Way of Living
CloudxReno; occasional other pairings.
xXx
I don't know what I should say right now...
Should I call myself stupid? Should I say that my kindness came back and bit me in the ass?
I don't know... You tell me.
"I thought ya said ya didn't know how to skate, yo!"
"I guess I'm a fast learner."
Reno growled and skated towards me, cupping his hands in front of his face and desperately trying to warm them. "Is there anything where I'm better than ya?" he complained, stuffing his hands inside my jacket's pockets.
"Yep." I replied, smiling. "You're better on bottom--"
"Oh, shuddup!" He exclaimed, hiding his face. "You're a perv, ya know that?"
"—and you know how to swim." I finished, poking the redhead's forehead tenderly. "I already forgot the little I knew."
Reno blinked and chuckled, snuggling deeper into his clothes. "Yo, ya better not be going there!" He yelled to the distance, glaring half-heartily at Denzel.
I looked back and sighed, waving my head at the boy. How did Tifa convince me and Reno to take the children with us to skate in the ice again?
... Oh, right.
She would tell the others where I keep my dress... Damn. If I didn't like it on Reno, the dumpster would be its new home when I got home!
"Denzel, you know that it's dangerous in there, don't you?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips and glaring with Reno.
"I know..." The boy whined and pouted. "But Marlene threw the ball too far away and it ended up there!" He said, pointing to a few meters away. Oh, there it was. The evil ball.
The round devil.
I turned to sigh at Marlene, who was latched to Reno's waist and giving us her biggest, cutest puppy eyes. "It was a mistake, I didn't mean it." She said quietly while my lover over ran his fingers down her long hair tenderly.
"We may forget the ball, yo. There's no way someone's getting in there." Reno sighed, waving at Denzel who skated unwillingly back to us.
"Why not?"
"Because that sign says 'thin ice'." I explained, welcoming the boy into my arms and spinning us a little. At least, as much as I could without falling on my ass. "It may break if we go there."
"And we're alone here." Reno added, raising an eyebrow. "No-one would be nearby to aid us."
The children nodded and skated away sadly, having lost their toy. "They'll get over it." I said, circling an arm around Reno's waist when I saw his eyes jumping from the kids to the ball.
He sighed and looked up, resting his chin on my shoulder. "But now they look sad, yo."
"You know how kids are. First they'll brood and then keep going like nothing happened."
"Yeah but when we get to the bar, they'll tell Tifa and Barret and then they'll turn to me, thinking that it was MY fault, yo. Ya know those two! They're always around, trying to find an excuse to kick my ass away from you."
I laughed softly, nearly losing my balance as Reno elbowed me. "You're not serious, are you?" I chuckled, looking down at pretty much serious redhead. "... You are."
"Of course that I am! You know them better than I do, yo! Or don't ya remember already that prank they pulled on me? The one when they tried to make you believe that I, Reno Sinclair, had put red paint in your shampoo?!"
"... That was the kids."
"... Oh... Even so...! You thought it was me and denied me sex for a month!"
I cringed, listening to the kids giggling. Go ahead; let them know of our private matters... so that they can tell Tifa when we get home!! "I already said that I was sorry, baby." I sighed softly, running my arms around Reno's shoulders and kissing his lips tenderly but quickly: oh I know that you like it, Marlene... You think that I don't hear your giggles when you see us kissing through the keyhole?! Oh, I do... That's why I ALWAYS throw my shirt to the door, hiding your view. Little perverted spawn of the devil... "If you're that worried, I'll go get it." I sighed, not missing the kid's expressions as well.
Reno blinked up at me and then at the sign. "... Nah let it be. It's just a ball, yo."
I smiled and skated around with him for a while, purposely bumping the other man and making him fall flat on the snow a few times, loving to see that cocky expression of his covered in the white sheet.
"Alright, enough...!" He yelped when I made him fall for the 6th time. "M'gonna get some hot-chocolate. Who wants some?!"
"I WANT!"
Reno sighed and smirked, taking off his skates. "5 cups then..." He grinned, turning his back at us and walking away to the slightly far away car.
That left me taking care of the kids. Twice I had to yell at Denzel to forget the damn toy until I got sick of hearing to his complains and seeing his pout towards me. "Fine, I'll go get it!" I sighed at last and got up from my sitting position, skating past the kids.
I didn't see their hesitant expressions nor did I listen to their smalls 'don't, its okay!'
Maybe if I did... I would have noticed that the ice was slightly cracked near the ball.
But I didn't.
And that was my downfall.
