Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Guardian ❯ Chapter 19

“Guardian”

Chapter 19

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*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all characters therein 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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Cloud suffered a bit of disorientation when he woke with the sunrise. His first thought was that his pillow was oddly hard and strangely shaped. His second thought was that his bed was unusually comfortable. He opened bleary eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar, luxurious bedroom with modern style furnishings and deco. The next thing to register with him was that he was stark naked. He lifted his head and peered around, trying to gather his bearings. When he realized that the “pillow” his head had been resting on was actually a thigh, he looked up the length of it and saw whom it belonged to.

 

~Oh. Right. Rufus and I…last night. That explains it.~

 

Cloud's face immediately bloomed pink as he looked at the handsome, sleeping president. The whole encounter came rushing back and he was caught between mortification at his own behavior and amazement at how fantastic the sex had been. Rufus was still wearing the collar and leash. Cloud smirked before he could help himself and some cheeky little corner of his mind urged him to sneak to get his cellphone and take a snapshot. The reminder that he'd called the shots even though he'd bottomed was comforting to him, though he still couldn't believe he'd actually gotten up the nerve to act out a fantasy like that.

 

~The things we can do with a little liquid courage. It was actually kind of…liberating. He did everything I told him to do and that surprises me. Maybe I'm not out of my mind for giving the guy a chance.~

 

He looked down at himself and swallowed, uncomfortable with his nudity. Deciding that he should put something on before the other man woke up, Cloud sat up and carefully scooted to the edge of the bed, looking around for his clothes. He found his underwear on the floor near Rufus's side of the bed and he went for that first. He barely got it pulled up over his hips before the other blonde stirred and opened his eyes.

 

“I thought Reno was exaggerating when he said you're like a rooster,” Rufus murmured sleepily. “Do you always rise with the sun, Strife?”

 

“Hey, you woke up too,” reminded Cloud as he found his jeans and started putting them on.

 

“I'm a light sleeper,” Rufus said. He paused and covered his mouth with a yawn. “I heard you moving about.”

 

“Didn't mean to wake you,” Cloud apologized. “Uh, is it okay if I have a shower?”

 

“Go right ahead,” Rufus answered, his gray eyes scanning him with appreciation. “Did you bring a change of clothes? I can't imagine you'd want to get back into unwashed clothes after having a shower.”

 

Cloud shook his head and fetched his socks and t-shirt. “No, but that's okay. I can change later at Reno's apartment.”

 

Rufus sat up and crossed his arms over his bent knees. “Why don't you use one of my spare bathrobes and wash your clothes here, instead?” He knew that Cloud wasn't as bothered by dirt as he was but he thought it would be a waste to get his body clean, only to put on yesterday's clothes.

 

Cloud smirked at him. “Are you a germaphobe or something?”

 

“Not quite,” responded Rufus dryly, “I am a bigger fan of cleanliness than most, however. I realize that not everyone has an aversion to wearing the same clothes for more than a day, but I thought I'd offer you the use of my washer and dryer, while you're here. I can cook breakfast while you're doing that.”

 

“You want to make us breakfast?” Cloud asked. He immediately began to salivate at the thought.

 

“Well, yes,” Rufus said with a puzzled look. “You're my guests after all, and breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

 

“Wow,” Cloud chuckled. “You keep surprising me.”

 

“No more than you surprised me last night, I imagine.” Rufus's eyes were smoky on him.

 

Cloud's gaze was drawn to the collar still fastened around the president's neck and he resisted the urge to conduct an encore performance. He cleared his throat and gestured at the device. “Um…you're still wearing it. Not that it doesn't look great on you but it can't be comfortable.”

 

Rufus sat up straight and looked down at the leash dangling from his throat. “Actually, I'd forgotten. But then, I'm rather used to accoutrements of this sort.”

 

Cloud's blush returned. “I…see.” He should have realized, given the things he'd gotten a glimpse of in the man's “goody drawer”.

 

Rufus noticed his reaction and he chuckled softly, reaching up to unbuckle the collar. “After last night, you shouldn't be so shy.”

 

Cloud averted his gaze and mumbled gibberish under his breath.

