Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Party Favors ❯ Chapter 2

“Party favors”

Part 2

~* Part of the “Pass the Cloud” project *~

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*Disclaimer: The world that this story is set in 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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At first, Rufus had every intention of getting Cloud into the bedroom and taking him on his hands and knees. Seeing the way he shifted on top of Reno and the way the redhead gasped, he decided on a different tactic.

 

~There's no reason I can't take Strife while he's still inside of my fox. Watching them together is too entertaining to resist.~

 

Rufus continued to finger Cloud, appreciating the way the golden-blonde shivered and gasped and the way Reno answered the sounds beneath him. He nodded to Tseng, not trusting himself to have enough control over his limbs to apply a condom one-handed. The Wutaian Turk understood his wishes and went to fetch the box of condoms from the bedroom. Meanwhile, Rude scooted closer to Reno's head and bent forward to kiss him.

 

Cloud was confused and if he weren't so painfully aroused he would have felt awkward. The sight of Rude kissing Reno was insanely hot and he groaned and thrust into the redhead, panting. Reno whimpered against Rude's lips and the bald man stopped kissing him to kiss Cloud. Unlike Reno, there was nothing coaxing, demure or teasing about Rude's kiss. His tongue plunged into the blonde's mouth demandingly and Cloud noticed that it was longer than average. He had little choice but to suck on it and the dark-skinned Turk cupped his jaw and made an appreciative sound deep in his throat.

 

Reno deftly reached up over his head, searching with his hand until he found Rude's arousal. He stroked it and Rude broke the kiss to gasp his approval, the tone of his voice saying that he forgave the redhead for drugging him. Cloud's mouth descended to Reno's again and both men moaned as Rufus' ministrations prompted the blonde to pump his hips in a rhythm he desired.

 

Tseng returned, carrying the condoms and lubricant. He knelt beside Rufus and set the items on the floor before taking a condom out and slipping in over the president's erection.

 

“Don't come yet, Strife,” Rufus demanded when the panting blonde's shuddering and groaning reached a peak he was familiar with. He deftly slipped a hand under the young man's pumping hips and located his erection, squeezing it firmly. He smiled as Cloud groaned with helpless frustration, his groin throbbing with sympathetic need. He pressed with his other fingers and rubbed the sensitive gland inside firmly, making Cloud arch his back and make a sound that was something between a whine and a growl.

 

“I'd like their position to be more…accessible,” Rufus said breathlessly, feeling like he would explode if he didn't breach Cloud soon. He remembered how tight the other blonde had been around him when he relieved his ass of its virgin status and he hissed with the effort to control himself.

 

Rude reluctantly put his hand over Reno's to stop his massage on his dripping length and he grabbed the back of the redhead's knees to lift them, while Tseng and Rufus guided Cloud to rise up and tuck his legs beneath him. He grunted in protest when his dick slipped out of Reno's body but Tseng soothed him with a promise that it was only temporary. Rude lifted Reno further to angle his hips and bottom up and Rufus pushed against Cloud from behind and guided him back into the redhead's body.

 

“Ooooh….oh, fuck,” Reno cried, his head resting against one of his partner's muscular thighs. Cloud's rigid sex slid firmly against his prostate as it entered him again. He looked up to see Cloud kneeling between his widespread thighs, kissing Tseng hotly with Rufus looming behind him. He saw the blonde's eyes pop open wide and heard his muffled gasp as the president rocked against him, leaving no doubt that Rufus was taking him from behind while he took Reno.

 

The sheer, sinful hotness of the moment was enough to make Reno's back arch and he would have shot his load if Tseng hadn't sensed it coming. The raven-haired man demonstrated his uncanny awareness and reached down to squeeze the base of Reno's tightening cock firmly, denying him the screaming release he'd been on the verge of having.

 

“B-bastard,” complained the redhead in a ragged gasp as he narrowed his blue-green eyes on his superior. Tseng gave him a sensual smile and went on kissing Cloud.

