Redheaded Stranger

Chapter 22
Resolution

Reno had the urge to run in the opposite direction as he followed Squall back to the Ragnarok. The only thing he had said since they left his fathers office was, Come with me, now! He had been silent after that, not even looking back to see if he was indeed following him. A little slip of the tongue was all it had been and Squall was acting like he had molested his dad or something. 'Not that I wouldn't want to get a taste of daddy,' he thought, then felt guilty for it, if only slightly. 'Maybe I should apologize.'

"Squall, listen. I'm really sor.."

"Shut up!"

"What?! Nobody tells me to shut up!" He didn't have time to react when Squall spun around and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him against the building they where walking by.

"My father is the fucking President of Esthar and you called him babe! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Squall's furious face was inches from his and the hold on his throat loosened just enough for him to speak.

"It just... slipped out....Let go, Squall...I can't...breath," he struggled, trying to pry the hand away. A few elegantly dressed pedestrians hurried by the scene and Reno chuckled between gasps for breath. 'This is probably the most action these people have seen in their lives.'

"I'm not stupid, Reno. I know how you work. You were coming on to him."

"Jealous....much?" Squall's eyes narrowed and he pulled the redhead forward, only to slam him harder against the wall. 'That was real smart to say, dumb ass,' he thought dimly. "Shit, let go.....," he wheezed, feeling lightheaded, and his vision started to go dark. The painful grasp released and he slid to the ground, taking a quick intake of breath that made him start to cough uncontrollably for a few agonizing minutes. His throat felt raw, his back felt like a huge bruise, but at least he could breath now and his vision gradually cleared.

"Bastard," Squall muttered above him and helped him up on his feet. His anger had faded and he only looked annoyed now, his eyes going softer and losing their deadly gleam.

"Sorry," Reno croaked and swallowed heavily against the burning sensation of his damaged throat. "Remind me to never piss you off again," he chuckled then coughed dryly.

"Come on," Squall said and continued to walk to the airship while Reno shuffled behind. They were both silent besides a few muffled coughs from the redhead.

"We ready to go?" Zell asked when they came aboard.

"Yes, let's get out of here," Squall said. "Why don't you lay down and rest, Reno," he said when Zell was out of sight.

"Heh, I'm fine, Squall," he croaked in answer, amused and a little pissed that he was acting so concerned now.

"I wasn't jealous. It's not like you're Rinoa. It was just....it was weird for me to see you flirting with my father. A man in his position....It was inappropriate, Reno."

"Look, Squall. This is the way I am, inappropriate or not," he said forcefully, angry for being lectured. "I don't have to explain myself to you." He walked away to find somewhere to lay down, realizing he could use a bit of a rest after all. He looked over his shoulder to see Squall was gone and he breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to hear anymore shit at the moment. It had been a long day and he just wanted it to end.

He found a room similar to the one he and Squall had used earlier. He slid on the bed with a yawn and hissed when his throat screamed at him. 'Damn you, Squall and your fucking temper,' he thought, even though he knew he had deserved it. He did let his hormones take over sometimes, but he wasn't about to change for anybody. He let his eyes slip closed and growled when he was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"What?" he spat. Squall stepped inside, closed the door and tossed him a small bottle. He caught it and glared at the brunette with a sneer.

"Take it, it's healing potion."

"I don't need it," he scoffed and tossed it to the end of the bed. He rolled over on his side, biting back a groan when his back protested and closed his eyes, ignoring the Commander with an air of cockiness. He expected to hear the door open and close, but instead he heard heavy footfalls coming toward him and he was rolled roughly over on his back.

"You stubborn shit! You're going to take this," he growled, brandishing the bottle at him.

"Fuck you! Get out!" Squall was on him like a flash, pinning him down. Reno managed to get a hand loose and threw a punch that caught Squall's chin. That only pissed him off and the two wrestled until they both tumbled off the bed onto the hard floor, both grunting with the impact.

"Are you going to make me pour it down your throat? Don't think I won't do it!"

"You can fucking try!" Reno said, getting some leverage and rolled Squall onto his back, slamming his head into the floor. He saw stars and felt Reno get up. He shook his head to clear it and Reno was on his way toward the door in a huff. He rose from the floor in seconds and jumped the redhead before he could touch the knob.

