Redheaded Stranger

Chapter 11
Jumping Hurdles

Odine observed the Fire Cavern from afar, watching as his fellow scientists came in and out. SeeD's were guarding the entrance and he cursed at the luck. He should have known, but it was still infuriating. Then he saw Henry, his traitorous assistant, coming out of the Cavern. President Loire had given him his position as head scientist of Esthar. The news had spread fast after his escape.

It had taken him days before he had been able to sneak his way out of the city. He was still in hiding, using disguises to hide his true identity. The search for him had spread outside of Esthar, making it more difficult to move around freely. 'Those damn SeeD's, that damn redheaded stranger, that damn worthless President Loire!' He hated them all. He wanted revenge, but first he wanted to get inside the Fire Cavern.

They were all fools. He already knew the secret of the wall and he hadn't even observed it. It was so simple. He would bide his time and wait until dark fall. He just hoped the SeeD's wouldn't stay on guard. If they did, well, he could take care of them. He was the most brilliant scientist in existence after all.

XXXXX

"Has there been any luck finding Odine?" Squall asked his father, holding the phone against his ear with his shoulder while shuffling around the paperwork on his desk.

"No, but I'm fairly certain he isn't here in Esthar anymore, so keep your eyes open. I have guards searching everywhere, but I can only let so many out of the city to look for the bastard."

"I know. Do you think he would be ballsy enough to snoop around the Cavern?"

"As crazy as he is, I wouldn't put it past him."

"Great, one more thing for me to worry about," Squall snapped.

"Son, is there something wrong?" Laguna asked.

"No.....yes, but it's nothing for you to worry about."

"Come on. I wasn't around while you were growing up. The least I can do is listen when you're having problems."

"I'm not having problems," he lied. It was bad enough Quistis knew about the 'Reno kissed me incident'. It wasn't something he wanted to tell his father about. He hadn't even told Rinoa yet. "Look, I gotta go. I'll call if anything new happens," he said quickly and hung up before Laguna could say anything else. He tried to get back to work, but he was soon interrupted.

"Hey, babe," Reno said smoothly as he came into his office. If looks were daggers, Reno would have been dead on the spot. "Oh, come on. You're not still mad at me are ya?"

"Try fucking furious. And don't come into my office without knocking, or did Odine's bad habits rub off on you when he had you strapped to that table?" Squall smirked, feeling a little better with the intended jab at the redhead's ego.

"Ouch, that was harsh," Reno said, pretending to look hurt, completely unaffected by the brunette's hostility.

"What do you want, Reno?"

"Oh, I could think of quite a few things...., but I was wondering if there's been any progress since you came to see me the other day."

"No. If there was, I would have told you."

"Are you sure? Cause I thought maybe you'd want to keep me around."

"Don't flatter yourself!" Squall snapped, giving him a warning glare. He wanted to punch the smirk off his face, but what good would it do? Punching him before had done nothing except encourage him apparently. Reno sat down without being asked and just stared at him, making Squall angrier, but also very uncomfortable.

"Was it really that bad?" he asked, his eyes never leaving him.

"Reno, I'm not in the mood for this shit right now. I have a lot of work to get done and..."

"You didn't answer the question."

"What?"

"Was it so bad?"

'Of course it was,' he thought, but still didn't speak. The longer he remained quiet, the wider Reno's smile became. "Wipe that damn smile off your face!" Reno chuckled and leaned back in the chair to patiently wait for Squall's answer, even if he had to sit there all day to get it. "You're a bastard."

"So I've been told many times." He watched Squall, his face going from anger to a look of confusion and right back again. He could see him thinking, trying to work out what was going on. 'This must be what Selphie told me about. Squall the thinker.'

"Just get out," he finally said, with not much conviction.

"Deep down, Squall, you liked it and you don't want to admit it," Reno said, refusing to leave before he got what he came for. Squall shook his head, getting up from his chair. He turned his back to the redhead, shaking with anger and.... something else.....Desire?

"Reno,....please just go." The redhead was so quiet, he didn't hear him get up and move behind him. When he felt his hands touch his shoulders, he flinched, but didn't push them away. He tensed up and he felt those warm hands knead his shoulders, melting his tension away into nothingness.

"Just relax, Squall," Reno said in a soothing tone. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to." His hands continued their work and Squall couldn't hold back the soft moan and sigh that emanated from him. If Squall were facing him, he would have seen Reno smile in victory, but Reno knew he still had a lot of work to do. Squall was a tough one.

"Reno," Squall said, barely above a whisper. Reno moved around his body to face him, making sure he wiped his smile away first. He put his hands back on his shoulders, moving closer.

"What, Squall? You wanna tell me something?"

"I can't...do this. I love Rinoa. I'd never hurt her."

"I know that, but I'm not trying to steal you from her. I just want to fuck you." Squall came to his senses somewhat and pushed him away. He took a deep breath and backed away when Reno tried to come closer.

"Just...stay back!" he ordered, putting his hand up for emphasis.

"Okay, sure." Reno looked at him with a tilt of his head, a small smile on his lips. Squall found himself staring at those lips, those lips that had been crushed against his not so long ago. "If you're so worried about Rinoa, talk to her about it. I'm sure she'd like to watch!" Squall was so focused on Reno's mouth, he was only faintly aware of what he'd just said.

"What?"

"You remember, on the Ragnarok. She was blushing like a school virgin when we were talking and I think we both know what she was thinking about."

"No, you're reading too much into it. She just wasn't feeling good."

"She was feeling good alright, thinking about you and I."

"Have you talked to her?!" Squall shot, stepping back toward Reno, his anger returning.

"There's that hostility again. No, I haven't talked to her, not since the Ragnarok. I take it you haven't told her about our little smooch."

"No. You were the one that kissed me by the way. It wasn't mutual, remember?"

"It was more mutual than you want to admit. Have you been thinking about it a lot?"

"No!" Squall said a little too quickly and looked away.

"Liar."

"Damn you!" Squall shouted, grabbing the front of Reno's shirt in his fist, pulling him close. Their faces were mere inches apart, so close that Squall could see the different shades of color in Reno's eyes. The bastard was smirking again and Squall did the only thing that would make it disappear. He pressed Reno's lips to his, snaking his tongue out to tease the redhead. Reno took his tongue eagerly and willingly into his mouth, his own lapping at it hungrily in response.

It was a violent kiss, even more urgent and wanting than Quistis' had been. He moaned with approval, putting his arms around Squall to pull him closer into the embrace. Squall groaned, twisting Reno's ponytail in his hand to hold the man in place. 'Like I'm going anywhere,' Reno thought, smirking on the inside as their illicit kiss heated up. Reno went all out and rubbed his groin against Squall, breaking what control he had as Squall pushed him away, more violently than before.

"Get out," Squall managed, sounding commanding, yet unsure at the same time. He didn't yell or sound angry, just defeated.

"I don't get you, Squall. Cold, hot, then fucking cold again." 'Playtime is done for today,' he thought moving toward the door, feeling disappointed, yet victorious. "Talk to Rinoa, Squall. I think she just might surprise you," he said with a backward glance and left the Commander alone to stew things over. 'Another hurdle jumped,' he thought with a smile, licking his lips to taste the remnants of Squall.