Tease - COMPLETE

TEASE





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Warning:



A Zack and Cloud and possibly others (not telling yet ) fic, can guess who they are… yaoi…if you don’t like that…don’t read.



And more Reno. I know that you are wondering how he’s doing now and if he finally is going to get some….



Authors Note:



I plan on having a lot of fun with this fic and bringing in some others into the mix. You can probably guess who they are by now…now it is just how will it all come together.



Thanks to ZiggyPasta for being my Beta…thanks and more thanks…



Disclaimer:



Don’t own, just using for my own amusement





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GIFT





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“You look like shit.”



“Geez, thanks, Cloud. Nice to know I look as good as I feel,” Reno grumbled. Reno sat with a tray of food beside him. He looked tired and looked more ruffled than normal; he was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His slightly dulled blue eyes glanced fleetingly over at Cloud. “You look chipper.”



Cloud cleared his throat, and switched the topic back to Reno. “You’ve been in the Mess a lot lately.” Cloud could see Reno’s shoulders slump a bit as he twirled the noodles on his plate. “Since when do you eat down here? You hate this place.”



Reno chuckled. “I loathe this place. Life is just kinda suckin’ right now, ya know.”



There was something bothering the normally chipper redhead. He watched as Reno took a fork full of food and brought it to his mouth. His brow was furrowed and Cloud was sure that it wasn’t just his normal disdain for the food.



“What happened?” Cloud asked as he continued to eat his meal.



Reno shrugged. “This and that.”



“This and that?” Cloud tilted his head. Obviously, Reno didn’t want to talk about whatever was bothering him. Reno’s eyes hardly moved from his food.



“Yeah,” Reno said with a mouthful of food. “This stuff sucks. What's it even supposed to be?”



Cloud chuckled at the face that Reno made as he put another forkful in his mouth. “Its chicken linguine in mushroom sauce,” Cloud said, and heard Reno grumble about the food. “If you don’t like it, why are you eating it?”



“Didn’t eat breakfast. Wakin' up at three really sucks, yo,” Reno mumbled as he speared a mushroom. “Gag me - is this a piece of chicken or a mushroom?” Reno shook the offensive piece of food off his fork and went for the noodles.



“It’s not that bad,” Cloud said, spearing the mushroom from Reno’s plate and eating it, “and it’s a mushroom. But why are you up so early?” Cloud took a sip of his juice.



Reno mumbled something and gave Cloud a glance, but quickly focused back on his food.



~what did Zack say to him?~



“Pardon?” Cloud said, and leaned a little closer to Reno.



“Tseng wants me to learn to focus, and forced me to do the Boot Camp in Sector 3.” Reno grumbled. “I think he’s tryin’ to kill me.”



Cloud shook his head. He wondered what he did to get sent to that camp. He remembered the torture of going through the motions there. It was an advanced class and was quite brutal. “The Boot Camp isn’t that bad,” Cloud said, trying to make Reno feel better. He looked depressed, so Cloud wanted to cheer him up.



~he has hardly even looked at me~



Reno shook his head. “I can’t feel my legs, man,” he said, finally looking at Cloud. It was a fleeting glance, and there was a worried look on his face. “That demon Sergeant is singlin’ me out.” Reno’s eyes went back to his food. He was currently trying to remove all the pieces of mushroom and place them on the side.



“Did he make you do squats?”



“A million of ‘em,” Reno said and put down his fork, giving up on separating the offending pieces of food. “I can’t eat any more of this crap.”



“Are you okay, Reno? What else is going on?” Cloud said in a lower voice. He reached over and placed a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “You seem really out of it.”



Reno turned his head and looked at him. He looked kind of torn. “Man, Cloud. It’s complicated, yo,” he said, his voice low and strained.



“Have you been sleeping?” Cloud noted that Reno’s shoulder was tense. Reno was one of the most relaxed guys that he knew; this was not like him at all. His eyes were rimmed with red, and looked bloodshot.



Cloud remembered how Zack had been talking to Reno the other day. He wondered what Zack had said to him, and if it had anything to do with the Turk’s current mood.



“Been a little deprived lately,” Reno said.