 

Rufus held steady inside of Cloud and closed his eyes for a moment, breathing heavily in an effort to calm down so that he wouldn't spend himself too soon. Cloud tried to start thrusting but Tseng murmured gently to him and splayed his free hand over the blonde's lower abdomen, his long fingers spanning between the pelvic bones. Amazingly, Cloud stilled and panted against Tseng's caressing lips. That was another talent of Tseng's; he could calm, soothe and instruct even wild animals with a touch and a soft murmur, and Cloud was driven by animal instincts right now.

 

Rufus smiled crookedly at Tseng, realizing on some level that if the Wutaian weren't here, Cloud would probably be in a wild, unstoppable frenzy by now. He marveled at the man's mysterious abilities even as he was thankful for them.

 

~I really should have included Tseng in the first effort to seduce Cloud. It probably would have turned out much differently. Ah well, we have him now. If only my damned vision would stop flickering with rainbows…~

 

The thought was brief and he shrugged it off, because Rufus felt he'd calmed enough to continue. Still squeezing the root of Cloud's erection to keep him from coming before he was ready to allow it, Rufus began to thrust. The golden-haired fighter's harsh moan was gratifying on an epic level and Rufus groaned, releasing his own cock to cup Cloud's left hip and guide them. Reno gave a sharp gasp as the swordsman began to pump with Tseng and Rufus' guidance. It was simple, really—it only required some synchronization. When Cloud withdrew, Rufus thrust, so that with every motion the fighter was either driving his cock into Reno or driving the president's cock into his own ass.

 

Caught up in carnal pleasure, Cloud moved his hips mechanically and made sounds that would have shocked him if he were in his right mind. The sensations crippled his logic and reason, while Tseng's calm, meaningless murmurs and kisses cooled his aggression and encouraged him to just feel and enjoy it. Reno's moaning cries and whimpers contrasted with the Wutaian's soothing voice, stimulating the aggression lurking beneath the surface. At odds with the conflicting urges fighting inside of him, Cloud tossed his head and broke into a sweat, panting fast and hard. His right hand cupped Reno's hip and his left reached out and down to fondle Tseng between the legs. The black-haired Turk's soft moan of pleasure was very uke-ish and Cloud growled in response and kissed him hard.

 

Reno had maneuvered his hand and turned his head against Rude's thigh. The bald man groaned his partner's name as he felt his tongue lick the side of his cock. He couldn't help him position his mouth better due to his hands being occupied holding him in position, but he was able to shift his legs and tilt his hips so that the redhead could get a decent hold on his length and guide it into his hot, wet mouth. As Reno's lips closed around his girth and slid down, Rude muttered a curse. He felt the deft fingers squeeze him and he swore more vehemently, wanting to sob with frustration.

 

~Fuck, it's a good thing the boss didn't have time to bust out the toys. This is almost too much to take!~

 

Cloud would never have thought it was possible for this many guys to get each other off all at the same time. Then again, he'd never imagined himself fucking Reno while being simultaneously fucked by Rufus ShinRa. The young president's firm thrusts increased in speed and Cloud felt compelled to match it.

 

Tseng's panting mouth still murmured to Cloud—though breathlessly—discouraging his aggression from surfacing somehow. He heard the Wutaian's breath catch and felt his cock pulse in his hand—then everything happened in bizarre synchronization on some silent signal between the Turks.

 

Rufus bucked sharply into Cloud's body and released the base of the fighter's dick. Tseng released Reno's and Reno released Rude's. The final shove against his prostate made Cloud's vision blur and he groaned raggedly as he came. His ass clenched around Rufus' invading hardness and he felt it spasm inside of him. Reno screamed a string of expletives and produced a sporadic fount of cum that reached impressive heights while Rude twitched so hard he slipped out of Reno's mouth and got it in his hair.

 

“Yo,” Reno panted angrily, “watch the hair, dammit!”

 

“Sorry,” Rude grunted, unable to stop his orgasm.

 

“Fuck, now I've gotta wash it.” It was amazing how the redhead could be angry even in the afterglow of a climax and under the influence of booze and euphoria drugs.

 

“Hey, you must be psychic,” Rude panted with a grin, “You brought that shampoo.”

 

Reno looked up at his gasping partner and gritted his teeth. “'Cause I ALWAYS end up with someone's spunk in my hair, yo!”

