Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Alliance ❯ Chapter 37

“Alliance”

Chapter 37

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(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)

*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can't get enough of this world and the characters.*

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“Ah, Reno.” Rufus greeted when the redhead walked into his office two days after bringing Cloud, Zack and Cissnei home from Gongaga. “I was just about to call for you. You'll be happy to know that I've decided to keep the tail, after all.”

 

Reno looked to Tseng, who was sitting on the other side of Rufus's desk going over some paperwork. “Is he serious?” he asked the Turk leader hopefully.

 

“Yes, I believe we've managed to talk him out of amputation,” Tseng replied without looking up from the documents he was scanning.

 

“That's great,” Reno said with marked enthusiasm. “Glad you changed your mind, Sir.” He scratched his arm and frowned. He hadn't seen much of his superiors or Rude lately. Everyone seemed to be pairing off and too busy to make time for each other the way they used to. “Uh, I actually came to talk to Tseng about getting a little time off in a couple of weeks. When I didn't find him in his office I figured I'd find him here.”

 

Tseng looked up from his paperwork and turned around in his seat. He'd detected the awkward note in Reno's voice and he guessed it had something to do with the amount of time he spent with Rufus lately, though he didn't understand why that would bother him. He looked at Rufus and he saw by the narrowing of the president's eyes that he'd also detected the undertone.

 

“Why don't you have a seat, Kitsune,” suggested Tseng politely. “I think before we discuss this, we should go off the record and talk about why you seem uncomfortable, though.”

 

Reno swore softly. He was hoping they wouldn't notice the strain in his voice but they'd all known one another for too long for him to easily mask it. He closed the door behind him and crossed the room, taking the seat beside Tseng and looking at both him and Rufus respectively.

 

“I don't know how to say it,” Reno finally said after a few frustrated moments of trying to gather his thoughts. “Except, everything's changing. You two are basically exclusive now, Rude's with Genesis and I'm spending most of my free time with Cloud and Zack. What the hell's happened to us?”

 

Tseng waited to see if Rufus wanted to answer first but the blonde gave him the nod to go ahead. “Reno, nothing has `happened' to us except for time and changing circumstances,” the Wutaian explained. “Rufus and I work late almost every night and so do you and Rude. At the end of the day we're all so exhausted, we barely have time for more than a bath and dinner.”

 

“And we don't all have boundless energy supplies,” Rufus added with a crooked smirk.

 

“Not even you have inexhaustible reserves,” Tseng observed, his dark brows drawing together with faint concern as he looked the redhead over. “Have you even noticed the dark shadows lining your own eyes, Reno?”

 

Reno shrugged uncomfortably. “Okay, I'll admit I'm tired…I'm tired most of the time but that doesn't mean I don't want to be with you guys.”

 

“It doesn't mean that for us, either,” Rufus informed him. “It only means that just as the company has changed its priorities, we need to shift ours a bit as well or drive ourselves into exhaustion needlessly. What's changed is that we're all beginning to settle. Even you.”

 

“What do ya mean, `settle'?” Reno scoffed. “I'm not pairing off with anyone.”

 

“But you are grouping off with Cloud and Zack,” reminded Tseng. “It's become a regular thing for the three of you to sleep either in one of their suites together or meet up at your apartment each night. Can you tell me they aren't the first of your lovers on your mind when you clock out?”

 

“I…I guess,” Reno admitted reluctantly, “but that's because I've kind of felt like a third wheel with the rest of you guys.”

 

“That isn't true and you should know better,” Rufus said firmly, his eyes flashing a little with annoyance. “Choosing a more steady partner—or in your case, more than one—just makes things easier at the end of the day. Can you honestly sit there with those tired eyes of yours and tell me you aren't a little weary of all the running around?”

 

“No,” Reno snapped quickly…too quickly. He sighed. “Okay, maybe sometimes it gets a little hectic but I'm not willing to give any of you up. So, what are ya trying to say here, boss? Are you breaking up with us or something?”

 

He asked the question in such a plaintive, vulnerable tone that Rufus's cool mask cracked and he sighed, scooting his chair back. “Come here, Reno.” It had been a long while since the two of them had cuddled together in his office chair, and they'd never done it in front of Tseng or anyone else before.

