Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Boundaries ❯ Part X: There's No Such Thing as Someone Who's Meant to be Alone ( Chapter 10 )

Shattered Boundaries:

There's No Such Thing as Someone Who's Meant to be Alone

 

“I can't believe I'm doing this,” Reno muttered, fingers nervously twisting the lapel of his suit jacket. He had foregone wearing a tie since it wasn't his style, but he still managed to be somewhat presentable.

 

Reeve eased the car into the opulent driveway, shooting his lover of six years a grateful smile. “It's been long overdue,” he commented. “I'm not ashamed of how I feel for you. They'll have to accept it.”

 

Tires crunched over expensive gravel as the rented car came to a stop. Reno stared at the huge mansion in front of him, unable to help feeling intimidated. This was a life he knew nothing about, and for once, he battled with feelings of self-consciousness. He swallowed thickly and jumped when he suddenly felt a hand on his thigh, immediately regretting the action.

 

“Reno,” Reeve intoned, gathering his attention. “No matter what they say, I'm not leaving you.”

 

The Turk managed a thin smile. “I know, yo.” He gestured to the huge mansion then. “It's just that I know nothing about this world.”

 

Reeve sighed, amber eyes darkening as he looked at his childhood home. “I'm not the same person I was back then. I haven't even been home since before I met you.” He rubbed a soothing hand over his lover's thigh. “It's hard on me, too.”

 

His eyes shifted towards his lover as he covered Reeve's hand with his own. “I know, babe. I'm just being… stupid.”

 

The older man leaned over and kissed Reno. It was only brief, considering they were sitting in his parent's driveway, but it was soothing nonetheless.

 

“You're not being stupid,” Reeve assured with a smile. “Now, come on. Let's go.”

 

Reno nodded, and the two stepped out of the car with more arrogance than they actually felt. As if on cue, the front door flew open before they had even managed to shut the car doors. A dark-haired woman with a large smile on her face and laughing amber eyes, darted across the ground and quickly threw herself into her brother's arms.

 

“Reeve!” she exclaimed with excitement, hugging him tightly. “You came!”

 

The President grinned as he returned the embrace, squeezing his sister until she playfully gasped. “I said I was going to, did I not?” he countered. “Now, let me go. I can't breathe.”

 

She shot him a disbelieving stare but allowed him to lower her back to the ground and unwound her arms from his neck. “You could breathe just fine,” she shot back, though the amusement twinkling in her eyes proved she wasn't too irritated.

 

Then, her gaze shifted to Reeve's right and the redheaded Turk that was rounding the side of the car to stand beside him. Two seconds later, Reno had his arms full of a smiling, laughing woman as well, despite having never met her before in his life.

 

“You must be Reno,” she stated, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tightly.

 

He silently pleaded with Reeve for help, but the President was not inclined to provide aid, merely laughing into one of his hands.

 

“Hai,” the Turk gasped out. “And you must be Reis.”

 

She nodded before finally releasing him, letting him get some air. “Reeve's one and only dear sister at your service.” She performed an elaborate bow before stepping back next to her brother, socking him lightly on the arm. “I always knew you had a thing for redheads.”

 

Luckily, he was used to his sister and managed to rein in his blush. “Would you please refrain from embarrassing me for once, Reis?”

”Where would be the fun in that?” she countered amusedly, shifting her attention back to Reno, who appeared slightly flustered. “You don't know how glad I am to meet you. I've been wanting to see the guy who makes my brother happy.”

 

It was Reno's turn to flush as his eyes shifted to the ground, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. He wasn't quite sure how to act, and his usual cocky bravado seemed to be failing him, just when he needed it most. Reis beamed at him, seemingly even more encouraged by his fluster. She threaded her arm through Reno's, jerked him forward and locked elbows with her brother before steering the two men towards the house.

 

“Father is out giving a seminar, and Mother is in a private consultation. However, I am sure that they will return before dinnertime,” she informed them.

 

Reeve swallowed thickly. “I thought they had agreed on retirement?”