 

Even through his haze of pleasure and release, Cloud found the dialog between the two Turks to be almost as surreal as what he'd just experienced. He felt Rufus slip out of his body and he grunted a little at the feeling, twisting his head around to regard him with disoriented blue eyes. He was taken by surprise when the other man cupped his face and kissed him softly. It was such a contrast to his demanding actions from earlier that he couldn't react. Rufus' fingers combed through his hair and he pulled back to look at him. His eyes were still just as dilated as Cloud's but he seemed to have a greater tolerance to the mind-numbing affect of the drug.

 

“Why don't you lay down in the bed, Cloud? You look a bit dizzy.”

 

Even in his stupefied state, the fighter didn't trust the president enough to believe he cared how he was feeling. He swallowed and spoke with effort, trying to ignore the way everything seemed to blur around the edges. “I'm going.”

 

At first, Rufus thought he was agreeing, but when Cloud struggled shakily to his feet and started to stumble in the opposite direction from the bedroom, his smugness vanished and he was puzzled. “Strife, the bedroom is the other way,” he called.

 

Reno twisted out of Rude's hold and sat up with alarm. “Keep him away from the window, yo! He's got some kind of fixation with dramatic exits.”

 

Rude—being the most heavily built of the group—was recovering faster than the others and he got to his feet with minimal trouble and caught up with Cloud before he could get to the window. Just as the blonde stepped down on a shard of broken glass from the shattered window, the muscular Turk caught him and turned him around to face him.

 

“You're not leaving in your condition…especially not that way,” he said firmly.

 

“I think…my foot's bleeding,” Cloud said with a frown, his eyes unfocused and vague.

 

Rude glanced down and saw a small pool of blood spreading under the blonde's right foot.

“Shit.”

 

He scooped Cloud up easily, sweeping one arm under his legs and holding him around the shoulders with the other. He was surprised that a guy with Strife's strength could weigh so little even though his frame wasn't heavily built.

 

~Damn, he really is cute,~ Rude thought as the blonde stared up at him with confused sapphire eyes and parted lips. ~When he's not reading us the riot act, he kind of looks doll-ish…like Reno. No wonder Red's so stuck on him.~

 

“Did…that all really happen?” Cloud murmured thickly, frowning in concentration.

 

“Yeah. You're just confused `cause you're in the middle of an X tweak,” Rude explained as he carried the blonde to the bedroom. “It'll wear off.”

 

Tseng had already noticed Cloud's injury and he'd gotten the first aid kit out of the bathroom and put it on the bed. Reno stumbled in ahead of Rude and pulled the covers back. He'd wiped most of Rude's semen out of his hair but a couple of spots were sticking up more stiffly than the rest because some of it had dried in it.

 

Rufus was the only one who had put some clothes back on and he stood by the fire pit in his pants, watching with contemplative eyes as Rude lowered Strife onto the bed and left his lower legs dangling over the side. The president's focus wasn't on Cloud but on Reno, who climbed onto the bed next to Cloud and watched with anxiety he couldn't quite mask as Tseng doctored the injury in the blonde's foot.

 

“Do we need to get him to a doctor?” Reno asked softly.

 

Tseng carefully wiped the bottom of the injured foot off and examined the cut. “No, there's no glass in the wound and it isn't very deep. I'll put some antiseptic on it and bind it. With his Mako enhancements, it should close on its own by morning.”

 

Cloud mumbled something about Tonberries and yawned. Reno grinned at him and combed his golden bangs out of his eyes. The gesture was tender in a way that was normally reserved for Rufus, Rude or Tseng. The president felt his urgency to convince Strife to join his team increase.

 

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

 

Cloud couldn't say when he fell asleep but he awoke sometime after midnight to the feel of silken hair caressing his chest. He murmured and immediately assumed it belonged to Reno. He felt the pads of fingers gently massaging his temples and he sighed with pleasure, catching the scent of some sort of essential oil. He was half-asleep and still disoriented, so at the moment it didn't occur to him to be concerned. All he knew was that the skilled touch was easing away the throbbing headache behind his eyes.