 

Reno stared at him for a moment before getting out of his chair and complying. He was more upset than he'd thought and all he'd really come here to do was request a few days off to go camping with Cloud and Zack. He eased into the chair, straddling Rufus's lap the way he used to. Tseng got out of his chair and came around the desk. The next thing Reno knew, he was sandwiched between the two of them; seated on one's lap while the other stood close behind him and stroked his hair fondly.

 

Rufus reached up and traced the crescent tattoos over Reno's cheekbones as he gazed into his eyes. “You are,” he said softly, “and you always will be, my Fox. That won't change even when we're feeble old men…provided we live that long. Yes, we've been doing things our way for so long that it's hard to imagine it any other way. However, there are more important things to consider now than our own pleasures and in order to take care of them, we have to make some sacrifices.”

 

“It doesn't mean that we have to give up our lifestyle entirely,” agreed Tseng. “It only means that we can't be as wild and unrestrained with it, Kitsune. None of us are as young as we used to be.”

 

“We're only pushing thirty,” argued Reno.

 

“Be that as it may, we can't continue going on as if we're twenty,” Tseng continued firmly. “Nobody has suggested we break it off with one another. What's actually going on is as Rufus said; we're settling with those we spend the most time with.”

 

“Agreed,” Rufus commented. “And I think if you really gave it some thought, you'd agree as well, Reno. If I could have it my way, I'd spend all of my time in the hot tub with the lot of you, or keep you leashed by my side, wearing that outfit of yours that drives me bloody insane. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to do that so I'll settle for periodic visits, rather than everyday occurrences.”

 

Reno calmed down a bit, though he was still unhappy with what he was hearing. He'd just gotten over his identity crisis and convinced himself he wasn't changing all that much. Now his whole world was changing and he couldn't stop it. What he hated even more was the fact that part of him agreed with what Rufus and Tseng were trying to say. Trying to juggle everybody on top of everything else that was going on was starting to feel like a job in itself. He had to admit it was a little bit of a relief to be able to just go home to Cloud and Zack, without feeling any pressure or wondering if he was cutting into their plans.

 

“Never would have thought I'd feel so damned comfortable with a pair of boy scouts,” Reno muttered.

 

“I think we've all found ourselves doing things differently and feeling things we didn't expect,” Tseng murmured with a smile. “It's affected us all, but it doesn't mean things have to end.”

 

“Absolutely,” Rufus agreed.

 

“Okay, if you two promise you're not blowing us off, I guess I can live with it,” Reno sighed.

 

Rufus chuckled. Reno was probably the only one of all of them that hadn't changed much at all, despite everything he'd been through. “And not long ago, I was afraid that you'd leave us,” he murmured.

 

“Proved ya wrong, baby.” Reno managed a playful grin. “So now that I've acted like a big brat that needs his Ma to show him there aren't monsters under his bed, I should probably ask Tseng about that vacation time I was after.”

 

“You sound strangely unenthusiastic about said vacation time,” Tseng observed. “May I ask why that is?”

 

Reno rolled his eyes and exhaled, blowing some wild strands of hair out of his eyes. “Zack and Cloud want me to go camping with `em in a couple of weeks.”

 

Tseng and Rufus exchanged a look of surprise.

 

“Camping?” echoed the Wutaian, “You?”

 

“Oh, the things we do for love,” Rufus added dryly. “You hardly set foot outside when we were in Healin. I'd love to be a fly on the…tent…”

 

“Okay, okay…ha-fucking-ha,” Reno grumbled. “The street rat's going into the mountains…laugh it up.”

 

“If a Turk falls in the woods and there's nobody around, will he make a sound?” pondered Tseng with an impressively straight face.

 

“If the Turk is Reno, he'll make enough sounds for all nearby communities and some cities miles away to hear it,” answered Rufus with a snort.

 

“I'm not that loud,” protested the redhead through twitching lips.

 

“Why do you think half of the building knows when you visit my office for…special reports, hmmm?” Rufus was giving him a sly smirk and he began to unbutton the redhead's shirt.

 

“Maybe I need ya to refresh my memory, boss.” Reno's body immediately responded to the tantalizing way Rufus was looking at him and flicking the buttons open on his shirt. Rufus and Tseng looked at one another and the Wutaian immediately pushed the automated locking mechanism under Rufus's desk to ensure nobody would walk into his office to disturb them. Rufus in turn paused to reach around the lean Turk straddling his lap to push the intercom button.

