Can Barely Hide, chapter 11 (original) (raw)
Nov. 30th, 2008 11:04 pm Can Barely Hide, chapter 11
TITLE: Can Barely Hide, chapter 11
PAIRING: Reno X Cloud
AUTHORS: 
lilymoon1 as Reno, grygon as Cloud
RATING: R
WORD COUNT: 2,997
NOTES: This is a RPG between the two writers but we treated it as a fanfic.
CHAPTER SUMMARY: Cloud runs into some old friends...
Intro/Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10
Can Barely Hide
chapter 11
Reno woke feeling rested and oddly peaceful. Well, maybe not so odd, since he had an armful of gorgeous sleeping blond. Careful not to wake him from some much needed rest, Reno buried his face in the silky hair to breathe in Cloud's scent.
Ah hell, he could hear his alarm chiming from the bedroom. Should he wake Cloud? No, he looked so content at the moment.
Reno eased away from his lover and tucked the blanket back around him before making himself head for the shower. It was very hard to turn away, but duty called.
The sounds of Reno in the shower were what woke Cloud, so he didn't panic when he found himself alone. He could still smell Reno in the blanket and so buried his face in it to fill his sense of smell with Reno.
He needed a shower. He was filthy. Sticky. That made him smile.
As he stood, Cloud gathered up the blanket and stayed wrapped in its heat as he walked to the bathroom. He was still drowsy and comfortable inside the blanket. Even with the promise of hot water he was loathe to the idea of giving it up as he stood and watched Reno bathing.
Reno hummed softly to himself, some nonsensical bit of candy fluff love song he'd heard on the radio, while he rinsed his hair. Soaping a cloth with his favorite spicy shower gel, he scrubbed it over his arms, neck and chest. Reno grinned to himself. Too bad he couldn't bottle his favorite scent to wear, essence of Cloud.
His humming stopped when he spotted the blanket clad figure, all adorably mussed, watching him. Reno slid open the door and wiggled his fingers in invitation.
"Come here, gorgeous. I need a morning kiss to start the day off right."
"Why don't you sing to me?" Cloud wondered aloud, sleepily.
Still wanting to keep his warm blanket, Cloud stepped to the edge of the shower. There was steam and he didn't need to ask but his sleep muddled brain missed the connections. "Is the water hot?" He asked, holding the blanket around himself as he leaned into Reno for a kiss.
Reno cupped the side of Cloud's face to draw him closer, that sleepy eyed gaze so very appealing. He could feel the warmth and smooth grain of his lover's skin under his palm, and his thumb brushed over Cloud's bottom lip to make him open slightly. Reno covered the blonde’s mouth with his lips, the kiss a mobile, seeking thing to reestablish connection. He teased Cloud's tongue into his mouth to suck on it lightly before leaning back to look at him.
"I can sing to you any time you want. Just don't expect a pro. I'm more suited to bellowing in the shower," Reno laughed. It was partially a lie. The Turk actually had a pleasant tenor voice and an excellent sense of pitch. He threaded his wet hand through blond spikes and hummed again to pick up the melody he remembered.
"Where ever you go, whatever you do, I'll be right here waiting for you..." Reno let the words trail off and just hummed the rest, letting his lips trace the fine lines of Cloud's face.
"I have to leave soon," Reno said with no little regret. "Want to come in? The water's nice," he coaxed.
The tender kisses and touches finally convinced Cloud that he should join his lover. But he was reluctant still. He hesitated a moment before he opened the blanket and laid it aside.
"I don't want to make you late," he said as he stepped in. "But I will miss you today." He picked up the bottle of shampoo and began to scrub his hair.
Reno sighed to himself. He, too, would miss his lover, especially since he couldn't erase his worry. Reno took another cloth and the shower gel to smooth it over Cloud's shoulders and chest, as if he could wrap in his lover in his protection as easily as he enveloped him in his scent. He absently continued humming the silly love song while he concentrated on smooth, hard muscle and perfectly soft skin.
Time was ticking away, however. Reno regretfully lifted his hands from Cloud's body and quickly rinsed himself.
"I'll be getting dressed, but I won't leave without a kiss goodbye."
The bedroom felt chilly after the steaminess of the shower. Reno pulled on the pieces of his suit in his usual, not very professional, fashion that always made Tseng's forehead wrinkle just a little in irritation. A leather thong somewhat tamed his length of hair.
Boots in hand, Reno went to the kitchen to hover over the coffee maker until it finished its cycle.
Showering alone, Cloud already missed Reno's presence. He would never get used to being separate from him.
He rinsed himself off after he went through his usual tedious and detailed routine. With a sigh he dried himself and made sure his hair had spiked correctly before he pulled on his baggy pants and form-fitting sleeveless shirt. Pulling his boots on, he then wandered into the den to find his phone in his ruined pants.
The coffee smelled great. But Reno looked even better. Pulling up next to his warm body Cloud flipped his phone open to see what deliveries Tifa was still calling him about.
