If I was twice the man I could be.

Id still be half of what you need

Still you lead me and I follow

Anything you ask you know I’ll do.

Wrap my eyes in bandages.

Confessions I see through.

I get everything I want.

When I get part of you.

NIN – ringfinger.

10.Ringfinger.

Grabbing the e-mag till his knuckles went white, he waited patiently for Rude or Elena to make the first move, with his back against Clouds, he could feel him breathing in short controlled little puffs, Reno felt oddly calm and scared shitless at the same time, there was always a reason to fight, Shinra, his pride, money or Rude’s friendship, and now he had Cloud, who loved him too, he had not needed to hear it to know it. And yes, Tseng had told him this was dangerous, but Reno also knew what he would choose if he was forced up in a corner. Inwardly he hoped that Rude would choose their friendship over his dedication to Shinra. “One,” Cloud whispered

Reno clenched his fist, “two,” he whispered back.

‘Three’ Reno counted inwardly, and felt as Cloud moved away from him, he didn’t turn to see where Cloud went, he could hear the fight behind him. Reno made up his mind to go directly for Elena, but she was standing with a goddamn firing squad, but she seemed to await Reno’s first move, taking a deep breath he suddenly ran directly towards her. He could hear bullets hiss past him as did both they and he move in slow motion, gathering everything he had in him, he jumped up and landed solid on his feet within the crowd of people, he had not miscalculated his jump, Elena stood in front of him and smiled pleased. Vaguely he registered that she looked like a cat that had just been fed, Reno knew that if he wasted precious moments pondering over this absurd situation, he would be vulnerable, and so he tried to get to Elena as fast as possible, knowing that disabling the queen would scatter her pawns.

Cloud turned and looked at Tifa. “Tifa,” he said with a little nod, and turned to Reno again.

But Elena pulled backwards into her helpers, and no matter how hard Reno fought to get past them, they just seemed to keep on coming. What were those things? Normally none would stand after he had mangled them so, yet these guys did. Reno grid his teeth and just kept moving through them, on the hunt for Elena. He didn’t hear the first shot, but he felt a sharp pain, and his legs buckle under him, this just made him more determined, but as the gunman fired the second time, it knocked Reno backwards and off his feet.

________________________________________________

As they ran from the fight, Cloud halfway carried Reno who had been hit, none of them knew how bad, Getting to the bike Reno felt dizzy, Cloud helped him on the bike before he too got on it, and they sped away. Cloud decided that they had to go to Tifa’s, there he could hide the bike, and Reno could get his wounds tended to, hopefully he weren’t hit anywhere critical.

As they arrived at Tifa’s Cloud hauled Reno off the bike, Reno’s legs collapsed under him, and he mumbled a curse under his breath. Cloud said nothing but just carried a half conscious Reno into Tifa’s bar, carried him upstairs and laid him gently in his bed, “Reno? Can you hear me?” Reno whispered something, Cloud couldn't hear what it was, but at least it was a coherent answer, he had heard him.

Tifa ran up the stairs, and first she was thrilled to see Cloud, but when she saw Reno laying on the bed she frowned, “Cloud! You are home,” she said stepping into the room, “but what is he doing here?”

Cloud turned and looked at Tifa “Tifa” he said with a little nod, and turned to Reno again.

Tifa noticed the blood and stepped all the way over to the bed, “You are bleeding” she said, laying a hand on Clouds shoulder.

“No” Cloud said, “But he is”

Tifa looked down at Reno who looked pale, his white shirt was covered in blood that oozed in a steady flow from his shoulder. “My god” she said surprised, “what happened?”

“Shinra happened,” Cloud growled behind clenched teeth. “Would you run and get some water and something to bandage this with?” Tifa nodded affirmative and hurried out of the room.

Reno had passed out, and Cloud could have laughed had the situation not been this grave when Reno’s phone buzzed, Cloud took it with a bloody hand, and looked at the caller ID, it was Tseng, maybe he could help, even if he too was Shinra. Cloud flipped the receiver, and whispered “Tseng?”

“Who is this?” Tseng said in the other end

“Cloud,” he said. “Reno is badly hurt, and I..”

“What?” Tseng gasped, “I told him to be careful,” he sounded a little angry on the phone, but in fact he was just worried. “Are you with him?”

“I am,” Cloud said softly, pressing his hand against Reno’s bleeding wound right over his collarbone. “We’re at Tifa’s , can you come?”

“I am actually on my way there already,” Tseng said and hung up.