"Be careful!" Marlene yelled, holding her small hands to her chest. I could see she was scared so I offered her one of the widest smiles I could manage these days to reassure her.
"Don't worry, I'm near the edge." I reassured. That way if I fell, the water would be shallow and I could leave the freezing lake without problems. The problem was when it was time for me to get the damn ball... "Okay, no problems." I breathed, turning to the ball. "I can do this without consequences. If I do fall, I'll just, dunno, do something god-like and get away." I murmured to my buttons, slowly skating to the ball. "Who am I kidding...?"
"You're almost there!" Denzel exclaimed from his spot near the edge, torn between wanting me to go back and having his precious ball.
At least you get the ball... I know that it was important to you. It was the last thing that you had left from your parents and that made it mean the world to you, kid...
I grabbed the ball and sighed in relief, throwing it at Denzel and Marlene. "Now kick it back here and you lose it for real." I warned, having a finger. Now, I only needed to get ba—
"CLOUD?! Reno! RENO!!"
It was like my heart got trapped in my throat when I felt the ice breaking under my feet and the cold water hit my warm skin. It felt worse than Sephiroth's stabs. I yelped in pain as I managed to get my head out of the water and took a deep breath before sinking back in, trying to kick the heavy skaters off my feet.
I still had so many dreams, so many plans...
But everything got flushed away in a minute or less.
Every movement hurt, every thought was clouded... I could practically feel my skin freezing as I struggled to get back to the surface. I was seriously tempted not to fight and simply stay still. Maybe that way I would be warmer.
But who was I kidding?
I had to get back, it was all so unfair. The kids needed me, Reno needed me...
I needed Reno.
So I struggled: something would come out of my effort, right? Maybe I would turn into a fantastic swimmer from a second to another, or someone would appear to save my sorry ass...
Snort. Who am I kidding again?
I could swear I heard shouting but maybe that was the cold's effects... I could barely move now, as the cold pierced my bones and my lungs starting screaming for oxygen. For as much as I fought, I could basically see myself sinking deeper into the lake. It wasn't the deepest lake in the world but it was enough to take someone's life.
I could feel my eyelids become heavier. I was tired...
So tired...
I just wanted to sleep. Never mind the fact that I couldn't breathe, I was exhausted and could barely move now.
I look up and see the ice returning to its place, colliding with the other broken pieces.
That brought me back to reality. I had to get out. Out, out, OUT! I let go of a growl that stole me the last breath I had left and struggled to get back up, clawing at the ice's surface.
But I had wasted my chances. There was no way out now. I felt like crying but the tears were frozen inside me so I could only close my eyes before something hard collided against the back of my head, stealing the last moments of consciousness that I had left.
"What?! What happened?" Reno asked worriedly, having run back to the kids.
"Cloud fell!!" Marlene cried, pointing frantically towards the 'forbidden' area. "He went to get the ball but he fell!!"
Reno cried out and ran around the lake, trying to get near to his lover. "Oh shit." He cursed, grabbing the fallen sign and starting to remove some broken pieces of ice from the surface to try and see if he could find his partner. "Cloud...!" He cried out suddenly, seeing the blond floating motionlessly a few meters away, blood slowly escaping through some wound on his skull. "Shit." He cursed loudly, getting into the water and hissing. "Marlene!" The Turk screamed at the little girl. "Go to the car and call the 911! Quick!" He urged, taking off his coat.
Casting Wall on himself, the Turk took a deep breath and dived into the water, swimming as quickly as he could to his lover. Taking a hold of the blonde's shirt, the redhead turned around and swam back to the edge, nearly throwing themselves out of the water. "Cloud...?" He coughed, seeing the spell around him break and feeling the cold hit him full-force. "C-loud?" he stuttered, rubbing a hand against the blonde's cheek. Whimpering, the Turk approached his cheek to the other man's mouth and nose to try and see if he was breathing to find that not even a small puff of air came out. "Shit."
"I called them!" Marlene ran back to the lake, grabbing Denzel's arm and dragging his still shocked ass to the other men. "How is he?!" She whimpered, seeing Cloud's pale complexion and his nearly purple lips.
Reno ignored the little girl and took a deep breath, pressing the blonde's chest firmly while he counted the pumps mentally. "... 30." He whispered, pinching Cloud's nose and covering the blonde's mouth with his, breathing for him slowly.
"W-What are you doing?" Denzel whispered, hugging the ball so close to his chest that almost hurt to see.
"CPR." Reno answered shortly, returning to compress Cloud's chest. He had to live; he was the saviour of the fucking world for fuck's sake!! If anyone deserved to keep living it was his lover. "... 30." He whimpered, once more latching his mouth to Cloud's and breathing for him. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon damn it!" The redhead yelled suddenly, pressing Cloud's chest harder.
