Maybe he just wasn't interested?

It's not as though he hadn't put in enough effort.

Surely he wasn't this dumb?

Reno sighed as he tapped the end of his cigarette against the rusting railing of his balcony.

He never used to have to work this hard for a bit of action, so what had changed?

Was he setting his sights too high?

Or perhaps he simply isn't as appealing as he once was.

Either option was equally depressing as he exhaled a mouthful of smoke into the hazy Midgar night.

The echo of footsteps greeted his ears, the ancient balcony groaned in response to the additional weight. Reno was aware of the man's presence but didn't bother to acknowledge him.

"What's on your mind?" Rude stated as he joined his partner on the balcony, slowly closing the sliding door behind him.

Perhaps it was unwise to question his partner, but he couldn't ignore just how quite he had become recently.

When Reno clammed up, boy did he clam up.

"Nothing yo." Reno responded, a little too hastily to be at all convincing.

It didn't matter anyway, Rude was going to be sorry he asked.

Rude eyed the man he had know for years, the skepticism rife in his eyes as he pulled a small box from his suit pocket.

"Is this about Cloud?" Rude persisted, knowing there was nothing else it could possibly be about.

"No." The redhead stated flatly, appreciating that his friend was concerned enough to ask, but he was not prepared to admit the real truth to himself, let alone anyone else.

"Hmm." Rude subtly raised an eyebrow at his partner before joining him at his side. His fingers alternating between opening the cigarette box and retrieving one.

"You sure are quiet. It's nice." Rude chuckled, placing the cigarette between his lips before igniting it.

"Hey!" Reno screwed up his face defensively, preparing to rip into his partner before suddenly stopping. He pressed his lips together, suddenly becoming painfully aware of his need to control himself. So what if he was feeling rejected by Cloud?

And every man in Shinra.

Now that he thought about it, it seemed the only thing fucking him was life.

"Whats wrong?" Rude raised an eyebrow, his curiosity a bit more obvious this time around. He would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed at the lack of reaction from his friend.

"Do you ever think you will wind up being single forever yo?" Reno spat out, the words a far tamer version than what was currently swirling around in his head.

Rude audibly sighed, shaking his head as his eyes studied the mass of city lights littered before him.

"Being single ain't so bad." Rude offered, resting a hand on his partner's slender shoulder.

"Is that what this is all about?" The larger man persisted, finally feeling like he was getting a foothold into Reno's mind.

"Sort of yo." Reno sighed before stalling, as though contemplating whether or not to throw his friend a bone.

"So there is something wrong." Rude chuckled, darting his partner a cheeky smile.

Reno screwed up his face, hating it when Rude was right but he would never admit that he was wrong of course. He chose instead to return his gaze to the city lights.

A silence lulled between the two. It seemed as though it lasted minutes, extending into hours, yet it was in reality, mere seconds.

"Do you think I'm ugly yo?" Reno broke the silence, but didn't bother to turn and face his partner for the answer.

Rude choked on his cigarette, his lungs attempting to expel the foreign ashes that had so freely invaded them.

Where had this come from? His redheaded partner in crime had always been so confident and never cared what others had thought.

Ever.

So why now?

"Whats that got to do with anything?" Rude began, unsure of how to answer his friends question, was he serious?

"I'm undesirable Rude. It's never been so painfully obvious to me as it is now yo."

Rude tilted his head to the side, slightly relieved that he was finally getting somewhere with his best friend.

"I live in a city full of horny men and still can't get a damn thing yo."

Rude opened his mouth but words refused to formulate on his lips.

"Am I that hideous? I never had to work this hard before yo." Reno finally turned to face his partner.

"Reno."

"Even Zack refused me yo."

"It's only because he's getting serious about Aerith." Rude attempted in vain to console his friend.

"It's the beginning of the end."

"What about Rufus?"

Reno shook his head, not entirely sure what to do with the words offered him.

"He only wants me when its convenient for him, plus I'm not entirely sure it's 'me' he wants yo."

"What do you mean?"

"He just wants a piece of ass to fuck at his convenience and nothing more yo."

Rude remained silent, unable to argue the validity of the man's words as he returned his attention to the vast expanse of city lights.

"Sephiroth?"

Reno screwed up his face before turning to face his friend.

"If he fucks as hard as he fights, I wouldn't last 30 seconds yo. You'll attend my funeral won't you?"

"Of course."

"At least that's one person I can rely on."

"It won't come to that."