 

“Hold my calls and see to it that I'm not disturbed for an hour,” Rufus ordered the secretary.

 

“Two hours,” insisted Reno as he nibbled the blonde's ear.

 

Rufus grinned. “Make that two hours,” he revised over the intercom. He clicked the button again and he and Tseng commenced with proving to Reno that while the circle of lust wasn't as wide as it used to be, it was by no means closed.

 

~***************************************~

 

Nearly three hours later, Reno was heading down to the suites floor to have a shower in Cloud's room. The elevator stopped a few floors before his stop and when they opened, he found himself face-to-face with Rude. Reno smiled at him as he stepped inside and he noticed he'd selected the same floor. He guessed he was going to meet Genesis at his suite.

 

“So what have ya got planned tonight?” Reno asked conversationally. “I guess you and your phoenix have something going on?”

 

“Yeah,” Rude mumbled. He said something else and Reno leaned closer to hear it.

 

“Wait a minute,” the redhead sputtered, thinking he'd misheard. “Did I just hear ya say you're going to see `Loveless' on stage?”

 

Rude nodded and cleared his throat.

 

Reno gave a low whistle and he couldn't restrain a laugh. “Oh man, you must really have it bad for that guy!”

 

“Yeah? I know another redhead that makes me do some pretty stupid things,” Rude said with a sidelong look at him. He leaned closer and murmured, “Guess what his name is?” His arm went around Reno to give him a squeeze.

 

Reno gave him a sharp look. “Rufus and Tseng talked to you, didn't they?”

 

Rude frowned. “About what?”

 

The redhead relaxed, feeling his spirits lift. “Nothing man…it's not important. I hope Genesis appreciates what you're doing for him, yo.”

 

“He's going to a boxing match with me next week,” informed the bald man with a slight smirk, “so yeah, I think he appreciates it.”

 

Reno laughed again.

 

~********************************~

 

The plans for the camping trip got held by a couple of weeks, due to a bit of trouble with the plumbing under the foundation. Some of the pipe work had to be replaced before the bathroom could be built, which delayed Cloud and Zack's plans to move in. The one thing they were both adamant about was that they had a working bathroom before moving in. Reno was thankful for that, though he still thought it was crazy for them to have to walk to the under-construction house from the barn every time they needed to use the bathroom or get cleaned up.

 

In the meantime, they continued to live in the Headquarter suites. Now that Weiss and the rest of the remaining Deepground members were safely incarcerated, there wasn't a lot for them to do. Cloud started to transport some of his belongings from Edge to Junon, in preparation for their move to the land they'd purchased. He took odd delivery jobs now and then but for the most part, he and Zack moved back and forth between their soon-to-be home and the city, moving things in bit-by bit, purchasing odds and ends and cleaning up the barn for habitation.

 

On the plus side for Reno, they were always close by. They always either slept in the suite they shared or stayed overnight at his place. He was grateful for that because he was still trying to figure out what he was going to do when they were living out in the boonies and he didn't have a sure thing to go home to each night. He'd never gone without at least one option for company available to him since he first joined the Turks and he knew it was going to be hard to adjust, even if things weren't actually “ending” between him and the others.

 

The good news was that it wasn't going to cost as much to have the house built as they'd initially thought. The contractors said that although the plumbing needed some work, the foundation would be easier to tear down and rebuild than originally assumed. With a little more financial backing, the house could be completed in six months. The news of course pleased Reno and he pushed for extra workers to get on the job and paid a little extra without telling Zack and Cloud, so the place could get finished as soon as possible without sacrificing quality in the work.

 

“What they don't know won't hurt `em,” he reasoned to himself. “I've got the spare cash and they don't have to know I spent a little extra to put more people on the job. Hell, they already agreed to let me help.”

 

~**************************************~

 

“That little shit!”

 

Cloud looked up from the blueprints he was studying. He sat cross-legged on the barn floor and he was trying to decide once and for all whether to put a third bathroom upstairs with the bedrooms, stick with only two downstairs or put one downstairs and one upstairs.

 

“What's wrong?” he asked Zack as the dark-haired man stalked through the barn door holding a document in his hand. “Did the bird come after you again?”