 

She nodded. “Yes, but the prestige and honor in being asked to speak sits high on their priority list.”

 

They climbed the stairs to where a butler was holding a door up for them, barely able to hide his distaste at Reno and his bright hair. Yet, a glare from Reis had him quickly schooling his expression back into professionalism.

Reeve made a noncommittal sound in his throat but didn't actually respond to his sister's revelation, too absorbed with taking in his first view of his childhood home in several years. Not much had changed, not that he had expected it to. His parents were rather rigid, monotonous people. They clung heavily to institution and traditional means and methods.

 

While they knew of his and Reno's relationship, Reeve understood that they fully expected it to end some time soon. They had no idea of the true scope or length. They didn't know that Reeve had been with his lover for the better part of six years. Celia and Kain still expected that “Rico” was just a phase and that Reeve would settle down with a woman soon, preferably that nice girl from the Tousen family.

 

“Where to first, hmm?” Reis questioned, interrupting her brother's thoughts.

 

Reeve blinked in confusion before he turned his gaze to his sister, finding that they were standing at the bottom of the huge staircase, carpeted in plush burgundy. A sudden thought that he would like to see his room again entered his mind, as well as registering that Reno was fidgeting uneasily nearby him. He reached for Reno's hand without thinking, threading his fingers through the Turk's and relishing in the brief grateful smile that his soon-to-be husband gave him.

 

“I think we'll go up to my old room,” he answered before pausing and reconsidering. “It is still there, isn't it?”

 

She nodded, tapping her chin with one manicured fingernail. “Of course. You're the eldest son, Reeve. They are not going to dismiss you so easily.” She shrugged before patting him n the shoulder and squeezing gently. “They still love you.”

 

“Thanks,” Reeve murmured.

 

Reis beamed. “No problem. Now why don't you go show Reno your room, maybe even the christen the bed a little, ne?” she suggested with a wink. “I've got to go make a few calls and inform Lucius what we're going to eat for dinner. I promised Mother I would earlier.” She turned on her heels and moved to saunter away before a sudden thought occurred to her, and she threw a glance over her shoulder. “Whenever you come down, you can listen to me play, okay?”

 

The President nodded, and she flipped her fingers at him before whirling back around and heading off towards a door on the far end of the room, presumably towards the kitchen. Like a whirlwind, she was gone.

 

After a moment, Reno chuckled lightly and rubbed his hair with his free hand. “You're sister's really something,” he commented before turning to peer at his lover. “Are you sure you two are related?''

 

Reeve rolled his eyes and started up the stairs, giving a none-too-subtle tug to Reno's hand as he did so. “I'm positive. She might be twelve years younger than me, but we're flesh and blood.”

 

“She really loves you, yo,” Reno mused thoughtfully as they climbed, only half-noting the way his steps seemed to sink into the carpet, softening his gait, despite the fact that he wore clunky boots. He had never been around such opulence before.

 

The executive nodded. “And I, her. Of my family, I am the closest to her, and of course, she has known about us the longest.”

 

A smirk tugged at the corner of Reno's mouth. “Since the night of the toothpaste argument, right?”

 

Reeve shook his head. “I'm beginning to think you keep track of every stupid argument we've ever had just to throw it in my face later as a joke.” He turned as they reached the crest of the stairwell, his feet automatically taking him to the left. Years had passed, and still, he had not forgotten.

 

“That would be impossible.” Reno snickered, swinging his gaze over everything they passed in the hall.

 

Opulent vases, priceless paintings, chandeliers for every light, dripping in crystal. Just one of those would have fed and clothed his entire gang for the better part of two years. And yet, here he was, looking at rows and rows of them.

 

“Impossible? Why?”

 

Reno shot him a baleful look. “Because there isn't a day that goes by where we don't argue over something stupid, yo. Not that I mind.” He leaned in closer to his lover, a bit assured now that no one was watching them, and his breath puffed warmly over Reeve's ear. “The make-up sex is always great.”

 

Reeve rolled his eyes before he stopped at a closed door, located in the middle of the opulent hallway and unadorned. His gaze roamed over the familiar white paneling before he reached for the latch handle and opened it, stepping into a room he hadn't entered in almost eight years. Perhaps even longer.