~deprived? What does that mean?~



“Nothin’ to worry about kiddo.” The smile that Reno put on looked fake, but Cloud let it slide. If he didn’t want to talk, he wasn’t going to force him to.



“If you say so,” Cloud said and took in another forkful of food. “What did you do to piss off Tseng to end up in the third ring of Hell?”



Reno’s smile became genuine then. “What the hell? One moment you are saying that it’s not bad, and now it’s got its own level in Hell?” Reno winced and rubbed his legs.



Cloud laughed. “Did you stretch?”



Reno glared at him. “I’m not a moron. Jus’ not used to the abuse, yo.” Reno shook his head. “I need some real food.”



Cloud finished the last bite of his. “You didn’t answer my question. What did you do?”



Reno snorted. “Doesn’t take much, yo.”



~avoiding that question too~



“Did you screw up a mission?” Cloud asked. He could understand if he didn’t want to talk about that.



“Somethin’ like that,” Reno said. “Anyhoo, Cloudo, you and Zacker’s still all good? Ya?”



Cloud looked away and tried not to fidget as he felt a blush creep across his face. He couldn’t help but think about how good it was between him and Zack right now, and the coiling tension in his belly was evidence of that.



~absolutely wonderful~



Reno laughed. “That good, huh?”



“Shut up,” Cloud muttered. “And don’t say that too loud.”



“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Reno said and winced again. He must have been in a lot of pain, and Cloud refrained from reaching out to touch him, wanting to soothe the Turk. “Hey, do ya know if Zacker’s got in a shipment of smokes?”



Cloud furrowed his brow, a little confused by the switch in the conversation.



Reno pulled a nearly empty pack of cigarettes from his jacket. “Found some good'ns on my desk. Tryin' to figure out who it was, ya know.”



“Zack doesn’t smoke.”



Reno frowned. “Yeah. He didn’t get any in or anythin’?”



“Not that I know of. Why are you asking?” Cloud said as Reno pocketed the smokes again.



“Jus’ tryin’ to figure out who dunnit,” Reno said. “Didn’t think it was Zack, but I thought I would ask.”



“What? You have a secret admirer?” Cloud gave Reno’s shoulder a gentle push.



Reno flushed and muttered something under his breath.



“You really have to speak up. I can’t hear you,” Cloud said.



Reno’s eyes suddenly flashed with anger. “Ya know,” Reno said, and pushed his chair from the table as he tried to stand, but he just ended up sitting there.



~what is he trying to do?~



Reno opened his mouth and then snapped it shut; frustrations bleeding into a pitiful sounding sigh. “So much for dramatically storming out.”



Cloud chuckled at the flustered Turk.



~he needs to loosen up~



Cloud stood and held out his hand to Reno. “I’ll help you out. I don’t start lessons until one. We can use one of the training rooms, and I can have a go at your stiffness.”



Reno’s eyes sparkled and his eyebrows rose in a suggestive manner. Cloud groaned and his face started to heat up when he realized what he had said.



~oh, that can be taken the wrong way~



“Don’t be such a perv!”



~should take some of your own advice~



Cloud tried to control the blush that he felt across more than just his face. “I didn’t mean that! I meant I want to help stretch your legs out. I mean, so they aren’t so stiff… I mean- oh man.” Cloud rubbed the back of his head and gave up trying to recover from his Freudian slip.



Reno seemed overly amused by his bungling.



~not that you would mind going after his stiffy~



Cloud tried to remain composed as he helped the Turk out of his chair. Ever since stupid Joseph had put the thought of a threesome in his head, he had had a couple of fantasies about it. The thought of Reno in bed with him and Zack… he shuddered involuntarily as he took Reno’s…



~firm~



… hand in his and tugged the grunting Turk out of his chair. He was with Zack now, and now was not the time for such…



~tantalizing~



… inappropriate thoughts.



“I think I’ll take ya up on that. The stretchin' thing,” Reno chuckled and gave him a solicitous wink. Cloud just about told him to stop being such a flirt when a groan left the normally agile Turk’s mouth. Reno put his hand briefly on Cloud's arm to steady himself before he started to walk as if he was trying to suppress a limp.





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“I don’t need to see this!”



Cissnei got off Rude’s lap and moved a couple of steps away from him. Rude rolled his shoulders and straightened his glasses, clearing his throat lightly.