Suddenly the blond convulsed and started coughing the water in his lungs, reassuring Reno whatsoever. "Is he going to be okay?" Marlene beamed hopefully, seeing Reno pick up Cloud and cover him with his jacket.
"Let's hope so, kid." The redhead whispered, hugging his blond lover close and smiling as he felt the small, shallow breathes coming from Cloud's mouth and hitting his neck. "Let's hope so..."
If anyone deserved to live it was his lover.
xXx
Theme: Drowning
Word count: 2004
Okay, so I WAS gonna kill Cloud but I didn't. Thank me later XD I know Cloud knows how to swim but I always like to think that he doesn't. It makes stuff much funnier –insert evil expression here- I'll check the spell and grammar later: I need to get to school in, like ... half an hour.
So thanks, bye, see ya! –Runs-
EDIT: alright, here I am XD you may find strange the change of POV in the end of the drabble but thats cos it was in cloud'0s POV and then he lost consciousness... It wouldnt make much sense if i kept the his POV.
Here are the themes already done and waiting to be done (I'll be removing the ones already done!):
Valentine's Day / waterfall / treasure hunt - WIP
Beach / Hula - WIP
Snowboard - SWW
Cinema - SWW
Dentist - SWW
Cherry blossoms - SWW
Fight / Break Up - SWW
Reno fight over Cloud -SWW
Long business trip and reunion scene - SWW
Aerith's Birthday - SWW
Snowball fights / snow angels - SWW
A date in space - SWW
Caffeine/Sugar - SWW
Porn Collection - SWW
Videogames - SWW
Disneyland - SWW
Painting Lesson - SWW
Session with a Marriage Counsellor - SWW
Popular Reno / Smart Reno - SWW
Lotion - SWW
Yazoo flirting with Reno - SWW
Kidnapped - SWW
Claustrophobia - SWW
Interrogation - SWW
Picnic - SWW
Disguise (Reno disguised as a woman XD) - SWW
Hurt (alternative, sad ending to Disguise) - SWW
Concert - SWW
Rain and Boom (RudexTifa, Reno gets a brother named Axel XD) - SWW
Cloud mistakes Axel for Reno, whose dead - SWW
Vacation - SWW
Reno's twin scars - SWW
Pets - SWW
Song - SWW
Dinner - SWW
Teddy bear - SWW
Birthday - SWW
Stalker - SWW
Spin the Bottle – SWW
Seduction – SWW
Proposal – SWW
Cutter – SWW
Dead Pet – SWW
Role-playing on the Bedroom – SWW
Purple Nail polish – SWW
Gift – SWW
I'm Fine – SWW
New Year – SWW
Comparison – SWW
Glasses – SWW
Photo Album – SWW
Karma – SWW
Hugs – SWW
Cloud teaches Reno how to cook – SWW
Addition – SWW
Breakfast – SWW
Puzzles – SWW
Turkey – SWW
Cheerleader!Reno – SWW
Reno fooling Kadaj – SWW
Shattered Dreams – SWW
Horror movie – SWW
Reno without hair gel – SWW
Hidden Truth – SWW
Long anticipated answer – SWW
Shopping – SWW
Setting an Example – SWW
Left Alone – SWW
Boredom – SWW
Laser tag – SWW
When The Fangirls Attack – SWW
Pups – SWW
Nightmare – SWW
Cheating – SWW
Blood – SWW
Exorcism – SWW
Promised Land – SWW
Island – SWW
Can't stop the rain – SWW
Ramen – SWW
Zoo – SWW
Double MPreg – SWW
Purring!Reno – SWW
Senses – SWW
Pillow Fights/Feathers – SWW
Shadows of the Past – SWW
Cloud stalking Reno – SWW
Surfing Cloud – SWW
Electric kiss – SWW
Drunken Singing – SWW
Sister – SWW
Baby issues – SWW
Acceptance – SWW
Slowly Dying Inside – SWW
Darker side – SWW
Silence – SWW
Death – SWW
Dying – SWW
Drowning – done
Rage – SWW
Dreams – SWW
Love – SWW
Their Phobias – SWW
Drunk!Reno – SWW
Night on Town – SWW
Pirates – SWW
Schizophrenia – SWW
Morning – SWW
Santa!Cloud - SWW
If you're thinking about any other theme, please ask for it on a review, signed or not :D I'm aiming to the 200 drabbles! (And if I forgot about any theme you already requested, please point it out Dx)