 

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

 

Cloud had already taken his shower and put his clothes in the wash by the time Reno and the others woke up, but he didn't start the machine right away because he thought the others might want to wash their clothes as well. Rufus was having his shower and the fighter was in the kitchen, cleaning up the leftovers and utensils from the night before. Tseng was also in the shower, but Reno and Rude helped Cloud clean up after they started a pot of coffee going.

 

Cloud noticed how gingerly Reno was moving but given the way the redhead had egged his two coworkers on the night before and the sounds that had come from their room, he could guess why. He asked him if he was okay and Reno gave him a pleased, knowing smirk and said he'd never been better. That made Cloud wonder if the impulsive Turk had snuck a peek into Rufus's room sometime during the night and he made a mental note to check Reno's cellphone for pictures later on.

 

They were finished cleaning up by the time Rufus came in wearing a bathrobe. He seemed pleasantly surprised when he found his kitchen clean and he thanked them courteously as he began selecting cooking utensils from the cabinet. Reno poured him a cup of coffee and he also noticed the way the redhead was moving.

 

“I trust you had an interesting night?” Rufus asked as he opened the refrigerator and got out a carton of eggs.

 

“Oh yeah…real interesting,” agreed Reno with a sidelong glance at Rude. “Say boss, you wouldn't happen to have an icepack laying around somewhere, would ya?”

 

Rufus opened the freezer side of the refrigerator and rifled around for a moment. He pulled out a cold gel pack and got a dishtowel out of a drawer to wrap it in. “Usually, the first place one would look would be in the freezer,” he informed his subordinate with an amused quirk of his lips. He handed it over to Reno, who looked a little embarrassed.

 

“Thanks, Sir. Guess I wasn't thinking when I looked for it last night, yo. So, what did YOU two get up to, eh?” He shot a sly grin at Rufus and Cloud respectively before he put the icepack down on one of the bar seats and carefully sat beside his partner at the island counter.

 

“Don't be coy,” Rufus snorted. He coated a frying pan with cooking spray and set it on one of the burners. To spare the already blushing Cloud further embarrassment, he decided to use a diversionary tactic. “Why don't you use the shower in my bedroom to get cleaned up, Fox? You should have plenty of time before breakfast is ready and you can toss your clothes in the washing machine with Cloud's.”

 

Reno thought about it. While he would have loved to sit there and tease his lovers while the icepack did its thing on his sore nether region, a shower would be nice. The detachable sprayer would also help with his ache. “Thanks, I think I'll do that.”

 

As much as he liked and desired Reno, Cloud felt relief when he left the kitchen. He shot a subtle, thankful look at Rufus and sat down beside Rude to drink his coffee. The president gave him a faint smile before returning his attention to his cooking preparations. Rude was silently reading the newspaper at his side and for the first time, Cloud realized the bald man's presence inspired comfort rather than anxiety. It seemed that all of the Turks were growing on him and he debated silently over whether that was a good thing or not.

 

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Rude took a shower when Tseng was finished in the main bathroom and after that, they sat down to a breakfast composed of omelets, sausages, homemade biscuits, cantaloupe and grapefruit slices. Cloud was surprised to find that the omelet was his favorite part of the meal. Rufus used fresh chives, tomatoes, mushrooms and light cheddar cheese in the mixture and his application of seasonings added the perfect touch. Rude scarfed down his sausages first and Reno shared Cloud's enthusiasm for the omelet. Tseng seemed to enjoy the biscuits the most.

 

After eating breakfast, they put their clothes in the dryer and relaxed in the living room. Rufus turned on the morning news and they watched it together while they socialized.

 

“I've got to go into the office today,” Tseng said when Reno suggested they all go out and do something together.

 

“It's Saturday!” Reno protested. “You're entitled to take the day off, yo.”

 

“I won't be staying there all day long,” said the Wutaian, “I just have a few things to take care of.”

 

“It's just as well,” Rufus said. “I've got bills to go over before I do anything else today.”

 

“I've gotta do some grocery shopping,” Rude murmured. “My fridge has cobwebs in it.”

 

Reno sighed. “Bunch of killjoys. What about you, Cloud? Wanna catch a movie or something?”

 

Cloud hesitated. “Well, we're supposed to do a little training today.” When Reno gave him an annoyed look and shifted uncomfortably on the couch, Cloud remembered that he was suffering a sore bottom and he smiled. “I guess I can give you the day off. Tomorrow we'll train for an extra thirty minutes, though.”