 

“Feels good,” he sighed in appreciation. He felt the weight of the other man straddling him and he reached out to put his hands on his thighs. He rubbed the smooth skin, feeling fine hairs against his palms. Cloud frowned. True, he hadn't had ample opportunity to explore Reno's body as much as he'd like, but the muscles in the thighs he was stroking felt a little thicker and shorter than they should. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up to see not Reno, but Tseng sitting comfortably on top of his pelvis.

 

“Oh, hell,” the blonde muttered as his head cleared and he remembered where he was and what had happened. He quickly took in his surroundings and found that he was in a huge circular bed, with Reno curled up naked beside him. His hair looked a little damp and smelled like it had recently been washed. Rude sprawled out horizontally over the foot of the bed, snoring softly on his back.

 

“No need for alarm,” Tseng whispered, not ceasing his massage of the blonde's temples. “I'm only nursing your headache. You complained, even in your sleep. I gave Reno and Rude the same therapy earlier.”

 

“Where's Rufus?” Cloud's voice wasn't as aggressive as he wanted it to be, due to the Wutaian's incredible massage skills draining his tension.

 

Tseng looked at him impassively. “You don't have to worry about him. He went home, soon after we got you into bed.”

 

Cloud's lips thinned. “That chickenshit. Let me guess—he took my sword and clothes with him, right?”

 

Tseng shook his head, making his shiny hair catch the dimmed light of the wall-panels. “No. Your belongings are in the front room. You can leave when you like. Rufus…has a lot to think about, I'm afraid.”

 

Cloud stared up at him and battled inwardly, trying to decide what he should do. Rufus was nowhere in sight and the Wutaian's ministrations did feel wonderful. Cloud flushed as he watched the man that straddled him. Like Reno and Rude, he didn't have a stitch of clothing on and his body was proportioned with a swimmer's build. His black hair hung loose over his shoulders and down his back and his equally black eyes stared directly into Cloud's. His eyes were almond-shaped with thick, sooty lashes. His skin was a creamy, light golden tint and his lips were full and shapely. Like Reno, Tseng possessed exceptional beauty and Cloud swallowed as he wondered why he'd never stopped to appreciate it before.

 

~Probably because I've never seen him in this light before, just like Reno. When we weren't busy being rivals we were busy fighting bigger enemies than each other.~

 

He glanced down at Rude and smirked. He'd always thought Rude was good-looking in a more rugged way but now he could see how well he was hung, too. The bald man's cock lay soft against his light brown thigh and it was almost as big in repose as Cloud's was when it was hard. A thatch of sable pubic hair framed the impressive groin in an upside down triangular pattern, save for the tapering line that trailed to his navel.

 

“Rufus sure can pick `em, I'll give him that,” Cloud muttered, still feeling a little muzzy-headed. He winced as he felt a dull throb in his foot.

 

“Pardon?” Tseng inquired politely.

 

“His Turk harem,” Cloud shrugged, his anger rising again.

 

“His family,” Tseng corrected softly. He released Cloud's temples and took his left hand. He reached for a bottle of oil sitting beside him, dabbed a bit on the webbing between the blonde's thumb and forefinger and then replaced the cap on the bottle. Cloud stared in puzzlement as the Turk pressed down on either side of the anointed spot with his thumb and forefinger and began to rub in a circular motion. It was strangely soothing and the blonde felt his headache fade even further.

 

“He's got a weird notion of `family',” Cloud grumbled, finding it hard to stay focused on his anger with such a pleasant, relaxing thing being done to him. In contrast to the soothing feel of the massage, his groin began to tighten against Tseng's thigh and he found himself admiring the shape and coloring of Tseng's half-erect cock. Interestingly, the raven-haired Turk had no visible pubic hairs and Cloud assumed he either shaved or waxed. That little fact had escaped him during the…jumble…earlier because he wasn't very observant at the time.

 

~What the hell am I doing? I should be letting loose seven shades of hell on these guys and going out the door but I'm sitting here letting Tseng sit on me and rub my hands??~

 

“And how would you define a normal family, Cloud?” Tseng glanced up at him, smiled quietly and looked down again. The question was patient, curious and not at all sarcastic.