 

It was as he remembered. Spartan, plain, lacking in all evidence of singular personality. There was his desk, his school books still arranged perfectly on the high shelf, a dusty laptop sitting alone on the top. A wall calendar hung above his desk, still set to the date he left for the Academy. A bed pushed against the wall, opposite the window and its window seat, and just underneath, he could see the edges of his violin case peeking out. The violin that he had played for all of a few weeks before realizing he had no talent and no ear for music.

 

Reno's whistle of surprise disturbed Reeve from his mental recollections. He blinked, wondering when he had even released his lover's hand as the Turk stepped into the room and wandered circles around it.

 

“It's pretty bare,” Reno said, a strange note to his voice. He half-turned from inspecting the calendar. “A gilded cage.”

 

“Hmm.” The executive made a noncommittal sound in his throat as he wandered over to his desk, running his eyes over some of his textbooks. He recognized a few, their covers well worn from the many times he had read them, his inspiration for wanting to leave.

 

“I wasn't unhappy per se,” he began slowly. “But I wasn't necessarily happy either. I always knew I was missing something.”

 

A chin settled on his shoulder. “Something or someone?”

 

Reeve smiled as he turned his head, looking directly into his lover's eyes. “Maybe a bit of both,” he confessed.

 

He pressed forward, sealing his lips over Reno's. The Turk parted his lips willingly as Reeve slipped his arm around Reno's waist and tugged him closer, shifting his body so that they were pressed flush to each other. The kiss was slow and sensual, slightly exploratory. Reeve had no intention of starting anything in his old bedroom like Reis had suggested, but he never could resist kissing the redhead. There was something magnetic about Reno's lips; he was certain of it. There always had been from the moment he had first met the Turk.

 

The sound of someone clearing their throat had both men reluctantly breaking away, looking over their shoulders to find Reis shooting them amused glances from the doorway.

 

“You didn't have to take my advice to heart,” she put in, laughter evident in her tone.

 

Reeve exhaled sharply. “You finished making your calls?” he questioned, grudgingly releasing Reno and turning towards the doorway, done with his reminiscence.

 

The Turk followed close behind him, not the least bit embarrassed at having been caught by Reis. Reeve's parents perhaps, but not her.

 

“Yep, so now you can come downstairs and listen to me play.” She positively beamed as she linked her arms through theirs, dragging them with little ceremony down the hall and towards the stairs. “I've been practicing just for you.”

 

“But you hate to play,” Reeve pointed out.

 

She shot him a look. “For Mother and Father's social functions, yes. A private concert for my brother and his dearest love, no.” She turned, flashing Reno a big grin as she abruptly changed the subject. “So not that much older than me, huh? What made you like old stick in the mud here?”

 

The redhead blinked as he looked at her, wondering why he hadn't noticed before that Reis was actually taller than her brother. “He looked trapped,” Reno said, with a wink to his lover. “So I decided to set him free, yo.”

 

Reis raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

 

The President shook his head. “Reno, you're impossible.”

 

“Ok, no, not really, but it sounds good, doesn't it?” He laughed, tilting his head to the side, trying to look around Reis to Reeve. “Why is your sister taller than you?”

 

Reeve flushed. “She's the lucky one.”

 

His sister chuckled. “Damn right. Now into the drawing room with you. I'm already set up.”

 

And so it was that they spent the next hour listening to Reeve's sister play, not that Reno minded. While he hadn't really heard instrumental or classical music before, he found he actually liked watching Reis perform. He didn't think he could ever play such intricate melodies on an instrument, especially one as difficult looking at the violin. Reeve had been right; she was extraordinarily talented. Even someone like Reno, who knew nothing of music, could tell.

 

After Reis had finished her third piece of the evening, a quiet and subtle clapping alerted them to the fact that they were being observed. They turned around to find Reeve's parents standing in the doorway, a strange expression on their faces, showing through the impassivity.

