PART 2.
Don't pretend you're
not hungry, I've seen it before
I've got Turkish delight
baby and so much more
My sugar is raw
Sticky and sweet
-Madonna
Cloud had named his condition for following Reno to Healin, Reno had to be fit to travel first. Reno was really confused to say the least, hours ago Cloud had left him for dead without as much as blinking, and here he was breathing in little huffs as he slept next to him on the ground.
Reno rolled over to his side and watched Cloud sleeping, funny how innocent he looked with his eyes closed. Reno smiled to himself, Cloud was a lot of things, but innocent was hardly one of them. Midday heat was upon them, it troubled Reno, he was too hot and thirsty, but he had to stay here in the shade, waiting until the worst heat would pass. Some wayward blond hair moved up and down as Cloud inhaled and exhaled. Reno carefully reached out and gently brushed the strands away.
“See something you like?” Cloud suddenly mumbled, one eye opened half-lidded, observing Reno.
Reno quickly withdrew his hand and smiled nervously. “It just looked like it would tickle,” he offered lamely.
Cloud still just observed Reno, then suddenly sat up, and to Reno's surprise grabbed a hold of the waist of his old blue worn sweater and pulled it over his head, before he flopped back on the desert sand. “What?” Cloud asked, arching an eyebrow, “Aren't you suffering from heat?”
“A little,” Reno admitted, realising he must have watched with his mouth open, as he had to make a conscious effort to close it.
“I'm thirsty,” Cloud stated, getting to his feet with a groan, walking to Fenir.
Reno just watched Cloud as he left the shadow and walked out into the merciless desert sun. 'Damn' he thought to himself.
“You hungry?” Cloud called from Fenir.
“Yeah,” Reno called back. Finally giving in, he shrugged off his jacket, folded it into a ball and tossed it at the head end of his sandy bed. His white shirt was covered with dirt and drenched in sweat. Deciding to follow Cloud's example, Reno unbuttoned his shirt, he felt oddly self concious as he did so, he was way too skinny and willowy in comparison to Cloud. Reno had been lost in thought and had not heard Cloud return to their shelter. “Here,” Cloud said, throwing a canteen in Reno's lap. Reno looked up at Cloud and smiled. “Cheers,” he grinned, finally pulling the shirt off his shoulders and with a swift pull, off his arms too.
Cloud sat down cross-legged across from him, “What does that mean?” he asked, softly nodding at Reno's chest. Reno placed his hand over his tattoo, “Oh that,” he said, squinting his eyes as he looked up at Cloud. “Its my standard issue Shinra tattoo, it goes along with my standard issue suit, and my standard issue weapon.”
Cloud actually smiled, amused. Reno couldn't remember ever seeing the normally so serious man smile. “Your e-mag isn't standard.”
Reno started laugh wholeheartedly, “Sorry,” he clucked, “Got my mind in the gutter.”
Clouds smile widened to something that would resemble a real smile, and not just a tick. “Yeah, that came out wrong.”
“Could have been worse” Reno giggled, “You could have said rod”
Cloud shook his head but a low chuckle escaped him. “So does it mean anything, besides you being a Turk?”
“Yeah well,” Reno said, ”It means that I sold my soul, my virginity and my first born son to the Devil.” He laughed, “Nah seriously, it just means I'm a Turk.”
“Neat,” Cloud said, not really knowing what else to say. “He branded his cattle as well.”
“It's not like a soldier first class don't have a tattoo,” Reno huffed offended.
“True,” Cloud admitted with a nod, “Which is why I don't have one.”
“Oh yeah,” Reno mouthed.
“You should rest, you'll heal faster, and besides there ain't nothing else to do in this heat,” Cloud said, stretching out on the ground, resting his head on his arms.
Reno nodded and laid down next to Reno on the ground. Closing his eyes he heard his stomach rumble, but he didn't act on it, his stupid stomach would have to wait, he was too hot and lazy to move.
~*~
Reno figured he had slept for about an hour, the sun was still high, but he noticed the shade had moved. “Can't sleep?” Cloud whispered right behind him. “No,” Reno admitted, “It's too hot.”
“Me neither,” Cloud said softly.
Reno felt chills down his spine as he felt Cloud's breath on the bare skin of his shoulder. The more he tried to ignore the little puffs of air, the more he felt them. It was strangely erotic, even if there was really nothing about this whole situation that was exactly laced with sensuality. Reno rested his forehead in the palm of his hand to straighten his thoughts. This was just fucking insane. He was laying in the middle of fucking nowhere, with a person who he thought hours ago wanted him dead, his body was bruised and still healing from his accident, and he was sure that even if Cloud had agreed to follow him to Healin, then it was probably just because he was broke, or bored. And all Reno could think of was what Cloud would feel like naked against him. Just bloody perfect! He knew that chances that Cloud would even be into another guy was zero, after all he had played family with Tifa, there was not a shadow of a doubt in Reno's mind that he was boning her too. Who wouldn't?
“What are you thinking?” Cloud whispered, his lips barely touching Reno's ear. Reno ground his teeth, trying not to make a sound.
“About Tifa,” Reno said. Curling up in a ball to hide his rising interest, it was just too embarrassing.
“Tifa?” Cloud asked, clearly surprised. “Why are you thinking about her?” Cloud grabbed Reno's shoulder and pulled him against him, rolling Reno onto his back, forcing him to look up at Cloud. “I... eh, I was just wondering what the deal was, I mean you and her,” Reno admitted.
Cloud sighed. “The deal?” he answered with an annoyed, saddened tone. “She is my best friend, I wouldn't know what to do without her.”
“Are you...” Reno asked, but Cloud cut him off, “No.” His eyes transfixed on their mirror images, “She is my friend, my sister, my confidante, I trust her with my life. But she ain't my girlfriend.”