 

Cloud struggled with the question and finally realized that he didn't really have a leg to stand on. “I guess I can't,” he whispered, blue eyes flickering with thought. The family he'd formed wasn't normal and his relationship with his own mother had never been close.

 

Tseng smiled serenely again. “Most would define the ideal family as traditional,” he released Cloud's left hand and took his right, giving it the same treatment, “but that all depends on whose traditions we cling to, don't you think?”

 

~Whoa, this guy is…I never really talked to him like this before. I wonder if he's so good at making headaches go away because he can cause them by making people think too much.~

 

“So what are your opinions on a good family, Tseng?” Cloud wondered.

 

The Turk leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart. “I believe that any family is only as good as their devotion to one another. Whether it's a family we're born into or one we form on our own, the strength of the unit is only as good as each members' loyalty.”

 

Cloud glanced sidelong at Reno and frowned.

 

“Oh, don't worry about him,” Tseng assured him. “Reno is the…mischievous child in our family, so to speak. Incidentally, that's always been part of his charm and it's why he's a favorite.”

 

“If Rufus hurts him because he tried to help me, he'll wish he was dead,” Cloud promised, his blue eyes flaring with sudden emotion.

 

The quiet outburst gave Tseng pause and he studied Cloud with great interest. He kept studying him until the blonde flushed and regretted his passionate threat. “What? I don't like people getting hurt for trying to do the right thing, dammit.”

 

Tseng smiled knowingly and moved on to massage the spot just above Cloud's elbow, walking his fingers along the pressure points. “Is it only that, I wonder? Or could it be…loyalty?”

 

Cloud frowned at the Turk. “Now you're just screwing with my head.”

 

Tseng chuckled softly. “I wouldn't want to be an impolite host, Cloud. I'll stop, but I hope I've given you food for thought.”

 

Cloud sighed and understood what Tseng was hinting at. “I love the family I already have,” he murmured. “Even if it were different, I can't stand Rufus. Physical attraction to him doesn't make me like him any better and I can't be with someone I don't like, in any way. Not as his employee, not as his lover, not even as his friend. You understand?”

 

Tseng nodded slowly, never pausing his skillful kneading. “Understood.”

 

Seeing that Tseng at least could be reasoned with, the blonde persisted, “He's got to stop this bullshit. Use those Zen powers of yours or whatever they are to convince him to quit stalking me. If someone doesn't wean him away from his schemes it's going to get very ugly and very brutal.”

 

Seeing the cold promise in the blonde's eyes, Tseng had no doubt of that. “If I don't see him wavering from his course, I'll speak with him about it and tell him you aren't for him,” Tseng murmured as he switched to Cloud's other arm and eased the pressure points there. “At the very least, you can trust me in that.”

 

Cloud relaxed further, believing him. He felt a moment of regret because there was obviously something more to Rufus than he'd seen so far. How else could he have gotten such a group of varied, loyal and ultimately fascinating people to follow him? If he hadn't resorted to such dirty tricks, Cloud might have eventually seen it too. He supposed he'd never really know the real Rufus ShinRa, but after these last stunts, he really didn't want to.

 

Tseng finally finished and he smoothly got off of Cloud, put the bottle of oil on the floor and stretched out beside him. The blonde was surprised but not objective when Tseng pressed intimately up against him and rested his head on his shoulder. He stroked the other man's silken black hair and whispered, “Thanks.”

 

“Perhaps sometime in the future, you and I could enjoy one another's company in a more private setting,” Tseng whispered back. He nuzzled the blonde's jaw and the sheet covering Cloud from the waist-down tented.

 

“Uh…we'll see,” Cloud answered uncertainly. He certainly liked Tseng more now that he'd had this talk with him and he was definitely attracted to him, but he was already loving the close contact and sense of intimacy of sleeping with three of them way too much. It didn't help when Reno mumbled in his sleep and cuddled closer to him on the other side, breathing against his ear. Rude responded to his partner's mumble and rolled in his sleep. Cloud found himself sandwiched between Reno and Tseng, with Rude lying halfway across his thighs.