“Get a damn room,” Reno blurted. He collapsed into his chair and glared at his partner.



~show off~



“Well, I have to be going anyway,” Cissnei said. She kissed Rude on the cheek and quickly left the office.



Reno glared at her as she left, and then turned the glare to Rude. “You two are progressing well.” He knew he sounded bitter, but his nerves were too shot to care. He should be happy that Rude found a woman that wasn’t all uptight about Rude’s naturally untalkative nature. Seeing his partner making out with the Prissy Sissy was not making him feel any better, however.



After spending a half-hour with Cloud’s hands pressing into his feet and knees in a non-sexual way,



~damn it all~



… was testing his already frayed nerves. Cloud just did not realize what he did to him. The SOLDIER wannabe had no idea how his sexy innocence was just so damn – well, sexy.



Rude gave a small affirmative grunt and looked down at his computer keyboard, almost as if he was embarrassed that he got caught in a smooching session.



Reno started his computer and rubbed his thighs, and was quite amazed at how better his legs did feel. It wasn’t one-hundred percent, but they didn’t feel like they were going to give out on him at any moment. The ache was noticeably less pronounced, and some of his movement had improved.



~yah, you felt his hands all too well~



He tried to distract himself with the emails that were popping up on the screen, but his thoughts went to how Cloud had told him to lie down on the floor and remove his shoes.



~body reacted totally inappropriately~



Reno couldn’t bend to reach his shoes and Cloud had to remove them; he had laughed and taunted him about his lack of flexibility.



“Thought a Turk could handle anything?” Cloud had said. Reno couldn’t even think of smart remark to throw back at him – all he could manage was, 'Shut up'. Cloud had laughed as he sat cross-legged on the mat by Reno’s legs, taking a foot into his hands and pressing his fingers into them.



It hurt at first.



~stung like hell. Whimpered like a baby~



Cloud told him to stop being a wimp as he pressed his fingers across his arch, and then kneaded the outer edge of his foot in the most painful way. “My mom used to do this reflexology stuff until people started to call her a witch. She taught me. It works to get through some of the torture that they put you through around here.”



After awhile, the touch became very…



~sensual~



…relaxing. He had propped himself up, leaning on his elbows as Cloud manipulated the outer edge of his feet with his knuckle. He felt his legs start to feel better.



“Crap, I think it’s working,” Reno had blurted as he felt the pressure and tension around his knee give a little.



“Of course it is,” Cloud said as he went to remove Reno’s other shoe. “Do you think I want to touch your stinky feet?” Of course, the way Cloud ducked his head and hid behind his bangs, told Reno that he wasn’t minding all that much.



~Strife is so damn cute~



Stupid thoughts of pinning and kissing the SOLDIER wannabe to the mat started to infiltrate his thoughts. He wanted to. His plan was coming back to him, and he was beginning to think that it would be a good idea again.



Of course, that was when Cloud started to ask him what was bothering him. “I can tell it's more than just the training session.”



Reno just about gave into those large blue eyes looking down at him. He just about spilled his guts over what had happened in the last couple of weeks about Rufus, about the clothes he bought him, about how the two amatore’s kissing was unbelievably hot, about his plan, the message in his smokes, even about Sephiroth.



But he didn’t. He just laughed it off like he was being overworked and mistreated by his boss.



~only a small fib there. It wasn’t Tseng that was mistreating him ~



Cloud seemed to accept that, told him to drink lots of water and go to bed early…



~stupid Spike-Brain even put my shoes back on~



… as he helped him up from the gym mat and announced that he had to get to his lesson. Reno grumbled about getting back to watch the kiddies eat their lunch. Cloud had placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently. And in a soft, concerned voice, he said, “If you need more help, give me a call.”



~did Cloud realize what he did to him? ~



“How was your meeting with Tseng?”



Rude’s voice brought him out of thoughts. “Huh? Meeting? Oh. Right. Meeting. Uh. Fine. No problem.” He knew his voice sounded clipped. He really didn’t want to talk about that, with his partner.



