Clenched Fists
Part Five: Slick

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Reno shook his head as he turned to look back over his shoulder at Zack and Cloud. They were practically arm in arm. He snorted silently and whispered, "You wanna get us caught? Shut up!"

Zack threw his arms up, his eyes a glowing storm blue in the dim light of the hallway. "Got it, man. Sorry."

Reno rolled his eyes and turned to a keypad on the wall beside him. He waved the other two into the recessed doorway to his right so that, if anyone happened to walk down the corridor, they wouldn't all three be spotted immediately. He could probably wriggle his way out of being found out by anyone other than Rufus if the Soldier brats weren't seen. Even at fifteen, it was hard to put anything past Rufus Shinra. But if anyone saw Zack and Cloud, they would all three be fried in their own blood. He punched in a sequence of numbers on the keypad, issuing a system override he definitely didn't have clearance for. He held his breath, waiting for the telltale whine of the near-silent alarms.

The only sound was the soft click of the door's lock. Grinning in triumph, he joined Zack and Cloud in the doorway and gestured for Zack to pull the door open.

Reno laughed and bit down on the thumbnail of his left hand. "What do you mean he was in love with me? That's not possible." He paused. "Is it?"

Cloud sat down and took Reno's hand in a determined grip. "He was."

"But…he had you following him around like a puppy! And he loved it."

"Yeah," Cloud nodded. "He was my friend. We took care of each other."

"Well, then…"

"No," Cloud interrupted, shaking his head and tightening his grip on Reno's hand. "It wasn't like that. We loved each other, but we were always more like brothers than lovers. I was a kid to him, a best friend. You were the one he wanted."

Reno sat there in stunned silence, his palm damp with sweat in Cloud's grasp. He didn't believe it. He couldn't believe it. But…

"Do you really think we should be here?" Cloud's voice was soft, husky.

"Of course not!" Zack laughed, and he ran a familiar hand through Cloud Strife's hair. "We're on the top floor of ShinRa mansion, about to dive into the president's private hot tub. Hojo's sleeping three rooms down the hall, and Sephiroth's on the floor below us. We might all be dead in the morning…but don't you think we deserve a chance to relax a little before we trudge all the way out to that reactor tomorrow? It's an awfully long walk…"

Cloud bit his lip. "I guess…"

Reno rolled his eyes and shoved his jacket down off his shoulders, dropping it to the floor. He stripped his shirt off, barely remembering to unbutton it first. He tossed it right at Zack's speculating eyes. "Eyes off, yo. You too chicken to jump in or som'thin'?"

Zack grinned and pulled his sweater off over his head. "You know, you're pretty hot…for a Turk."

Snorting derisively, Reno shucked his pants and dove into the bubbling pool. It was deep—at least ten feet—and satisfyingly hot. He gasped in a breath of steaming water as his foot was caught and he was dragged backward and upward, into the arms of one very naked Soldier First Class. Reno sputtered, "Damn it, Zack, pick on someone with your own sexual perversions…"

"What? Not even a little hug between friends? We are friends, aren't we?"

Reno splashed water in the prick's face. "Of course we are, you bastard."

Zack's smile grew serious somehow, and his arms tightened around Reno's waist. "Yeah. I don't ever want to lose that."

"Me either, man," Reno answered, glancing uncertainly at Cloud, who was standing half-dressed and half-sad on the edge of the pool. "Now go drag your lover boy into the water. He could use a good ducking."

Reno blinked. Well, that put a whole new spin on that little incident. Rolling around naked and wet with Zack. And, sure, Zack had been hard, but Reno hadn't thought anything of it. Zack had always liked guys. And been open about it too. Reno laughed. "All that time…and he never said a word."

"What was he supposed to say?" Cloud almost whispered. "You weren't into men. And you were a Turk." Cloud's voice took on a bitter edge. "Turks can't afford relationships. Only sex."

"Shit, Cloud," Reno shifted closer to Cloud, allowing his knees to just brush against the younger man's. He wanted to move closer, to pull Cloud into his arms, against his skin, but… He couldn't. He felt lost and cold. He could have had everything he had wanted, everything he still wanted. There'd never been a reason to be jealous of Zack and Cloud, never been a reason to wish for a woman who could be like that with him. He could have had it. He could have… Reno coughed low in his throat. "I took him from you, didn't I? I took him from you, and I didn't even know it."

"No," Cloud shook his head sadly. "I've never been in love. I loved Zack, but it wasn't like that. It was just…he was so possessive of you. He didn't want anyone near you, not even me. He didn't like it when people touched you."

