a bit. "...So, you know where the bowls are?" He asked lowly, placing Gizmo on the table, making sure he didn't go too far.
"Above your head…" Cloud explained quietly, pointing at the piece of furniture above Reno.
Blinking, Reno looked up and nodded, reaching up on his tip toes, pulling down a bowl. "Thanks...." Still looking down, he poured some milk into the bowl before going to the microwave to heat it. While waiting, he went to the fridge and pulled out some cold chicken, going back to the kitten and feeding it the meat in small bits.
"... You're Reno... Aren't you? Axel's twin…"
"...Yes." Not even waiting for Cloud to reply, Reno walked back to the microwave and got the milk, setting in front of the kitten before sitting down to watch it eat, head still lowered. Cloud raised his glass to his lips, trying to steady his shaky grip as he took a few sips of his water to calm down. Taking a quick peek, a heartbroken look came to Reno's eyes.
Cloud was afraid of him.
And that hurt more than the redhead could ever imagine. Looking back down, he tried to contain the emotion in his voice. "You don't have to force yourself to be near me." He whispered.
"I can't live in the shadows." Cloud replied almost right away. "...And you don't look like a bad guy to be around."
Reno lips twitched a bit and he nodded. "Right...I'll just make sure to stay over here, then. That way, I won't scare you."
"It's fine..." The redhead just smiled, making sure to move away or to the side every time Cloud moved, keeping his distance while making sure Gizmo ate. "... Are you... ugly or something...?"
"...huh…?"
"You're making sure I can't see your face..." Cloud explained hastily, nervous. He was beginning to feel very uneasy with being around someone he couldn't face.
"...oh…" Chuckling lightly, Reno shook his head. "Well...I don't think I'm very attractive...but if it will make you feel better…" Sucking in a deep breath, Reno raised his head, making sure every emotion that could have made Cloud's uneasy was missing from his eyes and face. "Better?"
Cloud examined Reno's face for a moment, stunned. What... what was that? It... It was almost as his heart and stomach made a somersault and clenched, all at the same time. Yet, he... couldn't remember...! If only…! "Ugh...!" the blond winced, pressing his lips tightly together as he pressed his fingers against his temple when he tried to force his brain to give him back his memories. It hurt... It hurt a whole lot!
Gasping, Reno shot up, picking up Gizmo, and took several large steps backwards. "I'm...I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, lowering his head once more. "I... I didn't mean..." He had hurt his lover AGAIN. What kind of person was he? "I'll... I'll just... I'll just go!" And with that, he turned and ran from the kitchen, running out through the backdoor before heading for the rose bushes at the far end of the yard, sitting and hiding behind them.
Cloud whimpered as he fell on his knees after trying to stop the redhead from running away from him, holding his head in pain as Axel and Marluxia burst inside, alarmed by the noise. "Cloud…?" Why was he on the floor? Rushing over, Axel fell to his knees next to Cloud and reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong? Where's Reno?" He didn't see his twin anywhere, the taller redhead thought, pulling the distressed blond to his chest.
"B-backyard..." Cloud whispered reaching to grab Axel's shirt as Marluxia ran past them. "It-it hurts." He whimpered, still gripping his head with his other hand. "It hurts so much...!"
"Shh... what hurts?" What was going ON? Picking Cloud up, Axel walked into the living room and sat down with him on the couch, rubbing his head soothingly. "Just relax hun. If it hurts then don't think about it."
"I'm t-trying." Cloud cried silently in pain, gripping the zone on his head that had been damaged by Squall.
Still making soothing shushing sounds, Axel leaned over and pressed his lips to Cloud's temple. "It's okay. It will die down soon. Just relax and take deep breaths."
The blond nodded and did as he was told, trying to will the pain away. Suddenly, a flow of memories ran through his mind, memories that he automatically knew that were his and memories that he was sure that were someone else's as he saw and felt someone he did not know kick his unconscious body around, the unknown man's heavy boot hitting and fracturing his skull with each stomp before his mind went white and he got a glance of yellow daffodils and a pink ribbon as the torrent of images ceased. Cloud breathed shakily, hearing no more than his heartbeat echoing in his ears. It was almost as he could feel the kicks breaking his skull. "K-Kicks..."