 

“Fine,” Reno agreed.

 

“You know, you're kind of a brat,” Cloud said. Across from him on the easy chair, Rude nodded silently in agreement, though the bald man was smiling faintly.

 

“You know you like it,” Reno countered with a shrug.

 

His companions smiled, unable to deny his statement. Reno was a hard man to offend and he knew damn good and well he could be a pain in the ass. His spirited personality, looks and sensual skills made up for the trouble he often caused.

 

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

 

“Hey, why don't we take a cab and go get my car?” Reno suggested as they left Rufus's apartment after getting dressed and saying their goodbyes to everyone.

 

“Why?” Cloud asked in puzzlement. “What's wrong with Fenrir?”

 

“Oh, nothing's wrong with your sexy bike, Blondie,” Reno assured him. “But my ass is too sore to straddle him and the wind messes up my hairstyle.”

 

Cloud pushed the elevator button and frowned at him. “You weren't worried about your hair when we drove here last night.”

 

Reno ran his fingers through his gel-fortified bangs. “That's because I knew we were probably gonna end up in the tub. My hair doesn't naturally stick up like yours does, man. I've gotta work to get this look.”

 

Cloud sighed, but he was smiling. “If it was just your hair at stake, I'd say `no'. Since your rear is bothering you I guess we could come back for Fenrir later.”

 

“Thanks, hot stuff,” Reno said. He reached out and pinched Cloud's denim-clad ass just as the elevator doors opened.

 

Cloud was mortified as an older couple stared at them from inside of the elevator. By the looks on their faces, they had seen Reno pinch him and it was difficult to tell if they disapproved of it because it was public flirtation or because he and Reno were both men. Cloud wanted to melt into the floor.

 

Reno cleared his throat and improvised. “I got that loose thread, man. You're cool.”

 

“Uh, thanks,” Cloud said awkwardly. He kept his distance from Reno as the elderly couple stepped out and he and the Turk stepped in. Once the doors were shut and they were alone, he rounded on him. “Okay, from now on you don't horse around like that in public!”

 

Reno leaned casually against the wall and grinned at him. “We weren't IN public, baby. Nobody else was around when I reached for your tush. Is it my fault the elevator doors opened at a bad time?”

 

Cloud eyed him suspiciously. “Sometimes, I could swear you plan these things.”

 

Reno laughed. “Right. `Cause I wanted to mark my territory before that doddering old man got any ideas about macking on you. Come on Cloud, I'll admit I'm a schemer but I ain't THAT bad.”

 

Cloud tried not to smile at the redhead's colorful words but he failed. “Just be a little more careful, all right? I hate walking around with a red face all the time.”

 

“I like it when you blush,” Reno purred. “It's cute and sexy.”

 

Cloud sighed with exasperation.

 

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

 

“So what do you want to see,” Reno asked as he drove out of his apartment building's parking garage. “Something with a lot of action? A comedy? Something gory?”

 

“I get enough action and gore in real life,” Cloud said. “I think I could go for something funny.”

 

Reno glanced at him and smirked. “Yo, I wasn't expecting that from you. All right, we'll go for something that'll give us a few chuckles…as long as it's not one of those `romantic comedies'.”

 

“Oh, please,” Cloud grumbled. “Tifa makes me watch those with her all the time. You won't get any arguments from me. I don't want to see anything ridiculously stupid, though. If I want to hear fart jokes I'll just hang out with the kids.”

 

Reno laughed. “Alrighty then…nothing romantic or stupid. Hmm, that doesn't leave us with much but I think we can swing it.”

 

They got caught in traffic halfway to the movie theater and Reno sighed and honked his horn impatiently. “What the hell's the holdup, here?”

 

Cloud peered ahead, leaning toward his window. “Looks like there was a little fender bender at the traffic lights. Maybe you could cut into that street on the left and go around.”

 

“Good idea.” Reno turned into the aforementioned street and prepared to turn onto the one running parallel to their original trajectory. He was distracted before he could do so, however. Just as he paused at a stop sign, he spotted a couple arguing on the sidewalk. He estimated them both to be in their mid to late thirties and the woman had brown hair and a familiar look about her. He stared, his foot remaining lodged on the break. Where had he seen that expression of hopeless fear before? The man had a familiar look to him, too. His unkempt beard stubble, cruel, angry expression and large, meaty frame jolted Reno's memory.