 

There was a blue jay living in one of the trees nearby that thought Zack was after her eggs. He'd flown into the tree that her nest happened to be in to take a break during his exercises earlier in the week. Now she dive-bombed him whenever he went anywhere near that tree and he'd already come close to getting pecked in the eye once.

 

“No, I'm mad at the rooster, not the damned bird,” Zack grumbled.

 

Cloud blinked at him. “There's a rooster? Where?” He looked around suspiciously and listened for telltale clucking or crowing. He hadn't seen any chickens roaming anywhere but it wouldn't have surprised him if there were some that got left behind when the previous land owners vacated.

 

Zack's temper cooled in the face of amusement. “I'm talking about Reno,” he elaborated. To be fair, he'd only called the Turk a `rooster' once, after that stunt he'd pulled on top of the ShinRa building when Zack first tried out his wings and Cloud hadn't been present when he'd used the nickname.

 

Cloud sighed. “What did he do?”

 

Zack squatted down across from him and held out the document in his hand. “Take a look at that. The little sneak's been paying extra gil behind our backs to put more workers on the job. I thought we had more guys than the contract called for and when I asked the foreman about it, he said he had the papers to prove we paid for them.”

 

Cloud took the paper from the other man's hand and examined it. He saw the documented payment in question and found Reno's familiar, scrawling signature at the bottom. A tiny smirk curved his lips.

 

“Looks like he didn't cover his tracks very well,” Cloud said. “Maybe he wanted us to find out.”

 

“Or he thinks we're both really stupid,” countered Zack.

 

“I don't think that's it,” Cloud chuckled, shaking his head. “Reno slips up when his conscience bothers him. Trust me, he didn't realize he was doing it but he set himself up to get caught.”

 

“You sound pretty sure of that,” Zack said, cocking his head thoughtfully. “I guess you do know our wily fox pretty well.”

 

“I guess so,” Cloud agreed. He looked a little surprised by the admission himself. “Hmph…I never realized how much I've gotten to know him until now.”

 

“So Reno accidentally-on-purpose set himself up to get caught?” Zack still sounded a little dubious.

 

“It wouldn't be the first time.” Cloud shrugged. He told Zack about the time Reno set it up so Cloud could break free of the special manacles Rufus used to subdue him in the limo and how he'd given away the next plot to Cloud when the president went after him again with a fake delivery order. He told him how Reno had tried to drug his comrades so that they'd leave Cloud alone that night and his plan had backfired on him.

 

“We thought Reno accidentally dosed the two of us too,” Cloud said with a grin. “It turned out he was just clumsy enough for Rufus to figure out what he was doing and turn the tables on him.”

 

“I remember you telling me about some of this stuff,” Zack said. “I've got to admit, it seems kind of strange for a professional Turk like Reno to forget to cover his tracks. What a weird way to practice some morals.”

 

“That's Reno for you,” Cloud shrugged. “You can always figure out if something he's doing really bothers him by whether he makes mistakes and how obvious they are when he does.”

 

Zack's anger with the Turk faded and he remembered a conversation he'd had with Cloud about Reno not so long ago. People did what they had to for survival and Reno had grown up in a harsher world than he and Zack. His line of work didn't allow room for morals, until recently. He was just trying to help and he'd already warned Zack he wouldn't take “no” for an answer.

 

“Why didn't he just talk to us about this, instead of sneaking around?” Zack wondered aloud. “We already told him he could help pay for the house and he knew we didn't want him putting out any more extra than he already was.”

 

“That's why he did it behind our backs,” Cloud guessed. “Since the figures aren't coming out as high as we thought they were going to, I'll bet he was counting on us not noticing the extra gil put into it. If he was really worried about getting caught, he'd have paid the money under the counter and told the foreman to keep his mouth shut.”

 

“Makes a weird kind of sense,” Zack shrugged and got back to his feet with a grunt. “The mind of Reno sure is a tricky thing. I still think we should confront him about it.”

 

“If you want to,” Cloud shrugged.

 

Zack looked down at him with a frown. “You're pretty nonchalant about this.”

 

“I guess I think of this place as being his as much as ours,” Cloud explained softly, lowering his eyes in thought. “Maybe I'm hoping if he invests enough time and money into it he might want to move in some day.”

 

Zack smiled at him. “Then I guess we'll have to try hard to get him to at least like nature a little bit.”

