Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated materials are property of Squaresoft. The song "Look What You've Done" belongs to Jet.
Look What You've Done
By: Nanaki BH
His red-haired friend leaned back, arms rising above his head with a yawn. It was more of a growl of relaxation than anything else, actually. Rude watched him out of the corners of his glasses, his own hands comfortably placed behind his head. It wasn't often that they had the chance to go to the beach – especially while working. In fact, they'd never had the chance which was what made it that much more special for the Turks. It somehow still involved business, but it was nice to be able to relax while they were on the job. One could argue that they always have time to relax on the job, but this time they didn't have to lie about it.
As soon as they got there that morning, Reno threw his stuff on his bed at the inn and grabbed Rude, heading far away from the local bar to Rude's displeasure. They passed the "Boardwalk Shops Del Costa" (as Reno affectionately called them) and found themselves standing on the beach, the afternoon sky speckled with clouds and the sun shining brighter than either had ever seen anywhere else in their travels. Somewhere between the boardwalk and the beach, Reno lost his sandals and he landed barefoot in the sand, immediately kicking it up, complaining about its heat with an excited smile on his face. Rude watched him, though certainly not as thrilled as his partner.
He looked down, distastefully inspecting his attire in comparison to Reno's. Whereas Reno was dressed for the beach in his long black trunks and (abandoned) flip-flops, he was still in his dress slacks and he'd only had enough time to take off his jacket and dress shirt. Short of rolling up the bottoms of his pants, he wouldn't be able to step one foot near the water in fear of getting them wet. Reno was already in the water, diving under and coming back up to wet his hair and throwing himself around, thrashing about like a little kid. The people around him threw up their arms to cover their faces to keep the splashes he was causing from hitting them, somehow able to put up with their obnoxious children, but unable to put up with his obnoxious partner. When Rude realized that he was gawking as well, he finally resolved to move himself from the sandy pavement and join him one way or another.
"Reno," he called, "you know I'm not dressed to be over here."
"So what?" he shouted, somewhat breathless, water running in rivulets down his chest… over his delicate skin and pert brown nipples. He was quite the sight and Rude was finding it hard to keep his eyes off of him. He wouldn't have been surprised if he would be finding other things hard if he hadn't pulled his gaze away. "Get in here! This feels great!"
Rude stood by though, shaking his head, his slightly furrowed brows the only tell-tale sign of his embarrassment. And that's how they wound up laying on the sand together, Rude awkwardly looking at him from the small space out the side of his shades. There was no doubt that Reno was disappointed to come out of the water, but the only way Rude could get him to come out was by promising that they would come back later; hopefully when the beach was a little clearer, when they could have more time alone… in the dark. The mere thought of being alone with Reno made his heart race and fill with the feelings he'd been awkwardly stepping around to avoid causing tension between them. One drunken night together was enough to confirm some of his deepest feelings but it hadn't seemed to phase Reno in the least.
Instead, he laid there with the rays reflecting on his slick skin, grinning happily even though he'd been forced out of the water. It was obvious when Reno was thinking about something that bothered him, but he seemed perfectly and blissfully unaffected by their night together, as though nothing had even happened to begin with. Does he even remember, Rude wondered to himself, putting his arms behind his head.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked him.
"The sky is very blue. All my life I've never seen the sky. Not like this. Not this blue." Indeed, he was staring directly into the sky.
Rude grimaced. "You could ruin your eyes doing that. It's way too bright, man."
"Can't help it," he said, closing his eyes tightly. "Besides, they hurt when I close 'em now."
Rude sighed; disappointed that Reno had proved his naivety once again. And perhaps that was what was keeping them apart – naivety. What else could it be? Well, they were friends for starters, but that never kept them from playing strip poker or kissing each other in public. Hell, they'd done that in private and private is a much more private word than public. His fear was asking him face to face only to find out that all those years of open displays of affection were merely playful flirtation. What's more, his own image began to worry him. Did Reno even find him attractive?
He swallowed and his mouth felt suddenly dry and his stomach painfully sunken. There he was, on a beach, the most perfect setting in the world with the one person he could ever call a love interest just lying beside him, completely unaware of what was going on inside his head. If only Reno was telepathic, he thought desperately. Would've saved me the worrying from the beginning.
"What d'ya wanna talk about?" Reno asked suddenly, though still preoccupied with trying to find a comfortable way of keeping his eyes half open and half closed.
His Turk partner sputtered for a moment and he looked away, even though he knew Reno wasn't looking at his face. He muttered something unintelligible to fill the space between his thoughts and his words. "Okay. I've got one. It's been a while since Gongaga. I never had the chance to ask you, Reno – who do you like?"