Reno poured the finished coffee into a couple of mugs and looped an arm around Cloud's shoulders while he sipped his without giving it any time to cool. He nosed through blond spikes while Cloud looked through his phone messages, the steady warmth of his lover's body soothing him into a sappy, gooey contentment.
His fingers crept along Cloud's shoulder to stroke his thumb along the man's jaw. The empty mug was abandoned in favor of following that touch with his lips. Reno turned Cloud into the circle of his arms and framed his face with loving hands.
"Kiss before I go," Reno mumbled and started at the corner of Cloud's mouth.
He nibbled his way across the full softness of the bottom lip, denying full contact until he was satisfied he had tasted every part. Figuring Cloud wouldn't appreciate coddling even if it was with the best of intentions, Reno condensed his love and worry into two short, heartfelt sentences.
"Be safe. Come home to me."
The coffee tasted bitter sweet on Reno's lips and Cloud found himself wanting more. He didn't want to keep Reno, he couldn’t be selfish even though he was just as worried about Reno as the man was for him. He briefly leaned in to feel Reno against his body and to nuzzle under his jaw.
"We'll dance tonight," he assured his lover. He reluctantly pulled away and looked at Reno's uniform. It was Reno's style, but Cloud knew that body looked good in anything. Before he let Reno go he smoothed a hand over Reno's chest.
He left shortly after Reno, Tifa had two easy deliveries for him already set up. It was as if she had known he would come back to work, the delivery messages on his phone had never stopped. Still, he called her to tell her he was on his way to the first client after breakfast.
Nearing 10:30 as he dropped the second package off and collected pay Tifa called him with a last-minute client. A client who had promised to pay three times what they charged if it could be rushed. It would be a two hour drive to pick it up even as fast as Cloud rode. He accepted and dug out his gloves and sun glasses before he set out. He hadn't rode this fast through the dunes since... he tried not to think about that.
-
"You're smiling," Rude accused.
"Am I?" Reno asked, totally unable to keep a soft grin of happiness from touching his lips.
"You are." Rude lovingly smoothed his leather gloves over his hands. "I don't care how sweet a piece of ass Cloud is, you get your head in the game."
Rude's slightly insulting jibe towards Cloud did the trick of wiping any trace of humor off Reno's face. His eyes fairly snapped with fire. A snap of his wrist fully extended his EMR and it crackled to life. His narrowed gaze refocused back on the small army of enhanced thugs standing between them and the sick bastard pulling the strings. Their intel had led the Turks to the hidden lab tucked into the ruins of the slums, and Tseng's orders were to clean house before anything else could be produced.
Reno shifted into a battle stance, and several weapons leveled at him.
"Gonna kick your ass for that, partner," he hissed.
"Later," Rude growled.
-
The large house Cloud followed his directions to was secluded and quiet. Cloud parked Fenrir outside the open iron gate and headed up the short walk way to the door.
After knocking, Cloud waited several moments. When his knuckles came close to knocking a second time, an elderly man opened the door. "Old knees aren't as fast as they once were, come in come in," he closed the door after Cloud and began to hobble down the hall. "I'll just be a moment, make yourself at home," he called out behind him.
Waiting patiently for several minutes Cloud began to get bored enough that he ventured further into the house. What could this elderly man possibly have such a rush to deliver? Perhaps he was dieing and had a daughter somewhere... Cloud hadn't been informed yet where this delivery would take him next.
Another few minutes passed before Cloud wandered down the hallway the old man had set off down.
-
Reno and Rude were back to back, sweating and breathing heavily. Blood trickled from Reno's scalp and threatened to obscure his vision. He swiped it away angrily.
"Can these fuckers just drop already?" he rasped. Reno hadn't had such an ass beating since his fight with Yazoo.
"Almost done," Rude rumbled behind him. Even his partner sounded tired and *pissed*. It took a lot to ruffle Rude's composure, and targets that kept getting up when they should have been dead was a sure fire way to do it.
"I want it done *now*."
Reno equipped his rod with his lightning materia. He was tired of playing around, and something was niggling at the back of his mind. He felt Rude tense at his back and knew he was covered if he pushed too hard.
A crackling nimbus of deadly hell surrounded his body and a single thought sent arcs of electricity rocketing through the last of their foes. A few struggled on, minds warped into unquestioning obedience, and Reno poured on the power. He was dangerously draining his reserves.
"Reno, stop!" Rude yelled at him.
Reno kept pushing until the last man, thing, whatever, fell down unmoving. As the last of the lightning dissipated his knees buckled and Rude grabbed him to drag him into the now unguarded building.
"Reckless," Rude muttered.
"Can't...can't say I don't get the job done," Reno mumbled. "Gotta grab the files and kill the computers." His vision swam and his head pounded. "Oh, and Rude? Fuck you, pal."
Rude huffed out a laugh, fully aware of what Reno was talking about.
"I'd say you're pretty well taken, partner. Stay conscious while I suck this place dry. Then I'll buy you a beer."
"Just one," Reno said. "I've got a date I can't miss tonight."