 

“Mother, Father,” Reis greeted pleasantly, bending down to lay her violin gently in its case. “You are just in time for dinner.” She stepped around the sofa as Reeve and Reno rose to their feet.

 

Celia moved to embrace her daughter. “Your playing was beautiful as always, Reis.”

 

The other woman smiled. “Thank you, Mother.” Her eyes flickered to Kain. “Good evening, Father. We have been waiting for the both of you to return.”

 

The executive moved around the furniture to greet his father, reaching to shake hands. There was a strange look in Kain's expression as he inclined his head towards his son.

 

“Father,” Reeve greeted pleasantly before stepping back to stand next to Reno, who had warily approached the Tuesti parents. “Meet Ichigo Renaurd, my fiancé.”

 

Amber eyes, a mirror to Reeve's own shade, swiped appraisingly over the redhead. “He is the same age as Reis,” Kain uttered in a monotone before shifting his gaze to his son. “You never mentioned anything about marriage.”

 

“Indeed, he did not,” Celia added, stepping up beside her husband. “You kept such important information from us?”

 

Reeve swallowed thickly. Only ten seconds in and it was not going well at all.

 

“I apologize, Mother, Father. With recent events as they are, I had not the time for idle pleasantries.”

 

Kain sniffed disdainfully, hands interlocking behind his back as he turned on his heels. “I see,” he responded. “Very well then. I am quite famished. Shall we retire to the dining room to continue the introductions?”

 

“A great idea,” Reis inserted hastily, already feeling the tense atmosphere thickening the air. “I had Lucius prepare a lovely meal.” She began to usher them into the dining room as quickly as she dared considering they were her parents, leaving Reno and Reeve behind them in the drawing room.

The two lovers exchanged glances as Reno took a deep breath, and Reeve felt his shoulders sag. It was going to be an incredibly long day.

 

- - - - - -

 

The silence was deafening, as stifling as he had always remembered, and it left a bad taste in Reeve's mouth and making him feel off-center. Still, he held himself together for Reno's sake, who looked much like the proverbial fish out of water. Every motion was pre-decided and deliberate, as if he feared making the wrong move and setting off an explosion that would damn them all. Considering the thoughtful and probing stares being tossed their way, perhaps it wasn't too far from the truth.

 

Finally, someone spoke.

 

Reis, ever the peacemaker, smiled broadly over her barely-touched salad. “It is nice, is it not, Mother? The entire family is present at the dinner table.”

 

Celia's face was completely impassive, but the words falling from her lips were immobilizing barbs meant to heap on the guilt with little effort. “It is as it should be. Perhaps you can convince your foolish elder brother to see the truth.”

 

Beside him, Reeve could distinctly see Reno's fingers tighten around his fork. He nudged his lover with his knee, silently encouraging him to calm down. It was early yet. There was still time for things to get worse. And he was certain they would. After all, his father was still silent, and his mother had only begun.

 

“Foolish?” Reeve repeated, trying to keep his voice even. “I am a successful executive, Mother. I fail to see how that makes me foolish.” His words were tight as he ignored the food on his plate.

 

His father's gaze trained steadily on him. “You work for ShinRa,” Kain stated with much disdain. “There is little honor in that. Have you forgotten what ShinRa has done to this world?”

 

“That is why he is trying to fix it,” Reno cut in, his voice thin and barely restrained. “He has been working himself without rest to make sure that--”

 

Celia snorted, somehow managing to make it very elegant as she laid down her utensils, ignoring the food on her plate. “That is quite enough out of you, Rico. As far as I can see, you have been enough of an influence on our son.”

 

“Reno,” Reeve corrected, through clenched teeth. “His name is Reno, Mother. The least you can do is remember that.” He could feel his ire rising, despite the rather short time they had been talking and knew within moments that things weren't going to get any better.

 

“We see no purpose in doing so,” Kain interjected sharply. “Sooner or later, you will realize how much of a fool you have made of yourself and leave this… ruffian. Cameron has been quite patient--”

 

It was the last straw.