For a second, he just sat there, giving up momentarily in his struggle to comfort his eyes; letting them open wide again. He tapped his chin and looked like he was putting some serious thought into it. "Actually, there're two people I like." Right when Rude finally decided to meet his eyes, Reno rolled over onto his side. "Now, don't, like, laugh when I tell you or something because they're both kinda weird, you know?"
He agreed and sat up a little for it to be easier to look down at him. He watched as Reno idly toyed with the sand, pushing it around with the tips of his fingers and making insignificant, nondescript patterns.
"Well, Rufus for one."
His heart sunk.
"And… you."
And his heart rejoiced! Then sunk again. Rufus? What did he mean Rufus? Was he possibly even talking about the same guy that he was thinking about? Rufus Shinra was known as Shinra's number one prick; an asshole that had nothing better to do than play with his hair and order people around whenever he felt like watching people scurry. As far as he knew, he was nothing like Rufus Shinra in the least. How could Reno have possibly mentioned two completely different people?
Reno turned he head slightly, a light blush spreading across your cheeks. "Weirded out?" he asked.
"Ah – no. Just a little confused." He shut himself up. "I mean, I like you too, but what I really mean is… well… Care to explain it a little for me?"
He nodded and sat up next to him but didn't meet his eyes; gaze resting on his folded palms instead. "Well, Rufus is kind of charming in an assholish way. He's got his perks; he's pretty and rich and actually very sensitive when you get to know him. Besides, I get the feeling he likes me! But," he said quietly, looking out across the water, "I'm not quite sure about you."
"What do you mean, not quite sure?"
"I mean, I don't know if you like me or not because you don't necessarily give off the vibes, you know? And besides, wouldn't it be a bit uncomfortable for two friends like us to try a relationship or something like that?" He kicked a foot out into the sand, half went flying, and half clung to his dampened skin.
In one incredibly quick, skilled movement, Rude took him by the shoulders and had their lips firmly pressed together within seconds. The people around him took notice and stared, some ushering away their small children, but Rude didn't have the time to notice because his eyes were already closed. Unfortunately, when they opened, Reno's were still opened in what appeared to be horrified shock.
"I… thought you said you like me," Rude muttered, suddenly feeling every bit as rude as his name suggested.
Reno swallowed, one hand trembling midair in front of him. Tentatively, he touched his lips, finding them tingling still from the sheer sensation. "Yeah. I do."
Rude couldn't believe what he was hearing. Although Reno's words alone could have made him feel at ease, the look on his face was putting him off. He still wore a very uneasy, somewhat ill expression. Rude sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. "So then what's the problem now?" Despite the tone of his voice, he was far more bewildered than annoyed.
"Is it okay if I like you both?" A small smile began to work its way across his lips. "Sure, I know what you're thinking, man. 'Wow, that's weird, what the hell is he thinking,' right? Well, I like you both and I don't want to choose. So," he sucked in a breath. "So there."
"You… like us both?" Jealousy immediately began to kick in.
"Yeah. Is that so wrong? Hey, if I can love you both equally, then why should it be so hard for you both to just love one me?" He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest, shaking his head like a disapproving mother. "It doesn't sound that hard, if you ask me."
Rude fell back into the sand and had his hands immediately folded on his stomach. Habitually, he fixed his sunglasses and smoothed down his slacks, then returned his fingers to their comfortably entwined position. He took one long, deep breath to clear his mind in order to ponder Reno's bizarre proposition. "I'm not sure what to think, Reno."
"Then don't think."
Soon, he felt those warm, familiar lips pressing against his own again; the kiss far gentler and slower than the one they'd shared just moments before. Rude allowed himself to relax into the kiss, burying one of his hands in Reno's hair, twining his fingers around the strands. It was odd, thinking that he would be sharing Reno's affection with another guy (if, of course, that relationship even worked out) but Reno genuinely seemed to have a lot of love to share. All of a sudden, it really didn't matter what he thought. He would leave the thinking to Reno. After all, he seemed to know a lot about what he was doing. Especially that trick he was doing with his tongue.
They parted and Rude finally breathed that long-awaited sigh of relief. Reno appeared just as happy as he'd hoped he would. The butterflies in his stomach did a congratulatory summersault. He ruffled Reno's damp hair and gave him one final, short kiss before standing back up.
"Sounds like a plan."
Reno couldn't wait to tell Rufus.
Author's Notes: That's one hell of a cliff-hanger ending. Well, it sounds more like a very possible prelude to a new story, actually. That was for my 30kisses challenge claim on Livejournal; #12, In a Good Mood. I certainly didn't intend for it to be so RenoxRude oriented. In the end, I kind of opened up to the pairing and I didn't mind so much. Either way, I hope you enjoyed it. Feedback is always appreciated.