"Kicks…?" Axel asked, eyebrows knitting together. "There is no one kicking you, Cloud." He soothed, reaching to rub the blond's nape gently, trying to reassure him.
Cloud shook his head, turning his back to Axel. "C-check for evidence that it was broken, please." he asked nervously, poking his head and hissing as another wave of pain hit him.
"Of course..." Leaning over, Axel began to gently move blond, feathery hair and probe at Cloud's head, looking carefully. "… I see a large scar but it looks fine. There is no blood or bruising though."
"Kicks..." Cloud whispered. He shook his head, trying to will away the memories and the pain that brought. "It was caved in... with kicks."
Wincing, Axel pulled Cloud closer to him, running a soothing hand through his hair. "It's okay. That's all over now." The blond nodded shakily, resting his head on his hands. Axel bit his lip, not sure what to do. "…Do you want some aspirin or something?"
"Yes... please."
"I'll be right back then." Getting up and setting Cloud onto the couch, Axel went and got the blond some pills along with a glass of water. "Here..."
"Thanks." Cloud thanked as he took the pills without the water. "... Reno?" he asked. He had upset him somehow with his episode. 'I'm such an ass…'
Looking to the open back door, the older redhead shrugged. "I think he made a run for it and into the backyard."
"... Aren't you worried?"
"Not really. He seems like a very emotional person to me." Sitting back down, Axel shook his head, chuckling lightly. "I think he feels responsible for your pain and decided to get away to try and make you feel better."
Cloud nodded, unsure, and looked down. "I... Axel...?"
"Yeah…?"
"... Do I know... any of you?" It couldn't all be a coincidence: the torrent of feelings at seeing Reno, the avalanche of memories that were and weren't his… it was all too much.
Opening his mouth to respond, Axel hesitated, not sure what to say. "...Yes..." He finally sighed. "You know Reno and Marluxia but not me."
"How…? What... How are we related?" Cloud needed to know it.
"Marly was your neighbor." That was easy enough. But what about Reno…?
"And... Reno?"
"He..." Now or never; what did he have to lose? "…He's your lover."
Cloud stared at Axel for a long time, blindly searching for his glass of water. His mouth was so dry, so very suddenly. "W-what…?"
Handing Cloud the glass, the redhead nodded, not being able to meet his eyes. "Yes. From what I learned, you two were in love and living together." It hurt, to tell Cloud all of it. In such a small amount of time, he had grown to care so much for the smaller blond… maybe even too much. It hurt a lot... But he had to tell the truth. "You were in a coma for a year... and he never left your side during it..."
The blond looked at Axel, slumping at Axel's sad posture. "Axel...?" He murmured, titling the redhead's head up with a finger so that he could look at him.
Eyes still averted, said redhead sighed, hands twisting in his lap nervously. "Yea...?"
"Don't be like this..." Cloud asked with a whisper. Pressing his lips and guessing what the redhead was thinking, the blond shook his head. "... I'm not going anywhere."
"...but..." Eyes a bit wide, Axel looked at Cloud in surprise. "But...Reno..."
"Let's be honest... I don't know Reno right now..." Cloud shook his head, looking away. "And you've been helping me so much... that it wouldn't be right to leave only based in memories that i do not recall."
That made sense. "But...are you going to try and get to know him, at least? He came all this way just for you." but despite his words, Axel was jumping in joy on the inside. Cloud was going to stay!
"Of course… That's... the least that I can do, after all the trouble I caused."
A bit cruel, in Axel's mind, to not care so much, but he was too happy to worry about that. "Then, you want to go see him? I think he's too ashamed and scared to come back in."
"Only if you come with me..." Marluxia was probably with Reno as well...
"…Deal." Standing up, Axel put out a hand for the blond, helping him stand. "Let's go."
--
Meanwhile in the garden, a distraught Marluxia stood next to Reno, trying to coach the redhead to look at him, but to no avail. "No, yo... I'm never looking up again. It just hurt him!"