 

For a long while, Cloud Strife stared up at the immaculate white ceiling of the bedroom and thought about what it would be like if he were to ever get past his distaste for Rufus' games and see whatever his sleeping companions saw in him. He wondered what it would be like to sleep with such relaxed, easy contact and affection the way these three men did. He finally closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being included in their circle, even if it was only temporary. It occurred to him that this was the first time he'd had an encounter with Reno in which he was given the opportunity to hold him afterwards, and he nuzzled the redhead's hair and sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

 

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

 

When Cloud woke up the next morning, his cheek was pillowed on Reno's bare ass. He raised his head, admired the view and then froze. Tseng's arm was around his waist and Rude was on the other side of Reno, with his arm stretched over the redhead and his hand resting comfortably on Cloud's shoulder. The blonde cast a quick look around the room and relaxed a little when he didn't see Rufus lurking in any corners.

 

~I still can't believe what happened last night…but I'm more irritated at these guys than mad at them. It was that asshole Rufus' plan and the Turks are…well…I still can't figure out why but they're like his Soldiers or something. Reno's the only one reckless enough to go against his orders.~

 

Thinking of Reno and how the redhead's attempt to help him had backfired, Cloud studied him. He was lying on his stomach with his arms crossed under the pillow. His vivid hair was spread out over his creamy shoulders and back, a little tangled but free of its ponytail and clean. He remembered something about Rude coming in Reno's hair at the end of the night and he flushed, figuring the redhead must have had a shower some time after the combo of alcohol and ecstasy knocked Cloud out. He reached out slowly and ran his fingertips over Reno's cheek, tracing the tattoo'd mark curving over the top of the cheekbone briefly. Reno stirred a little and Cloud pulled his hand away, not wanting to wake him.

 

Deciding that it would be better not to linger, Cloud carefully disentangled himself from the Turk's limbs and the sheets to crawl out of bed. He left the bedroom silently and found his clothing neatly folded on one of the couches in the lounge room, with his sword lying next to the pile.

 

~Hmph, I guess Tseng really did tell me the truth. That massage and talk was about as weird as the mess that happened before it. Funny though…my ass doesn't hurt. Did Tseng do something while I was out?~

 

Given that he'd woken up to a temple massage and a bandaged foot, it didn't seem unlikely to Cloud that the mysterious Wutaian applied something to his butt to keep it from being sore after…all of that. He blushed as he smelled the scent of sex all over himself. He had a long way to travel and there were no places to stop on the way to shower. Biting his lip, he looked back at the bedroom door he'd come out of.

 

“What the hell,” he sighed, starting toward it with his clothing and weapon in hand. He tip-toed through the bedroom to the bathroom and locked the door behind him, taking advantage of the shower and hoping it didn't wake the Turks. When he finished and got dressed, he fished his keys out of his jacket and left. The three Turks were still snoozing soundly and Cloud wondered for a moment how much it was going to cost them to pay for the window he'd accidentally smashed (he still couldn't remember how that happened but he knew he was somehow responsible for it).

 

Cloud breathed a sigh of relief when he made it outside and found his bike still parked at the curb, undisturbed and without a parking ticket. He started toward it but paused when he saw an object lying on the sidewalk next to Fenrir, surrounded by shards of glass that sparkled in the morning sun. Having a feeling of what it was, he walked to it and couldn't help but grin a little when his suspicions were confirmed. He looked up at the building he'd spent the night in and sighed.

 

“Least I can do is bring it up to him before I go.”

 

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

 

“Where's my fucking SHOE?!”

 

Tseng and Rude were both searching for Reno's missing clothing article, if only because they feared that Reno would clock one of them accidentally if his temper took him to the point where he'd start flinging his Electro-Mag Rod around wildly. He was uncharacteristically disappointed when he woke up to find Cloud already gone like a ghost. When he couldn't find his right loafer his mood went from sulky to enraged.

 

“Calm down, we're trying to find it,” Tseng called as he lifted the couch cushions one at a time. To Rude, he said; “He's inordinately upset that Cloud left before he could say goodbye.”

 

“I think he's pissed at the boss too,” Rude grunted as he laid down flat on the floor to check under the stereo system.