 

The redhead lifted his shades to rest on his forehead and he watched the man accuse his partner of sleeping with some other guy. She denied it vehemently and tried to explain that the “other man” in question was only dropping off some of her mail that had come to his house by mistake.

 

“Sad,” Cloud commented, his sapphire eyes also on the couple. “I'll bet that guy knows damn good and well his wife didn't cheat. I've seen this kind of thing before…the guy's just overly possessive and he wants to make sure she never even considers leaving him or screwing around.”

 

“I've seen it before too,” Reno muttered, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. The memory of his own mother having the same argument with her boyfriend time and time again returned to him in force as he watched.

 

“It looks like this could get ugly,” Cloud predicted. He hated to be a busybody but if the guy took a swing at his wife, he had every intention of intervening. The few people that were passing down the back street hastily moved along when they saw the arguing couple, clearly wanting no part of it. He looked at Reno and wondered what the Turk would say if rushed to defend the woman. When he saw the expression on Reno's pale face and noticed that he'd already unbuckled his safety belt, he realized he didn't have to worry about him arguing that it wasn't their business.

 

Reno's blood began to pound in his ears as he watched the man grow more and more agitated. He saw it coming just before it happened. He saw the familiar tensing of the man's muscles and the cruel intention in his eyes. He was already putting the car into park and opening the door when the man hauled off and hit the woman, hard enough to make her fall to the sidewalk. She cried out and pleaded with him to stop, in a way that suggested she knew there was more to come. Judging by the way the man was preparing to advance on her, she was right.

 

“Reno, park the—” Cloud began, intending to tell his companion to park the car so he could intervene. He'd barely begun to speak when the Turk put the car into park and opened his door. Reno moved fast…very fast. The redhead charged across the street and launched a kick at the abusive man's head before Cloud could even get his door open. The man staggered with surprise and pain but he didn't get the chance to retaliate; Reno was upon him before he could get his balance and the Turk laid into him with fury that Cloud had never seen before.

 

“Let's see how you like it, motherfucker!” shouted Reno as he pinned the guy by the throat to the wall of the nearby building. He held him steady with one hand and laid into him with his other fist, breaking his nose with the first punch. “You like smacking your lady around? Does it give you a thrill to hit someone that won't hit ya back? Piece of shit!”

 

Reno obviously needed no help handling the guy so Cloud went to the stricken woman and crouched down beside her, putting an arm around her supportively while he checked her injury. “You all right, ma'am?” he asked gently, wincing at the sight of the blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. She was crying in a hitching manner and she didn't answer him. Her eyes were wide and fixed on the sight of Reno pummeling her abuser. Cloud looked up and saw that the Turk had already practically beaten the man senseless. The abuser tried to take a couple of clumsy return swings but Reno was too fast for him.

 

“Reno,” Cloud said hesitantly as the redhead continued to punch the man until he sagged against the wall.

 

~What can I say? The guy deserves to get his ass kicked and what kind of person would I be if I defended a wife beater? But Reno's really going to town on him and I'm afraid he's going to beat him to death if I don't stop him.~

 

As it turned out, Cloud didn't have to worry about Reno beating the man to death. After he let him slide to the ground and gave him a couple of sharp kicks in the ribs, Reno looked as though he was going to stop. Cloud's eyes popped wide when instead, the Turk drew his gun from the concealed holster under his blazer and took aim.

 

“Say hello to all the other wifebeaters in hell when ya get there!” Reno snarled.

 

That was it; Cloud couldn't stay silent. He'd have beaten the snot out of the guy too if he'd made it there first but he couldn't condone outright murder. “Reno, stop! That's enough, man!”

 

Reno held the gun steady and kept his blazing tourmaline eyes on the abuser. “You think so, Cloud? Do ya think this waste of oxygen deserves to live?”

 

“Look,” Cloud reasoned hastily, “the guy's a dirt bag and an abusive pig, but you can't just blow his brains out in broad daylight! Let the police handle him!”