"You're not going anywhere until you take it," he hissed and threw the man back on the bed with a hard shove. He climbed on him before he could rise again and cut off his yell with a brutal kiss. Reno struggled for only a few seconds before he kissed hungrily back, pulling Squall closer with a wanting moan.

Reno lost all track of time as the kiss turned less angry and more sensual. Their tongues rolled together, tasting and caressing every crevice of each other. He snaked his hands up inside Squall's shirt to run his hands over the soft skin of his back, smiling into the kiss when he felt the man shiver with his touch. Squall pulled slowly back and looked into his eyes with a smirk.

"Hot bastard," Reno purred, tracing his fingertips along his spine.

"Perverted asshole," Squall responded softly and leaned toward the floor to pick up the discarded bottle. He was surprised it hadn't been broken during their struggle. "Take the potion," he said, opening it and shoving it in Reno's hand. He drank it down in two swallows and handed the empty bottle back. The pain dulled considerably and he felt foolish for being so stubborn before. Squall got off the bed and swiftly walked toward door.

"Where are you going?" Reno asked.

"Get some rest, Reno. I'll let you know when we get back to Garden," he said and left promptly. Reno stared at the door open mouthed, realizing that Squall had seduced him into taking the fucking potion.

"Son of a bitch is good," he muttered with a chuckle, relaxing back on the bed.

XXXXX

Squall had left Quistis in charge when he left and she was still in his office when he returned from Esthar. He felt tired, wanting nothing more than to go back to his room to see Rinoa and get some sleep, but he had too much to get done.

"You can go now, Quistis. Thanks for holding everything down for me."

"No problem," she said, vacating the seat behind his desk. "You look tired," she observed. "How did everything go in Esthar?"

"Fine. My father will let us know when the trial begins," he said, taking his seat. He noticed his desk seemed more organized than usual and all the paperwork he had been going over was nowhere to be seen. He raised an eyebrow, giving her a questioning look.

"I figured you had enough on your plate with traveling to another world and chasing down a murdering scientist," she said with a shrug and a half smile. "I took care of all that tedious paper work for you. I hope you don't mind."

"Thank you, Quist. I really appreciate that."

"It was my pleasure.....I'd do anything for you," she said quickly and he saw her cheeks lightly blush before she left the office in a rush. His brow furrowed slightly at her odd retreat, but he forgot about it in seconds as he went about trying to figure out how they were going to get Mayor Travis.

XXXXX

Odine sat in his cell, wondering how he had gotten to this point. A great man like himself, stuck in a prison, awaiting a trial that would surely bring the sentence of death. It wasn't fair, he had too much he needed to do, too much knowledge to learn from the other worlds he knew existed.

The Mayor would be closely monitored now after his forced confession, but it didn't really concern him. They could search all they wanted, they wouldn't find any proof of their dealings together, he had made sure to destroy any evidence of that. Unlike himself, the man was safe from harm and it angered him immensely.

His cell door opened and he looked up to see two guards, one bringing in a tray with his dinner. Neither of the men said a word to him as the tray was placed next to him on the modest cot he was sitting on. They left just as quietly as they had entered. He glanced at the food with absolutely no enthusiasm. It was dreadful that he was forced to eat such slop, but his stomach growled in protest anyway.

He ate leisurely, trying to think of ways to escape this cell. It would be more than impossible, but he was confident he could think of something. And this time, they wouldn't catch him. He would escape through one of the many gateways that he knew existed and start fresh in another world. He refused to believe he would die here.

He pushed the rest of the food aside with a groan of disgust. It had been so bad that he was starting to feel ill. His stomach cramped with such intensity that he fell to the floor, knocking the tray down in the process with a loud clatter. The guards rushed in at the disturbance, both watching the writhing man intently.

"Help me," he begged, screaming when another bolt of pain gripped him.

"Get the doctor. There's no hurry," one of the guards said and the other left the room with a smirk on his face.

"Pleaze....help.."

The lone guard stepped forward and knelt next to him with hate in his eyes. "That was my brother you killed," he said softly, watching Odine squirm with the pain from the poison he had added to his food. "Rot in Hell, you sick fuck!"

Odine's eyes widened in realization, the pain getting worse with each passing second. It was becoming difficult to breath and his vision was going dark. 'It can't end like this,' was his last thought before the last breath left his body.