 

The executive shot to his feet, slamming a hand down on the table. “I am not going to leave him,” he insisted. “I am engaged to Reno. We are going to get married. Why can't you accept that?”

 

“It is unnatural,” Celia seethed before waving a hand at her firstborn with an almost exasperated motion. “Sit down, Reeve. We will speak of this like civilized people.”

 

“Reeve,” Reis pleaded softly, reaching to place her hand gently on her brother's arm. “Calm down, please.”

 

He pursed his lips, feeling his body beginning to shake with anger as he clenched and unclenched his fists. It took great effort to calm his voice.

 

“It is not unnatural,” he countered reasonably.

 

“Two men cannot possibly love each other. It was not meant to be that way,” Kain insisted, his jaw set tight with the belief that only he was in the right. “You cannot be serious about him, Reeve.”

 

Loath to leave Reeve to handle it alone, Reno refused to be silent any longer. His rage was boiling over at their insinuations. The executive was one of the best things that had ever happened to him, and he wasn't going to sit back without a fight.

 

“I love him,” Reno hissed, jerking to his feet and shaking the dishes on the table. He slammed a fist into the top, causing his wine glass to tilt and stain the expensive white cloth. “And you can't tell me I don't.”

 

Blue eyes flashed with anger as all decorum was thrown out the window. Both of Reeve's parents rose to their feet as well, the lovely dinner that had been prepared completely forgotten.

 

“Look at you,” Celia spat, disgust evident in her tone. “You are rude, uncouth… a boy from the slums. You have nothing to offer him. What do you even do for a living?”

 

“I kill people,” Reno stated flatly, leaning forward on the table, using one of his hands for balance.

 

She gasped, one hand rising delicately to her mouth as her eyes widened in complete shock.

 

Reeve's eyes flickered between them, words on the tip of his tongue but refusing to emerge as he watched the verbal duel between the people that he loved the most. The same lost look was on Reis' face as she struggled to find a way to make them stop.

 

“Which is precisely why I say you do not belong with our son,” Kain inserted haughtily, his face darkening rapidly with his irritation. “He is meant to marry someone from a much higher existence than you. He will have children and carry on the Tuesti name. This dalliance will end. I can't believe that anything will become of it.”

 

“Father,” Reis cried desperately. “You're saying such hurtful things. Can't you see you're only driving him away?”

 

But Kain only shook his head violently, narrowing his eyes in anger. “It is for his own good because it is the truth. We did not raise Reeve to be… a homosexual. I love him, but I won't accept this.”

 

Aquamarine eyes darkened until they were nearly the shade of midnight-blue as Reno's gritted his teeth, only to spit out a verbal response that was just as cruel and violent. His words were cold, but Reeve didn't hear them. His mother had chosen that moment to speak to him, her voice low yet reaching easily to his ears.

 

“You cannot have children with another man, Reeve,” she informed him, as if he hadn't known that. “Ever since you were a boy, you expressed how much you wanted to be a father. Have you even considered this?”

 

The executive sucked in a shuddery breath, knowing that she spoke the truth. The argument faded into the background as he felt his heart thud in his chest. It hurt more than he had imagined, the startling truth, the fact that his family and all that he held dear could not work together. And the way his parents treated Reno, the love of his life, he didn't know how he could bear the gut-wrenching.

 

“I simply cannot believe you, Reeve,” she continued, nonplussed by the paling of his features. “You cannot even adopt. No one in their right mind would give two queers a child. Everyone knows that gay men are pedophiles.”

 

Reeve pursed his lips, everything inside of him growing inexplicably cold as rage filled his belly. “Mother, be quiet. You have no right to say those--”

 

“I will not, Reeve. You are wasting your life with this… street urchin!” Celia insisted, trying her best not to raise her voice above what was accepted for a lady of her position. “He is trash, son. A worthless, gay, murdering piece of filth, and we simply will not stand for this… taint on our family!” She finished, slightly breathless.