Cloud let Reno’s phone fall to the floor as he noticed a blood pool of blood form on the bed, he had been hit more than once, ripping Reno’s pants open, Cloud saw a small entry wound right under the pelvis. “Don’t do this,” Cloud whispered to himself as he looked at the massive amounts of blood that had soaked his bed “Tifa!!” he cried.

Tifa ran up the stairs with water and some fabric she had torn apart, shocked as well as she entered the room, she put down the bowl, and wordlessly started to clean and dress Reno’s shoulder, even if she hated this man’s guts, and she had wished him dead more than once, seeing him like this, was not a part of her daydream, besides that she felt the waves of distress that rolled off Cloud.

Tseng arrived at Tifa’s, what he had thought would be the best day he should have had in months, had quickly turned sour, he smiled to Marlene who reached out for his hand, with a little hesitation he took it, he wasn’t used to kids at all, “Come, lets find your mother,” he said and walked into the tavern. “Tifa? Cloud?” he called as they stepped inside.

_______________________________________________________

Cloud, and Tseng sat in the bar looking at each their drink, Tifa had fallen asleep with Marlene, and they hadn’t woken her, maybe she would wake in the night, needing to know it was true that she had gotten her back, alive and unspoiled. “Do you think he will be alright?” Cloud suddenly said with a hushed voice.

“I do” Tseng said, taking a sip of his drink, “So what happened?”

“Your friends,” Cloud said bitterly.

Tseng nodded, and for some reason he couldn't help but to feel a little ashamed, even if he would probably have done the same in their place, or in Reno’s place, he just didn’t know. “I caught him,” Tseng said. “In a couple days the hunt will be off,”

“This time, there will always be another time. I don’t think Rufus Shinra, will ever change his ways,” Cloud said darkly.

Tseng didn’t answer; he just downed his drink. “I should get back,” he said. Standing up and waking around Cloud to get to the door, he stopped to lay his hand on Cloud’s shoulder he said, “Take good care of him.”

Cloud nodded, as he turned the glass on the table with his fingers. “He got shot because of me,” he whispered.

“He got shot because he is a stubborn, stupid brat,” Tseng said, trying to lighten the mood a little. “I will call when all this blows over.”

“Thanks,” Cloud said not feeling the least comforted. Listening to Tseng’s footsteps as he left, and the soft sound of the door as it was closed behind him. Cloud just sat there for a long time, staring off into the air, the scenario of Reno laying pale and still on his bed kept playing in his mind, he wasn’t sure he could deal with that, his heart contracted painfully just with the thought alone. What if Reno died from injuries he had gotten, defending him? Would he be able to live through this again? Would he just have two ghosts haunting his steps? In the end Cloud rubbed his face with his hand, and got up, walked slowly upstairs.

Walking into the dark bedroom, he soundlessly removed his harness, and sat down on the bed next to Reno, he leaned in and listened to his breathing, it was slow and even, he was sleeping, Cloud kissed his lover’s forehead and stood up, pulling a chair over to the side of the bed, sitting down preparing to be awake all night.

___________________________________________________

Tifa came into the bedroom in the early morning, seeing Cloud asleep in the chair, and Reno still laying limp on his back in his blood covered clothes. He looked at the e-mag Cloud had laid on the bedside table that too was covered in blood and Tifa was sure it was not Reno’s own. He really had fought hard to defend Cloud after all, risking his life, not to mention the wrath of Rufus Shinra. “Cloud,” she whispered laying her hand on top of his that rested on his stomach.

Cloud opened his eyes and looked confused for a second until he realised it was Tifa. “How is Marlene?” he said with a tired voice, rubbing his eyes.

“She is better, still a little shaken,” Tifa walked over to open the window and let fresh air into the room, and flush out the smell of drying blood. “He didn’t have time, but he would have,” she took a deep breath of the fresh air that came in through the window. “Hurt her,” she said flatly.

“I am sorry I wasn’t here,” Cloud said, “I should have been here.”

“You had things to do, I understand,” Tifa said, turning around, looking at Cloud.

Cloud nodded before he turned to look at Reno, his breathing was steady but he was still very pale, Cloud brushed some hair tenderly from Reno’s cheek. “I had someone I had to talk with, and things to think through.”

Tifa jumped up on the windowsill and sat there looking at Cloud as he gently peeled off the bandages and washed the wound on Reno’s shoulder. She wanted to ask him if he had chosen, but she didn’t, seeing the pained look Cloud had as he washed the dried blood from Reno’s skin, told her she didn’t want to know the answer.