-
Where had that old man gone too? Cloud was beginning to worry. The way he had been limping and hunching over. How old could he be? Shouldn't he have someone living with him to help him?
A groan made Cloud stop at a slightly ajar door. Pushing it open Cloud could see the man had fallen next to a bed with a brown package on the edge. He quickly went down on one knee to help the man up when something felt wrong. The man was heavy. Heavier than something so frail looking should be.
He barely had time to comprehend this conflicting information when the old man snapped up and sent a painful strike down Cloud's cheek and shoulder. Leaping back on the defensive he found himself in a tight embrace, one arm pinned and one leg held in a vice-like grip that sent pain lancing up his spine.
These weren't human. It had been a trick. And all Cloud could do was fend off his other attacker with one leg and fist. The blows landed faster than any man and the things had the blond at their mercy quicker than they had calculated.
The backup force hiding in the closet came hulking out, a look of disappointment on it's face when it hadn't gotten in on the fun.
-
Reno managed to stay upright, but only because there was a handy wall helping to keep him there. He watched Rude's fingers fly over keyboards and slot disc after disc and just concentrated on breathing. Cloud isn't going to be happy with me if I pass out on him again, Reno thought. He wanted badly to be home snuggled up with his lover, assured that Cloud was safely with him again.
"Oh, shit," Rude’s soft mutter caught his attention.
"What?" Reno asked, pushing away from the wall and staggering to where his partner was staring silently at the screen.
In order to proceed with the next phase Specimen C must be reacquired. Sufficient quantities of mako must also be gathered to keep the specimen preserved between harvesting sessions. Failure to acquire Specimen C and the last of the JENOVA DNA in his body will result in less than gratifying results. There is evidence that the original experiments were successful in nearly breaking the mental control of the specimen. New evidence suggests that there may now be additional leverage available to keep the specimen under control. One mistake that will not be repeated is close contact between Specimen C and former Specimen Z, deceased, now known as failure Z: Fair, Zack, SOLDIER 1st Class. Strict isolation must be maintained.
"Cloud," Reno whispered. His heart stuttered and throbbed with pain. "Hurry, Rude! We gotta go!"
-
Fenrir had already been taken while Cloud was struggling for his life in the bedroom. In the back of the van one of the things sat on Cloud's chest, grinning down at the slack face while the other went about fitting the forearm restraints. These would cover Cloud from wrist to elbow and would make it easy to transport the prisoner in-between experiments.
When the metal sleeves were nice and tug the one on his chest took over. The van bounced violently for a moment and the thing had to dig its claws into the hard floor to maintain its weight atop the fallen hero. Fearing the blond would wake the thing growled and hurried to secure the heavy chains near Cloud's wrists and elbows. It then tied the sleeves together.
The blonde’s eyes slitted once, Cloud's head lolling to the side as they took a corner too fast. With a loud snarl the thing atop his chest struck the side of his head for good measure. Taking this man out had been easier than they had been warned about, but they still weren't taking chances.
-
"Fucking voice mail again!" Reno's phone was saved by Rude snatching it before it could be thrown against a wall. "What?!"
"He may be busy now and try to call you later," Rude said calmly. He was more than a little worried about his friend and partner. The Turk hadn't seen Reno this worked up since...well, that explained some of it. If Reno thought Cloud was in danger then he *would* be more excitable than usual. When Reno loved someone it was hard and deep and without reservation. Rude felt a moment of pity for Cloud that Reno would probably literally smother him with love. "We'll return to headquarters and see if Elena can get that defunct SOLDIER tracking program back online."
"Cloud was never really a SOLDIER, pal."
"Still, it targeted the mako in their veins. Cloud was pickled in it for years."
"Yeah, sure, alright," Reno agreed, *anything* to get them moving. He had a bad, bad feeling and it was choking him with fear and anger. "Don't hurt him. Please, please don't hurt him anymore." He mumbled the plea like a prayer and scrambled after Rude with the discs tucked inside his coat.
Reno was so upset he didn't even blink when the muffled boom of one of Rude's specials leveled the building.
-
Warmth. Comfort. Cloud couldn't believe his luck at finding such a giving and caring lover. He felt so safe in these arms and when those arms left him it was like walking out of one's home into the world. You never knew what was out there... but they were around him now and he was loved.
The creature with 2 extra appendages had itself wrapped around Cloud to transport him down the steps. The man kept making odd noises but otherwise seemed completely out of it. The thing would enjoy waking the man and hearing the noises it made then.
Cloud was slammed down onto a metal table, his body bouncing slightly at impact. His arms were raised, bent at the elbows, and the four thick chains secured above his head. His shins were strapped tightly in a similar fashion with another around his stomach.
As soon as he was secured the creatures chattered excitedly. Their master would be so pleased!
"Still asleep?" A deep voice rumbled and a white lab coat appeared through a door. "Well that won't last long." The scientist patted his creature's lowered heads as he passed them. He barely offered Cloud a glance before picking up a syringe from one of the tables set up next to Cloud's head.