 

People were gathering, staring at the spectacle. Some watched with glee, happy that there was someone with the balls to do what they weren't willing to do themselves. Others were recording the incident on their cell phones and a couple of people were calling the authorities. Cloud looked at the gathering witnesses and despaired. Not one of them had lifted a finger to help the woman. Not one of them had tried to intervene and now they were watching like spectators at a boxing match, taking perverse delight in the possibility that they might witness a murder. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

 

~Maybe I shouldn't have fucking stopped Meteor. If this is the kind of world we live in, what's the use?~

 

Reno clicked the safety off on his gun and Cloud pleaded with him again, despite the hopelessness he felt. “Reno please…let it go. You're better than this.”

 

Reno finally looked at him and his expression was incredulous. “Ya think? Have you forgotten who the hell you're talking to, Blondie? `Let it go', you say, but do you have any idea what'll happen to her if I do?” He nodded at the woman in Cloud's arms. “Don't you read the papers? Don't you watch the fucking news? Everyone always `lets it go' when slime balls like this take it into their heads to beat their partners. Everyone thinks it's none of their goddamned business, even the cops!”

 

His eyes softened and they became haunted as he gazed down at the woman. “You know what happens to ladies like her eventually, Cloud? They wind up in body bags and the fuckers that put them there get to keep on living. Hell, half the time they don't even get time for it, yo. So take your pick, Blondie…who's it going to be? Her?” He jerked his chin at the woman. “Or him?” He looked back at the man he held at gunpoint.

 

Cloud stammered and looked at the terrified woman in his arms. “What if we take her to a shelter or something?”

 

Reno laughed humorlessly. “How long do ya think that'll keep her safe, man? He'll find her...guys like him always do. He's got her nice and broken and he'll either convince her to go back with him or he'll find a way to kill her.”

 

With that said, Reno took aim again but he hesitated…not because he was worried about the legal repercussions; he was a Turk and his organization had ways to get him out of trouble with the law. He hesitated because somehow, Cloud still seemed innocent to him and he didn't want him to see it.

 

“Get her outta here, Strife,” Reno said as he narrowed his eyes on his target. “Take her to the hospital and leave this to me. Neither of you need to see this.”

 

Cloud could hear sirens approaching in the distance and he swore. Reno's words gave him hope that he could end this madness, however. “Reno, I'm asking you one more time. Please, don't do this. Let's take this lady to a doctor and let the police handle this guy, okay? Please, Reno.”

 

Reno's aim wavered and he pressed his lips into a hard line and tried to stay focused. He couldn't do it, though…not with Cloud watching and pleading with him like this. He clicked the safety of his weapon back on abruptly and swore through clenched teeth.

 

~Damn you, Strife. Aren't there any limits to your do-gooding?~

 

Reno replaced his gun and squatted down in front of his would-be victim. “Hey,” he growled, slapping him smartly on his swollen face, “listen up, you sonofabitch. My pal just saved your ass, yo. He's a hero, ya know?” He grabbed the guy by the back of the head, pulling his hair painfully as he leaned closer and fixed him with a cold, level stare. “The thing is, I'm not. I'm giving you a pass because my friend there asked me to. Before we go, I want you to remember one thing. You listening?”

 

The man nodded and groaned.

 

“Good, `cause I'm only gonna warn you once. You stay the hell away from her. If she gets hurt or killed, the last face you're ever going to see is mine and it won't be an easy death. See this?” Reno deftly produced his wallet and flipped it open to show him his ID. “You know what this means?”

 

The man's rapidly swelling eyes widened as much as they could when he recognized the ShinRa logo and the words: “Department of Administrative Research”. He nodded again and whimpered. Everyone knew of the Turks and most sane people stayed out of their way.

 

“So you know I'm not pulling your leg when I tell ya I'll cut you into kibble-sized pieces if I find out you went after your wife again, right?” Reno persisted.

 

“Y-yes,” the man slurred.

 

Reno released him roughly and stood up. He frowned at Cloud as the blonde helped the woman to her feet. “Don't ever ask me to do that again, Blondie. You're the only person on Gaia I'd hold myself back for and honestly, you're the only person I care about that would even ask. Now let's get the lady to a doctor.”

 

Cloud didn't argue, understanding the significance of those words. They escorted the woman to the car and drove her to the hospital. Reno asked the woman how she was holding up and he assured her they were going to take good care of her, but other than that he was silent and grim the whole way to the hospital. Cloud didn't try to engage him in conversation. He felt unreasonably guilty for stopping him from killing the abusive man.