"Maybe you just need to make what you want more obvious to Cloud."

"What am I supposed to do yo? I've tried dragging him out to bars."

"Maybe you've been going about this all wrong."

"What do you mean yo?"

"Maybe you need to pick a more intimate activity."

"Like what yo? Cornering him after gym so we can shower together?"

Rude chuckled before shaking his head, not at all startled by his friend's words but relieved he was starting to perk up.

"I mean take him to the movies. You have to get him to see its more than just friendship you seek."

Reno remained silent, realizing his friend was right, yet a part of him still doubted the blonde would do anything other than reject him. Besides Cloud deserved better than being stuck with him. Never mind the fact that if Cloud didn't respond to his advances while drunk at Goblins, why would he respond while stone cold sober at the movies?

Damn, now he just felt like a predator.

Fuck, life was a tricky game sometimes.

The redhead made no attempt to stifle his sigh as his lips responded to his wandering mind.

"Come on, go to bed Reno, it's late. You'll feel better in the morning."

Reno nodded, yet his body refused to budge from its position of leaning against the slowly decaying balcony railing.

Rude snuffed out what remained of his cigarette before drawing closer to his friend.

"Are I aiming too high Rude? Be honest yo."

Rude took a deep breath, as though contemplating his words carefully.

"I am, aren't I?" Reno sighed, not waiting for his friend's answer, taking his hesitation to answer as answer enough.

"I don't think a serious relationship is what he seeks at this time, think about how much he has on his plate at the moment."

Reno remained silent, apparently absorbing the words of his friend.

"Never mind how difficult it is to get him alone." Rude added with a chuckle.

"True." Reno smirked, his thoughts drifting to how many times he had attempted to approach the blonde, only to have his efforts circumvented by Zack every time.

Never the less, he couldn't help but wonder if he was at all desirable.

It would be a bitter pill to swallow should that be the case.

Forever the pursuer, never the pursued.

Sometimes he even wondered if the men he slept with even liked him at all, perhaps he was nothing more than an available hole for them to shove their cocks into. Only to become the topic of their conquestual boasts the following day. Nothing more than a memory soon forgotten to time.

A sinking feeling welled in the bottom of his heart, one that told him he was right.

Life never seemed to fail at being cruel.

Good experiences seemed hard to come by these days, when they did occur he became only suspicious of them.

Were they only offered to him so that life could build him up, only to tear him down.

It was no use kicking someone until they were dead, where is the fun in that?

Once their soul has died, they become a mere shell of the person that once existed.

They have no fight left to offer, no resistance.

Again, where is the fun in that?

"come now." Rude wrapped his fingers around Reno's forearm.

It was an action that the redhead hadn't been expecting, yet it didn't fail in snapping the man from his thoughts.

Reno instinctively nodded, allowing his partner to drag him inside before tossing him gently on the bed.

He had to admit, this was far more comfortable than standing outside in the humid Midgar night.

He drew oxygen into his lungs, savoring it before releasing it.

He knew he wreaked of cigarette smoke, but then again so did Rude.

His eyes turned to the man standing above him, his solid form a mere silhouette before the bustling Midgar backdrop. He was a symbol of strength to the redhead, a rock in the ever flowing river that was his life.

He had always been there.

Always.

A wave of heat began to roll through the man's body, a fever of sorts. Maybe he had spent too much time outside after all?

No.

That wasn't it.

This was different.

This heat was coming from within him, not without.

His eyes searched the darkness for Rude's, the act almost becoming desperate as he seemed unable to make contact.

"Lay next to me. Just for a minute yo." Reno all but pleaded as his eyelid's grew heavy.

Rude's eyes darted around the room, as though searching for the presence of another even though he knew outside of his friend, none other existed.

"Come on Rude." Reno all but whined as he reached for the man's hand.

Rude sighed before stepping towards the man's bed.

He knew this was perhaps a terrible idea, yet his feet continued to carry him. Perhaps he should not have drunken so much beer, either way it was too late now as he climbed onto the bed next to his closest friend.

"I want to do something for you." Reno sat up, suddenly feeling a slight surge of life flow through his veins. The redhead ran his fingers up his abdomen, collecting his singlet as he went before tossing it onto the bed.

Rude darted his eyes towards the man, unable to mask the suspicion lurking within them. He had witnessed the Turk's bare body on multiple occasions but it had never affected him like this. The man resisted the urge to run his tongue along his lips, as his eyes danced over Reno's pale, yet delectable flesh.