 

~***************************************~

 

Reno arrived in his car a couple of days after Zack discovered his little secret. He grimaced as he stepped out of the automobile and put his keys in his pocket. The frame of the first floor of the house was almost finished and there was indeed a single working bathroom. The undergrowth around the barn had been cleared away and there was an ugly old truck in the gravel driveway that was primer coated but unpainted.

 

“I guess that's Zack's `piece of shit fixer-upper',” grumbled the Turk as he shut his car door and started toward the barn. He could have gotten Zack a better piece of shit but the fighter had insisted on a truck for hauling purposes. “If I see either of them sitting on the porch playing a banjo, I'm outta here,” he muttered as he took one reluctant step after another.

 

As he walked closer to the barn, he saw Zack emerge from inside and he felt a little relieved. The former Soldier looked perfectly normal in a pair of denim pants a t-shirt with a logo and a pair of sunglasses. His teeth still appeared to be white, straight and fully intact as he spotted Reno and waved at him with a smile. In fact, he looked gorgeous as always and Reno's stomach did a little flip as they closed the distance between them.

 

It had only been a few days since he'd last seen his lovers but part of Reno was still stubbornly convinced that living in a barn was going to turn them both into slack-jawed yokels. He shook his head at his own paranoia and picked up the pace a little.

 

“Yo, I'm here for my incarceration,” Reno said after exchanging a hug with him. “Any chance I can get out early for good behavior?”

 

Zack lifted his sunglasses to rest on the top of his head. He gave him a sly look and pulled something out of his back pocket. It was a sheet of paper and he unfolded it and held it before Reno's eyes. “Good behavior?” He repeated as he showed Reno the added gil figures and his own signature.

 

Reno sucked on his teeth and looked away. “Yeah, good behavior. So I helped a little more without passing it by you guys…your house is gonna be finished sooner because of it.”

 

“If you really didn't see a problem with it, you would have made sure you didn't get caught,” Zack informed him.

 

Reno chuckled. “Been talking to Blondie about me, have ya?”

 

Zack crossed his arms over his chest. “He knows you pretty well. One thing I don't get is why you didn't just talk to us about it if you knew you were going to leave a big fat clue and get caught.”

 

The Turk shrugged. “It's my nature, man. I figure if I'm meant to come clean someone's going to catch me and confront me.”

 

Zack grimaced and scratched his head. “Why did I know you were going to say something like that?”

 

Reno laughed and reached out to pat him on the shoulder. “Looks like you're starting to know me pretty well too, Wolfy. So where's Cloud? Does he still have all his teeth too?”

 

“Don't be a doofus,” Zack chastised. “This camping trip's going to be fun and you're going to see for yourself that a little exposure to nature won't turn a guy into a yeti.” He scanned Reno's uniform and his brows furrowed. “I hope you brought a change of clothes, though. That's not the kind of thing you want to be wearing in the woods, foxy.”

 

“Bag's in the car,” Reno informed him. “I hope you're not expecting hiking gear or anything like that, `cause all I had were jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes.”

 

“That'll be fine,” Zack approved. “Come on, Cloud's getting some stuff ready inside. Let's go get your bag and then we can help Cloud finish up and get the truck loaded.”

 

“We're going to drive that thing out into the wilderness?” Reno asked with a dubious gesture at the truck in question.

 

“Yeah…I know it looks bad but it runs okay.” Zack chuckled at him.

 

“I think you'd better let me be the judge of that, Fair,” Reno said. “I used to own my own mechanic shop and we ain't going out in the wilds with that truck until I'm satisfied it's not going to break down on us.”

 

Zack shrugged. “Suit yourself. We can go look at her now if you want.”

 

“Yeah, let's do that,” Reno agreed. “The sooner I'm sure we don't need more fine tuning or part replacement, the sooner we can get going and get this over with.”

 

“Don't be so surly,” Zack said, putting an arm around him as they started down the driveway toward the vehicle. “This is going to be great.”

 

~**********************************~

 

“All right, crank it,” Reno ordered.

 

Zack did as he was told and Cloud watched on. The blonde hadn't said anything to his dark-haired lover but he was rather glad Reno was having a look at the truck before they started off. Zack wasn't bad with mechanics but he didn't have the Turk's instincts and Cloud's forte was bikes. He would prefer for this camping trip to happen with as few hitches as possible and making sure the truck would get them safely to the location and back without breaking down was pretty important for the enjoyment factor.