______________________________________

When Reno opened his eyes, he couldn't think of anything but that his entire body hurt, and he needed too go to the bathroom badly! Trying to get up he whimpered as the dull pain woke, and became a bright flaming agony. “Fuck,” he hissed through cracked lips. He heard footsteps but couldn’t move.

Cloud hurried around the bed and caught Reno before he fell down, “Good morning, pretty,” he said with a smile playing in his eyes.

“Funny,” Reno said, letting Cloud move him to a sitting position, he scanned the room, realising where he was, he flexed his fingers, and found himself fully functional. “You brought me here?” Reno said looking up at Cloud with a frown. “That was dangerous, you should just have left me.”

“Never,” Cloud said, cupping Reno’s face in his hands. “I’m sorry I caused that much chaos,” he whispered.

“Chaos is my middle name, “Cloud hurried around the bed and caught Reno before he fell down, “good morning pretty” he said with a little smile. playing in his eyes.

“Funny” Reno said, letting Cloud move him to a sitting position, he scanned the room, realising where he was, he flexed his fingers, and found himself fully functional. “You brought me here?” Reno said looking up at Cloud with a frown, “that was dangerous, you should just have left me”

“Never” Cloud said cupping Reno’s face in his hands, “I’m sorry I caused that much chaos” he whispered.

“Chaos is my middle name” Reno said with a little smile

“I thought it was ‘suck it baby,’” Cloud said with a mischievous expression.

Reno’s eyes widened and then he started to laugh, clutching his shoulder as it hurt when his body shook with amusement.

________________________________________

Reno sat in the bar on a stool, the guests had gone and so he had gone downstairs, barefoot and without his shirt, only his bandage, Tifa had taken his shirt to try and wash out the blood, and Reno was eternally grateful for that, but that also meant that he didn’t have anything to wear, but it didn’t matter as he had joined Cloud, Denzil and Marlene in a dice game.

As the door opened, Reno didn’t know what to think or do, acting on his instincts he reached for his e-mag, only to realise it was not there, it was still left on the bedside table upstairs. Tseng and Rude stood in the door, Reno cast a glace to Cloud, who thought the same, and quickly pulled Marlene from the bar desk and pushed her behind him. But to both Reno and Cloud’s surprise the kid, ran from them and straight over to Tseng and hugged his leg. Both men at the bar held their breath waiting for Tseng to react.

Tseng looked down at Marlene, and gently petted her on top of her head, before he picked her up. “Did you get that candy I had promised?” Marlene shook her head eagerly, almost, as she knew what was coming next. “Well good for you that I brought some then, enough to share with your brother.” Tseng said with a slight smile, putting Marlene down, and produced a brown paper bag that he handed her.

“Go to your room and share it,” Tifa said in the background, and both kids skipped off upstairs.

Tseng walked over to the bar desk, not failing to notice the measured look he got from both Cloud and Reno. Rude placed a thick plastic folder on the bar desk, he still hadn’t said anything, and Reno looked warily at him. “What’s that?” Cloud asked with a cold voice.

“The case file,” Tseng said looking at Reno, “it’s yours.”

Reno frowned and blinked, “you swiped it?” and when Tseng’s face suddenly split in a smile, Reno laughed, “You’re insane.”

“Maybe,” Tseng said before he looked serious again “but now there is no evidence of all this, not of Nimrod, or anything concerning this matter at all.”

“The child murders never happened?” Reno said obviously surprised. “That would be one massive cover up Tseng, I don’t think..”

“They happened alright, but we caught the fucker, that’s all that matters. All evidence left points to him,” Tseng said, earning himself a raised brow from both Cloud and Rude for his uncharacteristic use of foul language. When Reno still looked a little confused, Tseng pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, “this” he said laying it on top of the Nimrod case file, “this is your sick leave,” he said with a smile.

“The flu?” Reno said as he read the paper “So this never happened? It’s gone, just like that?”

“Yes,” Tseng said.

“What about Nimrod? He will know” Reno said, arching a brow, placing his sick leave form down again.

“Shot on sight,” Tseng said and smiled again, this time to Cloud, “he was dangerous,” Cloud shook his head, and so did Reno. “Good thing too” Tseng said “I was right, it was not organ harvest, he was in the middle of preparing a meal as we came.”

“He ate them?” Reno said shuddering by the thought alone.

Tseng nodded “and served them to his new victims.”

“Did Marlene..?” Cloud asked with a vague voice. Looking very troubled by the thought alone.

“No, he was about to, but we came in time” Tseng said, turning to Reno again, “you have a week off, see you next Monday, Reno.” Reno smiled and nodded, “we have a mission and we need you to get us there.”