“Oh, I thought...” Reno apologised with a little crooked smile.
“You thought wrong,” Cloud answered flatly. Annoyance flashed in the Mako green eyes. “Is that like a bet between you and your fellow Turks? If I am doing Tifa or not?”
“No, man,” Reno answered hotly, mortified. “We have better things to do than discuss your sex life.”
“Then why do you ask?” Cloud asked, again studying Reno's face intensely as could he read the truth in his expression.
“Curious I guess,” Reno mumbled, running a hand over his face to wipe off the sweat, letting it drop to the ground over his head.
Cloud sat up and started to unlace his boots, kicking them off with a satisfied sigh, “That feels good,” he said mostly to himself. “Want me to remove yours too?” he asked Reno, scooting down to Reno's feet. “Come on princess, its not like I smell of roses either.”
“I guess it would be nice to get them off, I have been wearing those for days,” Reno admitted a little timid.
Cloud just nodded and started to undo Reno's boots. Gods this was insane, Reno thought to himself, here he was, watching Cloud Strife removing his boots, this was something he had never, ever thought of even in his wildest fantasy. Fucking surreal! Cloud tossed Reno's boots too, and then moved over to Reno's left side and pushed the torn pants from his lower leg. Gentle fingers probed the abused skin. “Looks much better,” Cloud muttered, he placed a warm hand on the pink tissue. “It's still burning up, healing” he stated. “It's all good.”
Cloud's eyes travelled up Reno's body and finally focused on his torso. “It's quite the bruise you got there,” he said softly. Reno squirmed to look down his own left side, Cloud was right, there was a giant multi coloured bruise the size of a dinner plate on his side. “Mangled me pretty good,” Reno admitted with a groan. “Teach you to steal other people's stuff,” Cloud stated flatly.
Reno couldn't help but to notice that Cloud still rested his hand on his shin. “You could just have come with me when I asked you politely, instead of forcing me to take desperate measures,” Reno smiled disarming. He really had no excuse for stealing Cloud's bike, other than he had to get him to Healin.
Cloud shook his head amused. “Point one, you are never polite, point two, I had no intention of following you anywhere just because you batted your lashes.” Cloud readjusted himself, resting his weight on his arm, and hip, moving a little closer to Reno's face. “You are pretty, but not that pretty, you have to be insane to think that I would just follow you if you asked me to.” Cloud blinked slowly, bored. “I hate you, remember?”
Reno's brows furrowed, “Pretty? Me?” he mumbled. He had felt a lot of things in his life, pretty was not one of them.
“Yeah,” Cloud said with a nod.
“That's just absurd!” Reno said puzzled, “Grown men aren't pretty! You could have called me handsome, fabulously fuckable or dashingly gorgeous,” he grinned, “Anything but pretty.”
“If I said you were gorgeous, you would think I made a pass at you,” Cloud said observing every move that Reno made intensely.
Reno sat up, flinching from the remnants of his crash. “Well aren't you?” he asked, watching Cloud, ready to bolt if the other man should decide to be less friendly again.
“If I were making a pass at you, you would know,” Cloud said, his perfect pout in place. Total silence for a moment, Reno wondered if he had misunderstood what Cloud had said, and had just made a giant fool out of himself. Cloud turned in his seat and leaned back on his arms, looking up into the sky. “Do you have a girlfriend, Reno?” he asked.
“What the hell kinda question is that?” Reno huffed, still trying to restore his ego from his embarrassing mistake. Cloud closed his eyes, and let his head drop backwards, “Just curious,” he said, his voice amused, but his face serene. Reno sat up, his hands in his lap. He shrugged, “No I don't, my line of work didn't leave much time for girlfriends.”
“Guess not,” Cloud agreed, “I always figured you'd be sleeping with Elena.”
Reno laughed sincerely, “I leave that to Rude.”
Cloud turned his head and looked at Reno “Really? Or are you taking the piss at me?”
Reno chuckled “Really.”
“Wow, man, I would never had guessed” Cloud mumbled, “What about a boyfriend then?” he asked innocently.
“A boyfriend? Who? Me?” Reno asked, reaching for the canteen.
“No, your shadow. Yes you!” Cloud snorted.
“I don't see how that is any of your business, but no I don't,” Reno answered, unscrewing the cork on the water carrier, “I don't date any she-males, kids or farm animals either.”
Cloud chuckled, “So poor Reno has no one huh?”
Reno rolled his eyes before he took a large mouthful water.
Suddenly Cloud rolled over to his stomach, with feline grace, looking up at Reno resting his chin in his own hands. “What about old enemies?” he asked so sweetly, it made Reno wanna slap him.
“Haven't dated one of those either,” Reno answered, amazed he was able to hold his poker-face.
“Ever tempted to?” Cloud asked.
Gods yes! Reno's mind screamed, looking down at Cloud as he lay there posing as the most delicious thing he could ever recall laying his eyes on. “Maybe,” he answered, his ever present smirk back on his lips.
Cloud was apparently pleased with that answer. “One more reason for me to follow you to Healin,” he said so sweetly, that Reno was amazed that sugar didn't drip from his lips.
“My, my,” Reno tapped a finger on hip lip, in mock surprise. Two could play this game really. “Was that a come on, then?” he asked in mock innocence.
“Not really,” Cloud stated, but before Reno could object, Cloud had gotten to his knees, gripping Reno's chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing the red head to look up at him as Cloud bent down and kissed him. Keeping Reno's head in place in this less than comfortable angle, Cloud deepened the kiss, demanding Reno's submission, which he was more than willingly giving away. The kiss ended as Cloud bit Reno's lip playfully, licking the abused spot. “But this was,” he whispered huskily.