"It just hurt him because he's regaining his memories!" Marluxia exclaimed. "He probably remembered too much and it hurt him, it happens!" Shuddering a bit, Reno just shook his head, keeping his gaze on the ground, watching Gizmo play with a long piece of grass.
"... Re... Reno?" A voice called tentatively a few meters away.
Shuddering, Reno's shoulders stiffened and he shifted a bit, tucking his head between his legs. "...yeah?"
"... Could you raise your head? I... would rather not apologize to a mass of red hair..." Cloud asked, Axel always behind him, just in case.
"...no." He wouldn't look up. Reno refused to. "It made you hurt." He mumbled, sounding like a small, lost child. "I don't wanna hurt you."
Cloud knelt, Axel's hand now on his shoulder. "Reno, please..."
"I...no…NO…!" He refused to hurt Cloud again. "I hurt you....I won't do it again." Reno could feel tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to fall over.
"Just look at me!"
Flinching, Reno whimpered, a stray tear falling into the dirt. Yelling… Again… He hated being yelled at, especially by Cloud. Shivering lightly, the redhead nodded, head slowly rising until he was looking at the blond's chin. "Happy?"
Cloud hesitated but decided to reach and raise Reno's head until he was looking directly at him. "Now I am." He nodded, swallowing hard as he wiped the tear trail on the other man's cheek. "I'm sorry that I scared you... And I'm sorry that I cannot remember what we went through." The blond apologized, looking down as he twisted his hands nervously. Axel was touching him, Axel was there... There was nothing to worry about. Swallowing, he made a new effort not to stutter as he took a peek towards Marluxia. The man had him wary. Cloud tried not to show fear and discomfort like he had been doing ever since Reno had arrived. "I... I can't promise that I'll remember everything in a flash but... I'm willing to get to know you better... again."
The redhead stilled, stunned by Cloud's words. He was willing to give him another chance? To try and get to know him…? Looking at the blond, Reno noticed several things: He was sitting too still, his eyes weren't focused on him but the ground and he kept swallowing and making sure Axel was still there by the slight shrug of his shoulders. All in all, he was still terrified of him. And it hurt. Looking from Cloud, to Marluxia, to axel and back again, Reno realized something.
This was his chance.
Cloud didn't remember him and it looked like in all honesty that he was forcing himself to be there. Reno could just get up and walk away, leaving Cloud to his brother where he was obviously happier with. It wouldn't be that hard. 'Just say 'no.'' "Okay." Too bad he was a selfish bastard.
Cloud looked up and smiled a small smile, nodding briefly. "Thank you... And I'm sorry..."
"Don't be." Reno replied instantly, shaking his head before scrubbing at his face with his sleeve. "I had to have done something to make you react like that so I'm the one that's sorry."
Cloud remained silent as he nodded and reached for his pocket, offering Reno a hankie. "... It's clean, if you're wondering..." He swallowed.
Reaching out, Reno took the cloth, making sure not to touch Cloud's hand while doing so. If he was going to regain Cloud's trust, then he had to do it right. That meant no touching unless the blond started it, keeping his voice low, and not pushing anything. "Thanks." The blond nodded, looking down at the small cat rolling on the floor, fighting with the grass. He smiled a little and reached to gently poke the small animal's nose before carefully scratching the cat's ears.
"His name is Gizmo." Reno said, watching the kitten bat at the blond's hand in play. "I found him today behind a dumpster."
Cloud nodded, blinking as the animal started nibbling his finger. "Is it a male or a female?"
"Umm... female, I'm guessing." Reno explained, seeing the quizzing look on Cloud's face.
"... Isn't Gizmo too manly then?" Marluxia murmured.
Blowing a raspberry in Marluxia's general direction, Reno turned back and gave the kitten's soft fur a pat, giggling lightly at the happy mewl he got in response. "Quiet you. Gizmo is a cute name!"
"It is." Cloud agreed quietly, blinking as the animal crawled onto his lap and curled.
"It likes you." Reno grinned, removing his hand from the small animal the moment it moved to curl up on Cloud's lap.