Rude was staring at him. Reno could feel his partner’s hidden eyes analyzing him; he hated Rude’s intense stare. Sometimes, he wished his partner was more vocal so that his head didn’t fill in the blanks. He was pretty sure that Rude knew about his thing for Cloud and Zack. Reno was aware of his drunken banter the night of the drinking contest; he had never been one to hold his tongue when he was drinking. He just wished he remembered everything that he had said, and it was not something that he really wanted to ask his partner.



“What did you get in trouble for?”



Reno had to think quickly. “Uh. There was something wrong with my last report.”



~lame~



One of Rude’s eyebrows rose over his sunglasses. “Your report?”



“Yeah, my report. You know how I suck at that stuff, yo,” Reno said. He could see that Rude wasn’t buying it. Rude stared at him, and Reno felt the urge to speak again. He needed to break the silence that was eating at him. This was how Rude got information out of him. He was thankful when Rude spoke.



“Is seeing Cissnei with me bothering you that much?” Rude asked.



He thought he was bothered with him screwing Sissy? Reno chuckled and quickly moved into full blown laughter. He tried to stop when he saw the annoyed look on his partner's face. “Oh, man!” Reno had to take in a deep breath to continue talking. “I needed that laugh, there, partner. Man. Nah, that’s just kinda weird and all, but it’s not buggin’ me like that, yo.”



~what’s bothering me is my lack of action~



Rude shook his head and grunted.



Reno continued to snicker and focused on his computer. He started to cut and paste the day's lunchroom mayhem report together. The emails that were in there were tasks that could put off until later.



His phone rang and he absently picked it up. “Yo, Reno here.”



“Reno.”



“Boss,” he said and felt his whole body tensing. He didn’t want to actually talk to Tseng. He wanted to let the memory fade a bit before he was confronted.



“I need to speak to you,” Tseng said formally.



“Is this another trap, yo?” Reno had to ask. Tseng did seem genuinely shocked as he darted out of the office after the interruption, but he didn’t want to be set up again.



“No, it is not,” Tseng said.



“Did you leave me those smokes?” Reno said as he patted the pocket that contained the package with the mysterious note.



“Pardon?” Tseng said.



“Never mind, Boss. Yo, what do ya need to speak to me ‘bout?” Reno said, shaking his head. He didn’t like where this path was leading. It was starting to freak him out just a little bit more. There were only two more people that were on his list that could have left him those smokes, and both options bothered him.



~why is my life becoming so complicated?~



“I was hoping that you would come to my office,” Tseng said.



“No fuckin’ way!” Reno blurted. He heard Rude gasp and felt that intense look on his face.



Tseng was silent on the other end of the phone.



“Sorry, Boss. I just can’t do that,” Reno said. He felt himself start to shake a bit. Rufus was affecting him way too much. There was no way he could go to that office; it just felt like it was another trap. “Sorry, yo.”



~man, I am so stupid~



The silence was long on the other end of the phone before he heard Tseng speak again. “I was not aware that the Vice-President was using my office for a private meeting.”



“Whatever,” Reno mumbled.



“He is fond of you,” Tseng said in a soft voice.



“No shit, Boss.” Reno snorted. “Is it just a game with him? I mean, one moment it's like, caring, and the next it's all serious control freak-like,” Reno stumbled over his words and looked across to see a very confused-looking Rude.



~I just can’t keep my mouth shut~



“I don’t know, Reno,” Tseng said. “I did warn you that he has broken bigger men than you.”



Reno clenched his teeth together. “Yeah. You warned me, Boss. I heard you laughing.”



~Sephiroth warned me too~



“Is this part of your amusement as well?” Reno heard his boss trying to interrupt him. “I’m not somethin’ to be played with, and I don’t feel like being a fuckin’ toy for all you bigwigs' amusement.”



“Reno!” Tseng voice spoke sharply through the phone.



“Is there anything else, Boss?” Reno said, keeping his voice as even as possible, even though his hand holding the phone was shaking.



“No,” Tseng said. “We will discuss this further, when you have calmed down.”



“Whatever,” Reno said and flipped the phone shut.



~I’m gonna die now~



He let his head crash into his keyboard, and he groaned.



“What was that all about?” Rude demanded, now standing at his desk.