 

Reno's eyes narrowed, a retort burning on the tip of his tongue as his nostrils flared. He had caught the last of her words. But instead of speaking all the derogatory rage that filled his mouth, he whirled on his heels and stalked from the room, an angry stomp to his steps. Reeve shot his parents a poisonous look before shaking his head and hurrying after his lover, anger evident in his movements.

 

They headed immediately for the front door, which was luckily the next room over, and pulled it open with sharp movements, not bothering to wait for the butler. It slammed shut behind them as they stomped towards the car. Reeve watched the form of his lover, shaking with fury, and inwardly, he fumed. Rage at his family a burning passion.

 

Behind them, the front door swung open as Reis came running out. “Reeve!” she called out, hurrying to catch up with them. “Reeve, please don't go!” his sister pleaded, panting faintly as she grabbed his arm just as he was opening the driver's side door.

 

Reno had already slung his open and dropped into his seat, slamming it back closed.

 

He shook his head. “I'm not staying here to listen to that,” Reeve answered shortly, moving to stand between the door and the car, poised to enter.

 

“They still love you,” she insisted, moving around the side of the car and throwing her arms around him. “I'll talk to them, make them see reason or--”

 

He put his hand on her back, managing a brief smile for her. “At this point, I do not know if anything can be salvaged, Reis.”

 

She sniffled, pulling back from the hug. “I don't want to wait another five years or so before seeing you again, Reeve.”

 

He shook his head. “You won't. You can still come see me. I'll pay for it.” He disengaged himself from her arms, gently steering her away. “Now get inside before they get mad at you, too. I'll call you later.”

 

Reis nodded, idly wiping at her eyes as she stepped away from the car. “I love you, Reeve. You're still my brother. And tell Reno that, if he can't hear me.”

 

He slipped into the car. “Love you, too, sis.”

 

The door slammed shut and he quickly cut the car on, easing it out of the driveway with jerky movements. Amber eyes watched his sister reluctantly turn away and head back into the house.

 

The fights were always hardest on her since she was caught in between. But there was nothing he could do about it, save never come see his parents again. He wasn't going to leave Reno, and that was the final answer. He loved his parents dearly, but he simply couldn't abide with them on this matter.

 

They rode back to the hotel in complete silence. Reeve's fingers were so tight on the steering wheel that if he were any stronger, he would have twisted it to pieces. Reno was quietly seething, his jaw set tight with anger. Neither man had any words to say to the other, not without beginning an argument that was more of a fallout from the visit than a true irritation with one another.

 

The silence hung heavy. From the time that they pulled into the hotel's parking lot, slid into a parking space, exited the car, and trudged up the stairs to the second floor and their room, they didn't speak. Reno's hands had clenched so tightly at his side that they had gone bloodless, and Reeve's shoulders were beginning to sag.

 

His parents' words kept echoing in his mind.

 

Reno unlocked the door with a jangle of keys, and Reeve silently eased past him, kicking off his shoes to one corner of the hallway and shrugging out of his jacket before immediately heading towards the balcony. The Turk watched his exit as he stood at the balcony railing, hands gripping tightly to the metal and staring out at the sea, tossing restlessly below him. His shoulders were tight with tension, and after years of being with him, Reno could tell at a glance that his lover was actually pretty close to tears.

 

Which was entirely understandable.

 

All his life he had been forced to choose between his parents and what he wanted for himself. Time and time again, he walked a thin line between keeping them satisfied and struggling to find his own happiness. And yet, they sought to try and take it from him again.

 

Reno was angry with them, furious even, but nothing they could say would cause him to leave Reeve. He had suffered through much more than biting words in his life. Either way, he could see that Reeve had been affected greatly, and seeing the depressed set to his lover's shoulders and remembering the tense somber silence of the car, his anger began to fade.

 

It still simmered beneath the surface, but with nothing before him to release it on, it did him no good.

 

Taking a deep, shuddery breath, Reno pulled off his suit jacked and dropped it to the floor before slipping out of his shoes. With that finished, he set his eyes on Reeve and padded quietly across the floor, joining him out on the balcony. He raked his gaze over the tense back before he approached, sliding his arms around Reeve's waist from behind and laying his chin on the shorter man's shoulder. He molded his body to his lover's, comforted by the warmth that Reeve exuded.