"Looks like it." Axel grinned, scratching Gizmo's head. Mewling sharply, Gizmo jumped off Cloud's lap, fur puffing up as it hissed at the redhead before turning and hopping onto Reno's lap, clawing her way up to his shoulder to lie down, growling. "Oww…!"
Wincing, Reno lifted his hand to sooth down his pet's agitated fur. "What's the matter?"
Axel blinked, stunned. "W-what did i do?" He asked confusedly as Cloud grabbed his hand to check for any injury.
Reno shrugged, tapping the kitten's head as she continued to growl lowly. "Stop that. And I don't know." It was odd. She was so friendly with everyone else. Pulling Gizmo off his shoulder, he held her out. "Here. Try again. Maybe you ruffled her fur the wrong way?"
"I dunno..." Axel murmured, reaching towards the cat and yelping as it hissed loudly and bit his finger. "Oww…!"
Cloud jumped at the exclamation but reached for the injured finger, grabbing it with his sleeve to stop the bleeding. "Biting is bad." He scolded the cat.
Gizmo just sniffed, wiggling her way out of Reno's hand before walking along the length of his arm to curl up on his shoulder again. "I'm... I'm so sorry." Reno stuttered; eyes a bit wide at the sight of the blood. He didn't know his little girl could do that. "I won't bring her along anymore." A light yelp filled the air soon after he said that, Gizmo having nipped his ear in anger at his words before soothing the small cut with her tongue, purring. Cloud slowly scooted away from the cat, eyeing her suspiciously. "Don't worry." Reno sighed, petting Gizmo's soft fur again. "She likes you, remember?" Cloud nodded but kept his distance, carefully tending to Axel's finger.
Watching Cloud tend to his brother so easily, and with such a tender look on his face, sent a stab of pain and jealousy through Reno's heart… But he guessed there was nothing he could do about it. A small chuckle escaped his lips when he felt Gizmo pull back from his ear, the blood flow stopping so it was only a bit red now. "Thanks, Little Girl..."
"We need to cure this... She may have some decease." Cloud murmured, looking at Reno who was now being examined by Marluxia. "You should heal yours as well."
Head tiled to the side, with Gizmo on his lap as Marluxia fussed over him, Reno shook his head. "I'm fine. But you should get Axel checked out." He didn't need anything. He had been bitten by so many strange and dangerous things in his life and stabbed with worse that he was basically immune to anything that could be tossed at him.
Cloud nodded and winced as Axel's finger seemed darker and nastier looking. "Axel..."
"It's fine." Axel chuckled, reaching over and loosening the blond's grip on his finger, dark color fading. "You were just holding it too tightly."
Reaching into his pocket, Reno pulled out a glowing sphere, his only Master Cure, and tossed it at Cloud. "Here; this should fix it right up."
Cloud gasped as he clumsily grabbed the sphere. "I... Err... I'm a sucker with materia..." He murmured, embarrassed. At least, he had been... He couldn't remember if he had become any good at magic.
"Just let your instincts take over. Your mind may have forgotten but the body didn't. The knowledge of how to use it is still in your mind. You just need to let it wake up." Reno advised whapping at the pink haired man's face. "Are you done?"
Marluxia nodded, letting go. "Yeah."
Cloud stared at the materia and then at Axel. "... I g-guess it doesn't hurt to try..." He murmured, clearing his throat as he stuttered. Crap. Licking his lips nervously, he held the materia and activated the magic. "Cure."
A grin came to Reno's face when he saw the bite on Axel's finger heal smoothly, magic dying down a second later. "There ya go!" He knew Cloud could do it. That was a good sign: it meant that he wasn't gone forever. "Great job…!" Leaning forward, he stopped inches from hugging the other man, slowly moving back, glad Cloud was turned and didn't see him move. 'No touching.' He reminded himself. 'No.'
Cloud breathed. "Thank Shiva it worked... The last time I attempted magic..." Someone had managed to lose a limb.