Reno’s eyes sparkled from the sheer prospect of things getting back to normal, and tossing that stupid ass special agent title. “Count on me, Pa..” he stopped mid sentence and looked at Rude, “would you really have fucked me up?”

Rude slowly took off his glasses, and looked at Reno, “no,” he said.

Reno smiled “Good, I didn’t think so,” he looked at Rude and then stretched out his hand to him, “See you Monday, partner.”

“Monday,” Rude said and put on his glasses again, and followed Tseng out of the room.

As the turks left, Reno looked at Cloud, and smiled. “We did it, baby” he grinned like a fool and put his hand on the case file.

Reno smiled “good, I didn’t think so” he looked at Rude and then stretched out his hand to him, “see you Monday partner”

“Monday” Rude said and put on his glasses again, and followed Tseng out of the room.

As the turks left, Reno looked at Cloud, and smiled “we did it baby” he grinned like a fool and put his hand on the case file.

“You did,” Cloud said, looking over Reno’s shoulder and meeting Tifa’s eyes, she smiled understanding and slipped out of the room. Cloud leaned in over the desk and hooked an arm around Reno’s neck, pulling him down for a wet slobbery kiss.

______________________________________________

Later that evening they left Tifa’s tavern, and went to Reno’s apartment, the police had lifted the seal, and Reno pushed the door open. “Looks like I need a new lock,” he sighed, he flipped the light and halfway expected that it wouldn't work and something horrible would wait for him, but the light flickered on and bathed the room in soft golden light, “Wow!” Reno exclaimed as he saw how clean the place was. Someone had cleaned, he didn’t know whom, but he had a good idea who had paid for it.

Cloud sat down on the bed and stretched his legs, Reno walked past him and turned on the light in the kitchen and bathroom, “I need a bath bad, man.” he mumbled to himself. Still sore he had trouble getting his shoes off, Cloud stood and came to his side, “need help?”

“Yeah,” Reno grumbled, embarrassed that he needed help, but when Cloud kneeled at his feet and undid his boots, he thought to himself that this couldn't be all bad, and as Cloud stood and undid Reno’s pants, finally stripping him, Reno had bought into the idea all together, but as Cloud started to remove his own clothes, with shy hands letting his clothes fall, Reno reached out for him, but had his hand slapped away.

Cloud looked up at him with such an innocent look that it was almost perverted, “You said you needed help,” he said his voice evident that he was not as innocent as he portrayed.

Reno let Cloud turn him around as his lover started to remove the bandages, kissing the exposed skin, Reno closed his eyes and purred, searching hands moved down to his thigh, starting to undress the other wound, and to Reno’s frustration moved past his strained erection by millimetres. As the bandages were removed, Reno whispered “You know what?”

Cloud rested his chin on Reno’s healthy shoulder, “no” he said, looking at them both in the mirror.

“If only you had one of those fancy nurse’s dresses,” Reno said, sporting a dirty grin.

Cloud slapped Reno on his ass and pushed him less gently into the shower, “You’d like that, wouldn't you, you pervert.”

Reno eyed Cloud hungrily, “I would, nurse Strife,” he said huskily.

Cloud just smiled and shook his head, “It will cost you, man.”

Reno couldn't help but being very surprised that Cloud had bought into the idea at all, “Anything, kitten” he said, grabbing Cloud pulling him in under the water with him.

Cloud purred softly at the promise of those words, his body reacting to the closeness of his lover, feeling the slippery wet skin against his, he nibbled on Reno’s lower lip, slipping an arm around his waist. Tightening his hold as he felt a hand on his own back, with direction of his ass, Suddenly Reno grabbed him with both hands and squeezed, “I missed your sweet ass,” Reno breathed in Clouds ear.

“What about the rest?” Cloud whispered back, reaching up with his other hand, resting his palm on Reno’s cheek.

“Oh yeah, that too,” Reno grinned.

Cloud sighed as he felt their erections brush together between them, and as Reno’s one hand moved down in his cleft, teasing him with exploring fingertips. He licked his way from Reno’s jaw to finally end on those soft lips, engaging in a hungry kiss.

Gently prodding and probing, Reno inched two fingers inside the tight warm heat of Cloud, feeling his lover writhing under his touch, he forgot all about injured thighs and shoulders, turning Cloud around in a rough swirl, he pinned his lover up against the cold tiles of the shower wall, grinning against Clouds shoulder as he felt him tremble do to the cold wall against his warm skin, snaking a arm around Clouds waist he ran tree fingers up his erection, the reaction left noting to be desired, as Cloud gasped softly arching his back, to get more attention. Reno wrapped both arms around Cloud, holding him a crushing tight embrace, his member nestled in Clouds crack, rubbing slowly, hearing Clouds little impatient mewls, “want it that bad, huh?” Reno whispered huskily.