 

“Probably,” agreed Tseng. He put the cushions back where they were and turned to the broken window, studying it thoughtfully. Reno came out of the bedroom with his hair still hanging unbound and his shirt unbuttoned.

 

“Yo, find it yet?” The redhead asked.

 

“Possibly,” Tseng said as he narrowed his eyes on the shattered window. “This window breaking was what drew us out of the bedroom to find you and Strife on the floor last night. How did it break in the first place?”

 

Reno furrowed his brow, trying to remember. “Uh…oh yeah…I think Blondie tried to take the quick way out when we realized we both got a dose of the good stuff too.”

 

“He tried to kill himself?” Rude asked with a grimace of disbelief.

 

“Nah, he was just trying to get out of here fast,” Reno answered.

 

~Damn you Rufus…call it a day, already!~

 

Swallowing his anger and the first real doubts he'd ever had about his boss, the redhead followed his companions to the broken window and whistled softly. “That'll cost us.”

 

Tseng peered down at the street below, the wind lifting his long black hair. “I can see Strife's bike parked in the road, but there's no sign of him.”

 

Reno leaned over and looked for himself. His heart leaped annoyingly at the sight of Fenrir and the memory of his first amazing encounter with Cloud rushed into his mind. “Yeah, that's Blondie's bike. Maybe he's eating breakfast downstairs or something, yo.”

 

Reno entertained thoughts of rushing down to the lobby and looking for Cloud, even if he got a few stares for having only one shoe. He throttled the urge and reminded himself that what he had with Strife wasn't the same as what he had with his fellow Turks and Rufus…and it probably never could be as long as the boss was jealous or had designs on him.

 

Someone knocked on the door and the three Turks frowned at each other. “Damn, what now?” Reno grumbled as he crossed the room to answer it. He couldn't stop his eyes from widening with surprise when he pulled the door open and found Cloud Strife leaning casually against the frame, dangling a familiar loafer in his hand.

 

“You dropped this,” Cloud said with a little smirk. “Thought I'd bring it back to you before I drove home.”

 

Reno tried to contain a grin and failed. “Thanks, man. We were looking all over for it. Where'd you find it, yo?”

 

“On the sidewalk, near Fenrir,” answered the blond with amused sapphire eyes. “Any idea how that happened? I'm a little fuzzy.”

 

Reno took the shoe and put it on his foot, snorting softly. “I'm pretty sure you threw it through the window, Blondie.” He reached out and squeezed the fighter's jacket-covered bicep. “No wonder our cuffs can't hold you. Anyone that can throw a leather loafer through a window…damn, that makes me hot!”

 

Cloud felt his face heating as he spotted Rude and Tseng smirking in the room behind Reno. “Haven't you had enough yet?” he murmured.

 

“Not a chance,” Reno purred back, promptly stepping through the doorway and shutting it behind him. “How about a kiss goodbye, Blondie?”

 

Cloud stared into his eyes for a moment before cupping the back of his head and claiming his lips. It was intense and brief, but enough to make Reno harden in his disheveled trousers. When it ended, he felt a little sad.

 

“Guess I'll see you around sometime,” Cloud murmured, his eyes locking with his briefly and revealing more than simple lust.

 

“Yeah…see you around,” Reno answered. His heart sank to his newly retrieved loafer. The truth was, he might not get to see him around except as adversaries again. Their brief, intense exploration of each other was probably coming to an end, because Reno knew that Cloud wouldn't have Rufus and the president wouldn't give up on having Cloud. He couldn't defend one without betraying the other.

 

~It'd be so much easier if I didn't fucking care about you, Blondie.~

 

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

 

Cloud returned to Edge and Reno returned to work. The former tried to forget about Tseng's words and the one part of the drug-induced encounter he remembered clearly: the exquisite feeling of joining with Reno without urgency, aggression or restraint and the look on the Turk's face as he did it. The latter was likewise trying to forget that same branded memory while also trying to crush his feelings of anger and disappointment with his boss, all the while trying to also crush his feelings of affections for Cloud, too.