"Man its hot yo." The redhead whined, yet there was no trace of true agitation in his features.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea." Rude began, having a fair idea of the event playing out within his partner's mind.

Reno hardly gave the man time to react as he brushed his fingers over Rude's groin, wasting no time in undoing his belt before fishing out the man's member.

His actions were smooth, flawless in their execution.

Rude opened his lips in an effort to argue the man's actions, he needed to stop his friend from doing something he might later regret.

Yet, he was unable to summon words as he felt Reno's long, slender fingers tighten around his cock.

His efforts were in vein. There was no way he was going to be able to resist the attentiveness of Reno's fingers.

A muffled groan escaped Rude's lips as Reno tightened his grip further.

Yet it still wasn't enough. Reno needed to extract more from the man.

The redhead lean't forward, tossing his legs over the edge of the bed until his lips were greeted by the man's groin.

He wasted no time encapsulating the man within his mouth before drawing him in further. Rude tasted exactly how Reno had imagined as he ran his tongue up and down his cock.

Rude closed his eye, more in an effort to mask just how much they were rolling into the back of his head as waves of pleasure rolled through his body.

Reno took the opportunity to undo his the button on his jeans before tearing the clothing from his body. He now knelt naked before the large man.

The redhead closed his eyes as he drove his tongue between Rude's slit. An involuntary gasp drove its way through the man's throat as he instinctively grasped Reno's head in his hands before driving his cock down the man's throat.

The redheaded Turk didn't seem to mind as he continued where the man had left off and took the cock with a hungry smile.

It took all Rude had and more to control himself, his partner would never look at him the same if he didn't start getting it together.

His resolve rapidly deteriorated as Reno collected the man's balls in his hands before gently sinking his fingers into the soft skin.

It was more than Rude could handle as he felt himself draw close to release.

He struggled to seize control of himself, there was no way he could ejaculate into Reno's mouth. The man he had worked so closely with for all this time.

A sharp sting struck his ass, prompting him from his resistance. It was Reno's fingers as the redhead gazed up at him, his mouth full as his eyes dared the man to finish.

It was too much as Rude felt his balls tighten; even the God's wouldn't be able to help him now.

A desperate moan tore it's way through his throat, oh God's how he needed this. Reno truly lived up to his reputation as Rude filled his mouth with his seed. The redhead wasted no time as he swallowed the man's fluid without hesitation.

"Reno." Rude whispered, all other words evading his lips as he felt the man's throat tighten around his cock.

Silence fell between the two as the redhead released the cock from his lips.

"Your amazing." Rude whispered, attempting to calm his breathing back to it's regular rhythm. The humid Midgar night made him feel hot before but now he just felt like he was on fire.

Why anyone would say no to his redheaded sex god of a friend was beyond him.

"No. I'm just a stupid slut." Reno sighed, not bothering to open his eyes as the words fell from his lips. He wasn't sure why he had allowed his inner most thoughts to manifest on his lips but he instantly regretted it.

Rude's eyes widened, not entirely sure the words that greeted his ears matched those spoken by his friend. His gaze fell to the mass of red hair that now lay slumped against his knees.

"Ren-"

"Don't try to consul me." Reno began, not bothering to look up from his disposition on the floor, his bare knees ached as they pressed against the hard wooden floor beneath them.

"You and I both know it's true."

"Enough Reno." Rude sighed, his tone retaining every ounce of seriousness he could muster. The forcefulness behind his words surprised even himself as he watched Reno look up at him in apparent shock.

"I wish you could see how much you offer to those around you, you are not some stupid slut. I'm sorry that recent events in your life have driven you to feel that way about yourself." Rude struggled to mask the sadness in his eyes as he dropped to his knees. He wasted no time engulfing Reno within his strong arms, as though he were a bear cradling it's cub.

"I'm also sorry those guys don't bother to get to know the true Reno. You are an amazing person, it's their loss Reno, not yours." Rude grunted, backing up every word that left his lips with a nod.

Reno allowed his jaw to fall open at his partners words. Did Rude really care about him that much?

The redhead opened his lips to speak, yet words evaded him. Instead of attempting to summon a response to his lips, he wrapped his arms around Rude, tightening their embrace further.

"I love you Reno. I always have and always will."

The redhead rested his head on his partner's shoulder; soon giving up the fight against his tears.

For a guy that never said all that much; Rude sure had a way with words.