Reno almost choked. "Nice moves, Spikey," Zack drawled, slinging his arm around Cloud's shoulders and pulling him subtly, smoothly away from Reno, tugging Cloud's hand out of Reno's grip. "No one ever manages to catch this bastard." All that time, all those times he'd been so jealous and angry, pissed off that Zack might think he was scamming on Cloud and jealous that Zack cared enough to want Cloud all to himself. All that time and it had been Reno Zack had been overprotective of. That…sucked. Now he felt even worse about that whole mission-to-take-down-escaped-specimens thing. What the hell had he been thinking? He could have shot down the only person who'd ever been in love with him! Reno shook his head. It didn't matter now, did it? Zack was dead. Zack was dead and Reno would never get the chance to apologize, never get the chance to explore anything they might have had between them.

And it wasn't Zack he wanted anyway. It was Cloud. Reno swallowed thickly. Cloud was the reason he'd come here in the first place. He launched himself forward without a thought, tackling Cloud to the ground and settling his hips between the confused, slightly stunned man's thighs. "Cloud…" He leaned down, pressing his lips to Cloud's in a firm, shivering promise. Zack mattered. Of course he did. But he wasn't there anymore, and he would never have wanted Cloud to be alone. Although…from what Cloud had said and what Reno's now-shifted memories told him, Zack might prefer Reno to be alone forever. Reno snarled and nipped lightly at Cloud's bottom lip. How unfair.

Cloud's lips parted, slick and hot, and Reno shoved the unzipped sweater off Cloud's slender shoulders, pressing his hands hard against the warm skin of Cloud's chest. It felt good. Right. Better than he'd ever thought touching someone else could feel. It was weird too; he was aware—very well aware—of the fact that Cloud was a man, but it didn't seem to matter. It felt, if anything, even more arousing, as the pulsing ache between Reno's thighs was willing to attest.

Reno groaned, clutching Cloud tight against him as they kissed, hot and wet and messy. Tongues pressing, twisting, dancing. Lips firm and gripping. Hips thrusting, and Reno felt hot, too hot, and he wanted to be naked, pressed skin against sweat-soaked skin to Cloud Strife, but he couldn't pull back long enough to strip down.

Cloud was weak. He knew he was weak because he shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't pull back; he could only thrust and writhe and grab. Reno was Zack's, all Zack's, and Cloud wasn't Zack, but right now he didn't care because it was Reno, and he needed Reno. He shoved Reno up, up, up onto his elbows, leaning up to keep their lips locked together—he couldn't break the kiss, the sticky, beautiful kiss. Forcing his hands between their bodies, he ripped the wrinkled button-down open, scattering buttons among the crushed lilies underneath them. The smell of the flowers was almost overpowering, but Cloud didn't care. All he cared about was popping the button on Reno's pants, of pulling them together, chest to chest and hip to hip. All he cared about was thrusting, thrusting.

Reno moaned when Cloud pulled him back down, his body flush against Cloud's and Cloud's tongue thrusting into his mouth. He was so hard, aching and straining, and they moved together, wild and needy, both of them. His hands were cupped behind Cloud's neck, his fingers threaded through soft blond hair, and Cloud's hands were digging into his back, gripping the sharp blades of his shoulders. They were so beautiful together, lips locked and tongues thrusting in time with hips, soft groans and the occasional sharp breath drawn in through the nose. Teeth met lips and even tongues, but the pains were short and jagged, and they only upped the tension and the fever.

It didn't take long. Hands tightened in hair and on skin; moans collided between parted lips, and hips jerked in ragged movements of completion as they both spilled themselves, hard and wrenching, onto the tight skin of their stomachs.

Reno collapsed on top of Cloud, his entire body shuddering in the aftermath. His brain wasn't much better off. "Holy shit, Cloud. I've never…that was…"

"Yeah," Cloud agreed, a light breath against Reno's ear.

Reno held Cloud tighter, afraid to let go. He didn't want this to end, but… He cleared his throat. "Cloud?"

"Yeah?" Cloud said again.

"You don't love me, do you?"

Cloud's fingers trembled as he clutched at Reno's shoulders, afraid to answer, afraid not to. He buried his face in Reno's neck for a long moment, drawing comfort from the tense, sweat-slick skin. Finally, he pulled back and pushed Reno up on his elbows again, forcing their eyes to meet, blue to green, regretful to anxious. He brushed light fingers against Reno's cheek, and he leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to waiting lips. He didn't close his eyes for a moment. He smiled in pain and remorse. "You're right. I don't love you."