 

Rufus sensed Reno's anger with him and when he asked how Strife was the next day, he saw the first spark of blatant rebellion in his Fox's sea-green eyes for the first time since he'd taken him in.

 

“He's doing his thing,” Reno said with narrowed eyes. “What are you gonna order me to do next, maybe kidnap his orphans or rough up the barmaid he's living with? Sir.”

 

He may as well have spat the word “Sir”, and it cut Rufus like a knife.

 

“You're angry with me,” the president stated.

 

Reno looked to his left and didn't answer. His lithe frame was tense and for the first time, Rufus thought he might actually consider using that rod of his to attack him if he suggested any further nefarious schemes concerning Cloud Strife. Rufus sighed heavily, finally accepting what he'd been struggling to prevent. If there was one thing he couldn't stand that he'd never admit aloud, it was seeing Reno unhappy.

 

“I've been doing some thinking, Reno,” he said slowly, dragging the words out of from buried corners of his humanity, “Wolves aren't meant to be tamed.”

 

Reno looked at him with wary surprise on his face, catching the reference because he'd compared Cloud to a wolf and shared that impression with Rufus when the president had convinced him to talk about his encounter with Strife.

 

Rufus looked up at him with unusually soft eyes. “And maybe, neither are foxes.”

 

Reno furrowed his auburn brows. “Sir?” He wasn't sure where this was going.

 

Rufus held his gaze. “Look into my eyes, Reno. You always could always tell when I was lying to you. I'm saying…if he means that much to you, I'll leave Strife alone—at least, so long as he doesn't get in the way of business. I won't try to recruit him anymore and I won't pursue him anymore. I'll also do my best to curb my jealousy toward him. He's all yours.”

 

Reno blinked and stared at the other man. “Seriously? You're not just setting up for another game, yo?”

 

Rufus shook his head. “As I said, look into my eyes, Fox. I think in this matter, the time for games and jealousy is over. If it will make you happy, this is what I'll do.”

 

Reno studied him warily for a few moments but there was nothing in the ash-blonde man's eyes to suggest deception. It was a rare occurrence but there was no doubting it when Rufus allowed his affection to show. Reno slowly smiled and Rufus scooted back in the office chair and gestured invitingly, rather than commandingly. The redhead took the invitation and circled the desk, settling into his boss's lap and kissing him languidly. He didn't know how else to express his gratitude and Rufus hadn't suggested a desire for sexual favors. The president stroked his hair and Reno kissed him again.

 

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

 

After Reno left to go on an assignment, Rufus put his head in his hands. The door to the private bathroom in the back of his office opened and he was glad for Tseng's presence.

 

“Nothing really lasts, does it?” Rufus inquired softly when he felt the other man's hand rest on his shoulder from behind. He reached up and placed his own hand over it.

 

“Everything lasts,” Tseng countered smoothly, “but not always in the same form. I'm relieved that you thought this through, sir. Your efforts to keep Reno close to you through the recruitment of Strife would have only pushed him away in the end. He's ever sought your approval and now that he has it, his love for you won't die.”

 

“His love for this organization may, if he has Strife influencing him,” Rufus argued with an unhappy frown. He hated the thought of losing any of his Turks, but Reno…oh, Reno was something special. When he began to see the way his Fox was drawn to the Wolf, he thought the best thing to do would be to draw the Wolf into his family, to ensure the Fox would stay. It backfired on all accounts and his efforts were only making things worse.

 

Tseng crouched over Rufus and combed his fingers through his pale hair, comforting him as he did when his father was still alive and running ShinRa Inc. “Rufus, Cloud is a love interest, but we are Reno's family. Have faith in him. Also, have faith in Cloud's ability to love something without trying to change it. My talk with him convinced me that while he may bring about a slight change in Reno's moral fiber, he won't attempt to rethread it. He would be changing the very things he finds most alluring about him, if he did.”

 

Rufus took some comfort in the Wutaian's words. Tseng was rarely mistaken when it came to reading men's spirits. The president rested his head on Tseng's shoulder. “I hope you're right, Tseng. Stay with me tonight, will you?”

 

“Of course,” The dark-haired Turk answered softly, nuzzling his young superior's hair with affection.

 

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

 

-The End