 

Reno leaned over the engine and listened with practiced ears. There was a bit of a rattle that he thought he could fix with a little maneuvering and correct usage of a wrench. He saw a belt that could use tightening too but it looked like Zack had already put in brand new parts…even though he didn't secure all of them as well as he could have. Reno nodded and hollered for Zack to turn off the engine.

 

“I'm going to want a closer look but right now the only thing I think it needs is a tune up,” Reno informed him and Cloud. “Where do ya keep your tools?”

 

“In the flatbed right in back, under the tarp,” Cloud told him.

 

“Cool. I'll get started on that and then I'm going to check the fluids and have a look underneath, all right?” Reno looked at Zack and worried a little that he might be hurting his feelings. “You did a good job on this from what I can see, Wolfy. I'm just double-checking `cause I'm not thrilled about going into the woods in the first place and I don't want us to get stranded there, got it?”

 

Knowing how rare it was for Reno to consider someone's feelings so carefully, Zack smiled good-naturedly. “Thanks. Hey, I'm not offended, foxy. I'd rather you have a look at it yourself if it makes you feel a little safer. I've only had the truck for a week so there's bound to be something I overlooked.” In fact, he'd only focused on getting the tires replaced and the engine running so far.

 

~********************************~

 

“He's been out there for a while,” Zack observed after swallowing a bite of his sandwich and checking his watch. “I hope he's not trying to do a total overhaul. If we don't get started soon it's going to get dark. Finding a camping spot is going to be a real bitch without some light.”

 

Cloud checked his watch too and frowned. He couldn't tell by listening whether Reno was still working on the truck or not. The sounds of the construction work on the house would have drowned out any noise from his task.

 

“I'll go check on him,” he said.

 

He rose to his feet from the picnic blanket laid out on the bottom floor of the barn and started walking toward the main door. He stopped halfway across the floor when the door opened and Reno stepped inside, looking every bit the grease monkey despite the Turk uniform. His goggles were pulled down over his eyes, his face had smudges of dirt and oil on it and his sleeves were rolled up. The redhead stepped into the barn and shut the door behind him, smirking a little at his audience.

 

“Yeah, this suit's gonna have to go to the dry cleaners when I get back, but the ride's in good enough shape to see us through this mess.” He pulled his goggles up and wiped the bottom of his shoes off on the little rug mat by the door before stepping further in. “Now I've just gotta get cleaned up and changed.”

 

“Help yourself,” Cloud invited, gesturing in the direction of the in-progress house. “The main bathroom's ready to go and there's fresh towels in there. You ought to have something to eat before we head out, though.”

 

Reno studied the food laid out on the blanket with a puzzled frown. “Where'd you guys get soda and apples from? I didn't see a machine or an orchard out here.”

 

“There's a service station down the road,” Zack laughed. “Damn Reno…you've got a really fixated image of how we're living out here. Go have your shower and get some grub before we take off.”

 

Reno huffed a sigh at Zack and leaned close to Cloud before heading back out the door. “I'm gonna clobber this guy before this trip is through. You know that, don'tcha' Blondie?”

 

Cloud smiled quietly and gave him a little nudge. “Go on…you'll feel better after you shower and eat.”

 

~**********************************~

 

A little over a half-hour later, Reno was clean, fed and sporting a pair of worn denim jeans and a button-up shirt. He tossed his bag into the back of the truck with Zack and Cloud's belongings and the camping gear and he grumbled as he slid in on the passenger side and scooted over to make room for Cloud. Zack hopped in on the driver's side and fastened his seatbelt, shooting a pointed look at the Turk when he noticed he hadn't done the same. Reno grumbled again and complied, thankful that at least the interior of the truck was clean.

 

“You know, this is the first time I've ever seen you in denim,” Zack said with a lingering glance at the redhead. “I like it.” He reached out and squeezed Reno's knee before turning the key to start the engine. To his surprise, the air conditioning clicked on as the vehicle started…and it was blowing cool air.

 

Zack paused in the action of reaching for the gearshift and he looked at Reno with an amazed smirk. “You fixed the air con? How'd you manage that?”