“Stupid report,” he mumbled, not bothering to look up. He had just told his boss off, and Rude would be more than aware that it had nothing to do with a report.



“You just told off Tseng, because of a report?”



“Sure, why not?” Reno said and looked to where Rude was supposed to be standing. He wasn’t at his desk, but was now beside him. Rude looked like he was going to say something, but was stopped by a ringing phone. Rude dutifully answered it with a few ‘sir, yes, sir’s and flipped his phone closed. Reno suspected who it was on the other end of the phone.



“Go home,” Rude said. “I will escort you.”



“Gotta write a report,” he protested.



Rude grabbed his arm and pulled him out of his chair. He protested again, but Rude shook his head. “Let’s go,” he said, and started to drag him out of the office.



Reno had a moment of panic arise in him. “You aren’t settin’ me up, are ya?”



Rude grunted. “Do you need to be sedated?”



~a nice bottle of vodka would be nice~



“I’m fine.”



“You just told Tseng off. I don't think that you're okay,” Rude said, still dragging him along. Reno was glad that Cloud had helped him with his legs; he wouldn’t have been able to handle being dragged like a bag of potatoes if it were a couple of hours ago.



“Need a smoke, yo,” Reno protested, once more.



“You can’t wait until you get home?” Rude said as he dragged him into the elevator. “What the hell is wrong with you?”



“Nothin’,” Reno said. “I just need a nap!”



~and a good long screw~



Rude grunted again. Rude looked at his partner, and he was waiting for more of an answer than that.



The elevator opened and Rude dragged him down the hall, opened up his apartment and shoved him inside. Rude slammed the door hard behind him, and stood blocking it. “Spill it.”



“Don’t wanna,” Reno said, hating the whinny sound of his voice.



Rude crossed his arms.



“Listen, partner.” Reno sighed. “I jus’ need to get a good night's sleep, maybe some good food, a little drinky, and I’ll be right as rain, yo.”



~liar~



“You told off Tseng,” Rude said, again. “You are not okay.”



Reno mimicked Rude’s stance and stared. Reno lasted three minutes before he threw his arms up in the air. “I don’t wanna talk about it right now!”



“Do you even have food in the fridge?”



Rude knew him all too well when it came to his eating habits. “I think I got somethin’ I can nuke.” Reno liked good food, but he was not much of a cook. He ate out a lot, and his fridge was either empty or full of take-out boxes.



Rude let out a small sigh and shook his head, his body showing that he was giving up on asking the questions. “Do you want me to bring you something?”



“Nah,” Reno said.



Rude tilted his head slightly.



“I’m sure. You gonna write my report?” Reno prodded.



Rude reached for the door. “Call when you aren’t so crazy,” he said and left.



“Never gonna happen, bro.”



Rude didn’t respond as he left.



~alone at last~



Reno walked into his little dining area, and had to stop and rub his eyes.



~what the hell?~



The anxiety that had been leaving him returned with full force again.



~what am I, a fuckin’ girl?~



There, sitting on the dining room table, sat a vase of fancy red flowers. Beside it was a clear bottle with a big red bow and attached note. He was almost scared to approach it.



~another gift~



He was still trying to figure out who gave him the cigarettes, and now someone got him flowers and…



He approached the table and saw that the bottle was that of a expensive vodka. Banora apple flavoured.



~yummy~



With a shaking hand, he reached for the folded piece of paper that had his name written in large flowing script. He then looked at the flowers.



~where do you get flowers in Midgar, anyway?~



He decided that he was going to have a little drink first, before he dare open the note. He sat down at his table, keeping the note near as he opened the bottle and took a drink straight from it. Sweet and bitter, all in one; just what he needed to open the crazy note that was now under his hand.



He pulled out his smokes and opened it to see the note that was left for him there. He focused on the new note as he unfolded the piece of paper; he examined the words written in a large scrolling, elegant script.



A small token. I hope you accept this as an apology for the interruption. Rufus.



He stared at the message with Rufus' flowing signature and the unsigned note inside the smokes. He took another drink.



The writing did not match.



All his fears were made real then. He had wished that it had been Rufus that had given him the smokes. Knowing that Sephiroth had replaced his damaged smokes was almost as disturbing as Rufus giving him the flowers, and his teasing.





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