"A random cadet that you didn't even know got his arm blown off and you were set to cleaning the entire base with a toothbrush." Reno finished easily, not even having to think for the answer. Cloud turned crimson, raising his hands to his face to hide his shame. Reno blinked, put off by his lover's unusual behavior. He wasn't normally like that. "What? What did I say?"
"That isn't something that i feel proud off."
"I've done worse."
Axel chuckled, ruffling Cloud's hair. "I'm fine." He reassured, winking when Cloud looked up at him and before he showed his healed finger to him. "You did it."
Nodding, Reno grabbed onto Gizmo, while the kitten leaned up to whap at the marks on his face, and kissed one little paw. "No, no baby. I don't need any more cuts, thank you." Gizmo mewled and slumped in Reno's grip. Eyes softening, Reno's heart melted and he gave in. "Okay... but be gentle!" He laughed, kitten immediately springing up to whap at his face and bangs. "And you keep the materia, Cloud. I have no use for it."
"No, it's fine..." Cloud murmured, reaching to place the materia next to Reno.
"No really, keep it." The redhead said, grabbing the orb and dropping it back on Cloud's lap. "You can use it to practice your magic a bit more and to help Axel the next time he hurts himself."
"... Okay then..." If it was to help Axel, then Cloud would accept the gift.
"Good…!" Standing up, Gizmo once more perched on his shoulder; Reno turned and patted Marluxia on the shoulder. "We should go. We've caused enough problems already."
"Its fine, Reno..." Axel shook his head, getting up with Cloud.
"No, really... I upset Cloud and, well..." Reno shrugged, not wanting to say that he wanted to get away, not able to stand the sight of Cloud so close and relaxed around his brother. "I gotta bring Gizmo to the vet and get her shots done anyways." Cloud and Axel nodded, the first reaching to carefully pet Gizmo's head gently. Standing completely still, Reno allowed Cloud to pet her, smile never fading. "We'll be seeing you I guess." Waving, he and Marluxia made their way back onto the street, Reno's facade crumpling the moment the house was out of sight. "It hurts, Marly..." He whispered; his throat constricted with repressed emotion. "It hurts so badly and I don't know how to fix it."
Marluxia wrapped an arm around Reno's shoulders, squeezing him gently. "But he said he wanted to get to know you again... There are still chances that you'll get back together."
"But there is a bigger chance that we won't." The redhead whispered wrapping his arms around the other man's in a tight grip. "I can see how he looks and acts around Axel, I'm not stupid."
"Reno... Axel is the one who saved him. He trusts him, of course... Just give it time. Nothing will happen between Axel and him."
"Yea… Right..." But Reno knew; he could see it forming.
Cloud was slipping further and further away from him and it was killing him on the inside. The way he looked at Axel was the same as he looked at him before they started to date. The blond was starting to fall for his twin and it hurt him to no end.
"Marly...Can you...do something for me?"
"Anything, dear..."
"Can you...hold me? Like Cloud did..." Reno gulped, Gizmo shifting a bit on his shoulder. "Please?" He asked, looking up at the other man with pleading eyes. "I miss it so much. Just for a little while…?" Marluxia smiled sadly and nodded, wrapping an arm around Reno's waist and the other around his chest, pressing a caring hand against the redhead's back and keeping him close, burying his face on Reno's neck. Gasping softly, tears came to Reno's eyes and he whimpered softly. "Thank you..." Hugging the older man back, he nestled his head into his chest, head under Marluxia's chin. Just like he did with Cloud... He had missed it so much. The feeling of being held, loved, safe. He didn't want to lose it.
"Now don't worry... and smile. You got to be with Cloud today. You talked a bit."
Sniffing, Reno nodded and pulled back, giving the other a weak smile, the best he could do so far. "Yea... and he said he was willing to try and get to know me too. That's good."
"It is. So don't lose hope, hun. I'll still attend to your wedding." Marluxia winked.
"Yeah…" Reno had forgotten all about that actually, having removed his ring.
"Come on, let's go. Tifa's waiting for news."
--
Bekas: sorry for the delay but I 1) went on vacations and 2) had no idea where I had this last part saved on my pc D8 Hope you like it!