 

Reno opened his mouth to speaking, wanting to say something, anything. But Reeve beat him to it.

 

A weary sigh escaped from the President's mouth. “I'm sorry,” he apologized softly. “I didn't--”

 

“What?” Reno interrupted. He frowned slightly. “What the hell are ya apologizing for? You didn't do anything.”

 

“I know, but--”

 

Reno tightened his hold around his lover, nuzzling his lips against a tanned neck. “I love you.”

 

The President sighed again. “I love you, too, Reno. I wish things had turned out better.”

 

The Turk's eyes slid shut at the melancholy, defeated tone to his lover's voice. It hurt him to see Reeve feeling this way, and he wasn't sure if there was a way he could fix it.

 

“If you…” he hesitated, swallowing thickly as he considered the painful words he was about to say. “If you asked me to I would--”

 

His words cut off before he could finish them as Reeve suddenly whirled in his hold, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and shoving him backwards until his back hit the glass door of the balcony. Not enough to break it, but enough to make Reno feel it.

 

“You would what?” Reeve snapped, eyes bright with sadness, anger, hurt. A little of everything swirled inside of him. “Leave me? Just like that? What happened to promising to not go?”

 

Reno's gaze slid to the side. “The only one who can make you look like that outside of me's your family, yo. You keep tearing yourself apart between me and them, and I don't like seeing you look like that.”

 

“That's my choice. Mine!” the other man snarled, hands literally trembling with the force of his emotions. No further words piercing his mind, he crushed his lips against Reno's, a possessive almost violent kiss that very nearly drew blood as Reeve shoved his tongue into his lover's mouth.

 

Reno moaned, eyelids fluttering as he sank into the touch. His hands came up, settling on Reeve's hips and squeezing the man gently. Reeve mercilessly plundered his mouth, pressing the redhead further into the glass door as if he could somehow push him through it. His hands slid from Reno's shirt and up to the Turk's head, entangling in vivid strands with his thumbs brushing gently across pale cheeks.

 

A low growl echoed in Reeve's throat as he nipped at Reno's lips, drawing a bit of blood before he finally ended the kiss, apologetic for his violence. “I'm not letting you leave me,” he whispered, his breath puffing across the Turk's reddened and swollen lips.

 

Blue-green eyes fluttered open, drunk with desire. “We're both stupid, huh?” Reno managed to say, his head falling back with a slight thunk to the sliding glass door.

 

Reeve exhaled shortly, rolling his eyes. “You are impossible,” he muttered before leaning his forehead on the redhead's shoulder, taking in a deep and shuddery breath. “They are my family, yes. But they cannot replace you, and I'm not going to even let them try. Ever since the day I saw you across the way in the ShinRa building, a part of me has wanted you.” He paused, reconsidering his statement. “It may have even been love at first sight,” he admitted, a faint blush rising in his cheeks.

 

Reno's hands slid around to his back, rubbing comfortingly. “It was the same for me,” he confessed softly. “When I asked Tseng who you were and he told me that the only way I could meet you was if I succeeded as a Turk, I vowed then and there to be successful. I thought in that moment that I might've been looking my whole life for someone like you.”

 

Reeve smiled, rubbing his fingers over Reno's cheek before he lifted his gaze. “Sometimes, the sweet things that come out of your mouth make me think I've got the wrong Reno,” he teased. “But that's okay since I'm the only one who gets to see this side of you.”

 

The Turk laughed. “You're weird.”

 

“I know,” the executive grinned, leaning in for another kiss. “But that's why you love me.”

 

Reno's lips brushed against his. “And you love me.”

 

“That goes without saying,” Reeve whispered before pushing forward to claim his lover's mouth, this time much gentler than before.

 

His last thought was that this was all he needed.

 

- - - -

 

A/N: Thanks to all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this peek into Reeve and Reno's past. I surely enjoyed writing it. Leave a review before you go to perk up my exhausted muse and I'll be ecstatic. Thanks again!