 

“The compressor just had a little leak,” Reno shrugged. “I can't say the heater's gonna work but I can help you with that before winter comes around.”

 

“You really do know your way around a car,” Zack said. “I'm impressed. Thanks, Red.”

 

“I'm traveling in this bucket too,” reminded the Turk in a surly tone, “Figured I might as well enjoy a little air conditioning before we're squatting in the dirt and spitting tobacco.”

 

Zack and Cloud traded amused, tolerant grins and Zack snapped his fingers as he remembered something. “Hey Cloud, why don't you grab that thing under the seat I picked up for foxy?”

 

Cloud looked confused for a moment and then his expression changed as he recalled what the other fighter was talking about. “I don't know about that,” he said warily, shooting a cautious look at Reno. “He's already on the verge of bolting.”

 

“Come on, you know he'll love it,” Zack persisted. “Where's he going to go? He's sandwiched.”

 

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Reno snapped.

 

Cloud pressed his lips together and bent over, reaching under his side of the seat and searching for something. “Close your eyes,” he ordered the redhead.

 

Reno regarded him suspiciously. “Blondie, ya know I'm stretched pretty thin here.”

 

Cloud gave him one of those rare, sweet smiles that made his chest feel warm and his knees weak. “Just humor me.”

 

Reno groaned softly but he was unable to resist the blonde's innocent charm. He dutifully closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. He heard a rustling sound and the next thing he felt was the sensation of something settling loosely on his head.

 

“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” Cloud announced.

 

Reno did open his eyes and he was startled to find Zack's face only inches from his, grinning happily at him. There was a straw brim hanging between their respective faces and Reno immediately guessed what had been placed on his head.

 

“Fits just right,” Zack chuckled.

 

“Goddammit,” sputtered the Turk, reaching up to remove the offensive straw hat from his head. “I swear if I get fleas or lice from this thing—“

 

“It's brand new,” Cloud assured him in a voice unsteady with amusement. “I took it out of the plastic right before I put it on you.”

 

Reno looked back and forth between his two captors, on the verge of becoming livid. “Think this is funny?”

 

“Nah, just cute,” Zack corrected. He stopped Reno from taking the hat off and he kissed him hard and deep, interrupting his tirade and sufficiently flustering him. He released Reno's mouth after a long, breathless moment and gave him a crooked smile and a wink before putting the truck into gear.

 

Reno gathered his wits and started unbuckling his seatbelt. “That's it, I'm outta here,” he grumbled through kiss-swollen lips. His new hat slipped down over his eyes as he looked down to see what he was doing and his vision became obscured.

 

“You're not leaving,” Cloud stated firmly, grabbing his hands to stall them. The vehicle rolled into motion and hit a bump as Zack began backing out of the gravel driveway. Reno almost fell forward into Cloud's lap as he struggled against the blonde's hold on him.

 

“You'll let go of me if you know what's good for ya, Strife,” growled the Turk, turning his head blindly in Cloud's direction.

 

Another kiss interrupted him and this time the lips were both soft and firm at once. Cloud's tongue slipped into his mouth and stroked inside leisurely, making Reno forget all about the ridiculous hat and the struggle against the fighter's calloused hands.

 

“Give us a chance,” Cloud murmured, and Reno could feel his mouth smiling against his.

 

Suddenly Zack readjusted his hat and Reno blinked, caught in the fathomless blue of Cloud's eyes. He stared.

 

~Fuck, I love those eyes. Quit looking at me like that, Blondie.~

 

“Reno?” Questioned Cloud. He cocked his head quizzically at the Turk, managing yet again to look so ridiculously innocent and wolf-like that Reno groaned.

 

“All right.” He meant to grumble the words but they emerged breathlessly as he stared into Cloud's eyes. “You two are both gonna owe me something special, blue-eyes.”

 

He pulled his hands out of Cloud's and reached up to take the hat off and put it on the blonde's head. It pressed the spiky golden hair down, making it frame the blonde's fair, masculine face in a becoming way. Reno smirked at Cloud. The straw hat was kind of cute—at least on Cloud.

 

~Shit, I'm really doomed with these two.~

 

The thought didn't make him any less reluctant when Cloud kissed him again. He didn't even get mad when Zack chuckled.

 

~**************************************~

 

-The End