 

It was pretty obvious to him that domestic abuse bothered Reno on a personal level and he wondered what kind of memories had been awakened when they witnessed the man striking his wife. They had to be terrible, to have affected Reno so strongly that he was willing to commit murder in broad daylight with several witnesses. While the Turks had few scruples concerning assassination, Cloud seriously doubted the organization would have been pleased to find out that Reno did it in front of a crowd of onlookers.

 

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

 

They discovered that the woman's name was Molly Garner and Reno checked her in to the emergency room and told them to take care of her and bill it to him. He also arranged for some people to go and collect her belongings and move them to her sister's house, whom she made plans to stay with. Cloud was amazed at the amount of trouble Reno was going through to keep a woman he'd never met before safe from her husband and he again wondered what had happened in his past.

 

Neither of them was in the mood to go to the movies after they left the hospital. Cloud suggested that they just pick up some beer and pizza and spend a quiet night at Reno's apartment. The Turk agreed. Reno was acting stiff towards him and Cloud was helpless to think of a way to rectify the situation. He could tell that the other man resented him for interfering in what he probably saw as justice, but since Cloud had a dismal tract record with relationships before Reno, he really didn't know what to do.

 

They rented a movie and watched it in silence as they ate their pizza and drank their beer. Cloud kept looking sidelong at Reno and several times, he opened his mouth to say something only to close it again and shake his head. He wasn't the confrontational sort and he knew that when Reno was ready to talk to him about it, he would. In fact, Cloud was confident that once the redhead decided to open his mouth it probably wouldn't close again for a while and he was going to get more than an earful.

 

Still, he'd never seen Reno like this. In all the time he'd known him, Cloud had never seen Reno hold a grudge. He'd made plenty of insults against the Turk in the past but Reno had always laughed them off. He knew it was really bad when it got late and Reno told him he could take his bed.

 

“Where are you going to sleep?” Cloud asked.

 

“The couch,” Reno answered flatly.

 

Cloud stared at him, feeling an unwelcome pain inside with the sudden knowledge that by stopping him from killing a man, he may have instigated the beginning of the end. It had taken both of them so long to admit their feelings for each other and allow them to grow into something more solid, but it looked like this could be the beginning of the end.

 

The thought made him as angry as it did sad. “It's your apartment. I'll take the couch tonight.” He mentally armored himself against the disappointment and fear creeping into his heart. If Reno wanted to end things over what happened that day, he probably wasn't worth pining for. Of all the things to break up a relationship over!

 

~I was just trying to protect you, asshole! Do you really think I stopped you for that wife-beating knuckle-dragger's sake?~

 

He wanted to shout his thoughts, wanted to grab Reno by the shoulders and yell it in his face to make him understand. Yes, people like Molly Garner's husband were a waste of resources. Cloud didn't dispute that one bit, but in his eyes it would have just brought Reno down to his level if he'd killed the man when he couldn't defend himself, not to mention the legal ramifications he might have faced and the trouble he would doubtless have been in with his organization. Rufus and the Turks could have pulled strings to get him out of legal trouble, but his reckless actions would have still affected his standing with them.

 

As much as he wanted to explain these things to him, Cloud wasn't good with words. He never had been and now he was paying for it. Reno stared up at him from the couch and Cloud crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

 

“You're my guest,” Reno said with a shrug. “You take the bed.”

 

“The couch is fine,” Cloud insisted. “Hell, your couch is more comfortable than my bed at home. Are we really going to argue about this all night?”

 

Reno took a deep breath and forced his temper down. ~At least we'd be fucking arguing about something, Strife. I can't take your puppy eyes anymore and now you've gone all wolfy again and it's making it harder for me to figure out how to act around you! You're like a freakin' roller-coaster sometimes, Blondie.~

 

“Fine,” Reno finally muttered. He stood up and went to the linen closet to grab a blanket and a pillow for the blonde. He tossed the items at him when he came back and he avoided those piercing blue eyes. “See you in the morning, Strife.”

 

Cloud caught the pillow and blanket and he watched Reno go down the hall to his bedroom. He tempered the urge to go after him and confront him with difficulty.

 

~Damn, maybe I should have just let him kill the guy. I think I really fucked things up.~

 

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

 

-To be continued