Cloud nodded, pushing back up against Reno who held him pinned down.

“Say, I want you in me” Reno bit his lip, turned on by his own words.

Cloud pushed up against Reno once more, in a silent request.

“Say It,” Reno insisted nibbling on his lover’s ear, curling his tongue around it, promising pleasure without words.

“I want,” Cloud whispered tilting his head exposing his neck to Reno. “You in me”

Reno let go with one hand, using it to guide himself, resting it nudging against Cloud’s entrance, slowly he started to inch inside, pulling out, pushing in again in shallow thrusts until he was buried inside his lover. Cloud let his head fall back against Reno’s shoulder as Reno started to thrust in a slow rhythm, pulling Cloud away from the wall, his lover was leaning on him, completely dependant of Reno’s arms holding him up, Cloud grabbed one of Reno’s hands and entwined their fingers in a death grip, his other hand he used to stroke himself slowly in time to Reno’s thrusts.

As Cloud started to moan loudly, Reno sped up his thrusts, mumbling sweet rubbish in Clouds ear between his shallow breaths, in pursuit of his orgasm, he hardly noticed that they ran out of warm water, and the ice cold water splashed down over them, but instead of stopping, Reno hot sensitive skin just shuddered, resulting in his climax coming too fast and hard, only faintly noticing that Cloud trembled around him as he too orgasmed.

But a long cuddle under the water it wasn’t, they both almost jumped out of the shower as they had ridden off the last wave. “Crap that was cold.” Reno whined, reaching into the water to turn it off, with the water off, he turned to look at Cloud, who still looked absolutely fuckable as he stood there, still breathing heavily from their coupling, looking slightly hazed. Reno wrapped his arms around his lover and pulled him tight, “I love it when you’re loud” he whispered.

Cloud kissed him tenderly, moving out of the embrace and started to walk toward the living room, “damn you, I am going to be so sore tomorrow” he muttered, flopping down on Reno’s bed with a sigh.

“Well, that is what happens when your sweet sexy ass, meets daddy’s love-rocket,” Reno grinned as he followed Cloud.

___________________________________

The next morning Reno woke in his bed, but today he was not alone, there was a warm soft body laying sprawled on the bed next to him, he snuggled up to Cloud, feeling very lucky to be alive and loved, something he had never thought would happen.

___________________________________

EPILOGUE:

-Three weeks later-

Reno was sitting in his kitchen windowsill; flipping through the case file that Tseng had given him. He looked at the photos of Nimrods apartment, that place would never be suitable for living again, no matter how much they’d try and clean it up. Besides being a psycho killer, Nimrod had been a collector, not only of garbage, and other strange stuff, but also of animals, and Reno could read from the file the police had recovered several pets, alive and dead from the place, and that the entire interior had been covered in stuff they didn’t even want to know what was. How had this person even made it through the pretty hard schooling for SOLDIER? He had a nagging suspicion that someone had let Nimrod through, that someone like that would have been a good weapon, but for or against Shinra? He simply didn’t know, the lines had been blurred, once it had been easy, but now after this, it was hard to determine who was really interested in what, and why. And what was even worse was that just as Tseng had said, Nimrod had been shot on sight, but the case file said nothing of what the hell had happened to the corpse, or of it had even been a corpse at all.

Reno closed the file and put it on the counter beside him. He looked out the window and sighed, the damn rain just wouldn't end, he should call Cloud, but his courage failed him, he had tried for days to tell his lover that Rufus and he had had a meeting, well a meeting is saying much, Reno had been told to show up at Rufus’ home as quick as possible. And Rufus had sat him down, handed him a drink and looked sadly at him. Reno had known what that meant; after all he had known Rufus since he was a kid.

And ever since that afternoon, Reno had thought of a way to tell Cloud, but in the end he couldn't, he knew Cloud would take it personally that Reno had been suspended for time unknown, after all even if the real killer had been caught and all, Reno had gone against Shinra, and Rufus weren’t sure he trusted him, and trust between him and the turks was a very important matter after all. But to Cloud this would mean that he had failed, that because of him Reno had lost whatever good he had had, which was not true, but Reno was sure that it would never sink in.

-the end- (continued in Angry Angel)