Redheaded Stranger

Chapter 28
Only the Beginning

As much as Reno wanted to stay in the warmth of the bed between his two lovers, he knew he had to get back home. He shifted as lightly as he could, but Squall pulled him back with a sleepy sigh, pressing closer against him. 'Even in his sleep he's a hot bastard.'

"Squall, wake up, babe," he said in a hushed whisper, shaking the brunette to stir him. Rinoa shifted against his side, draping her arm across his midsection. 'Damn, they're making it hard for me to leave, and they're not even awake.' "Squall, come on, wake up."

"Reno, go back to sleep," Squall muttered, looking at him with bleary eyes.

"Can't. My boss expects me back bright and early. Believe me, I'm not a morning person, but what Rufus says goes." He was talking in a low tone, trying to to disturb Rinoa who was snuggling her nude body closer to his.

"Alright, I don't want you getting hell from your boss," he said, climbing off the bed so Reno could get up easier. "Use the shower if you want," he added, helping to remove the redhead from Rinoa's clutches. She mumbled, rolling over on her other side as he got off the bed, her sleep undisturbed.

Reno didn't take much time to enjoy the shower, scrubbing his body quickly. He wouldn't have to be rushing like this if he had just went home last night, but sleeping between those two had been well worth it. He dimly wondered when he would get a chance to visit again, or if they would even want him to. After all, they may only want this to be a one time deal.

While he was drying, he noticed his clothes were on the self for him, and a new toothbrush. He hadn't even heard anyone come in the room in his rush. He brushed his teeth after getting dressed, looking himself over in the mirror as he ran his fingers through his damp hair in an attempt to get rid of some knots.

"I have a brush you can use," Rinoa giggled from the doorway. He turned to see her in a robe, her hair pulled back in a pony tail. "Here." She took it out of the pocket of her robe, handing it to him with a smile.

"Thanks, babe. You don't happen to know where my hair tie is, do you?"

"I'm wearing it." She tossed her head, making her ponytail bounce in an adorable way that made him smirk. "Squall's right. You should wear your hair down more often," she said airily before leaving the room.

When he came into the living room, he saw the two of them snuggled on the couch drinking coffee, talking in hushed tones. "Well, I'm off...Guess I'll see you around."

"Is that any way to say goodbye, Reno? Come here, you damn pervert," Squall said, getting up with Rinoa.

Reno opened his mouth with a gasp of playful shock. "Pushy," he quipped with light amusement, walking over to get a proper sendoff. Rinoa kissed him first, tracing her tongue over his lips before sliding the velvety slickness inside his mouth. He pulled back to get a breath, but Squall was pulling his head back, leaning over him to clamp their lips together. Reno moaned into it, feeling himself getting aroused all over again. When Squall pulled away, the redhead groaned with anguished disappointment.

"You should get going," Squall said, letting him go with a smirk.

"Yeah."

"Come back and visit when you can."

"I'll definitely do that, babe. Might be awhile though. This whole weirdness with the gateways thing. Let's just say, Rufus will have me working my ass off."

"We'll be doing the same here. I'd like to know where the hell they came from," Squall said, his mood turning to all business. Playtime was over for the time being and they both knew it. Reno headed out, already feeling like he had stayed too long. His pleasant vacation had come to an end, but he was ready to kick some ass. It had been far too long since he'd had that kind of fun.

XXXXX

"I surmise you had a good time last night, Reno?" Rufus said, giving him the softest hint of a smile when he finally arrived in his office, dressed sloppily in his black suit like he always was. The only thing that kept Rufus from complaining about it was the fact that he managed to look so damn good that way.

"Saying it was a good time would be putting it lightly, boss," he grinned.

"Indeed," he smirked. "Down to business, Reno. I want you working with Cloud on this. He should be here shortly."

"Oh, I bet stoic boy will be thrilled to hear that," Reno chuckled, absently twirling his EMR. 'This should be interesting. The day might not be as boring as I thought it would be.'

"Just try to play nice, Reno. Strife could be a real help with this.....situation."

"Don't worry. I'll be real nice," he drawled, sliding his EMR back in place. The knock on the door cut off Rufus' remark and Cloud stepped inside, sword strapped to his back. The subtlest look of annoyance crossed his face when he saw Reno, but he said nothing, putting his attention on Rufus.

"Thanks for coming, Cloud. I think it will benefit us all to find out what the source of these gateways are," Rufus said in greeting.

"Benefit how exactly?"

"You're not still suspicious of my motives, are you Cloud?" Rufus asked, tapping his fingers on his desk with a soft laugh. "There's really no need for you to be."

The blue eyed blonde still didn't look very convinced, and he made his feeling known. "I just want to make sure there isn't another threat to the planet, plain and simple."

"Very well," Rufus said, giving nothing away with his response. "You'll be traveling with Reno."

"Why?"

"Because, I want you to go to Balamb with him. I'm sure Reno told you all about it."

"Why do you want me to go back there, boss? Not that I'm complaining, but what's the point right now?" Reno asked.

"The point is, I want to know exactly what they plan on doing about the gateways, and I want as much information as you can get from them about this. From what our scientists have told me, the source of this started there, not here. I think working closely with these SeeD's will get us answers faster."

"What about Cid?" Cloud asked in annoyance. I thought you wanted us to fly your men around."

"Cid will do the flying, and he'll be paid handsomely for his time. I'd rather have you working with Reno on this."

"What if I say no?" Cloud said, crossing his arms with a slight tilt of his head. Reno couldn't hide his amusement, smiling openly at the blonde who was being as stubborn as ever. 'We knew this wasn't going to be easy, but Rufus loves a challenge, just as much as I do.'

"Come, Cloud. You can't tell me you're not interested in seeing another world. You'd be a liar if you said so," Rufus threw out, his lips curving in a soft smile when Cloud looked away in thought.

"Fine," he said after a long silence.

"See, that wasn't so hard, babe," Reno said, giving Cloud a crooked smile. In a flash, the tip of Cloud's sword was at his throat, the sharp sound of it being unsheathed not even giving him enough time to react. "Fucking hell," Reno said between clentched teeth, staying frozen in place. Rufus sat like a statue, watching the two with rapt interest. It was quite amusing actually.

"I've told you before, Reno. I'm not your babe! Don't let it slip out again!"

"Alright, just take it easy, ba....Cloud." His blue eyes narrowed, but he took his blade away, sheathing it with practiced precision. "You really need to learn how to relax, Strife!" the Turk growled, touching his throat to check for blood.

"Lets just do this," Cloud said, looking none too happy as he headed for the door.

"Watch yourself, Reno," Rufus warned when Cloud was out of earshot.

"Don't worry. He'll warm up to me eventually. They all do," Reno said, looking toward the door with a look of determination on his face before following the blonde.

XXXXX

Reno was so used to the trips through the gateway that he didn't so much as blink when they stepped into the Fire Cavern. Cloud on the other hand staggered a little, and Reno reached out to steady him.

"I'm fine," Cloud shot, pushing his hands away. The SeeD's standing guard nodded in greeting, used to seeing the redhead making appearances. Like always, there was a vehicle available and they were driven to the Garden in relative silence. Cloud looked out the window, watching the landscape go by, only speaking when spoken to.

"Cloud, if we're going to be working together, you need to be a little more vocal," Reno said as they got out of the car. Cloud was too busy looking at the Garden to be bothered with the Turk and he only grunted softly in response. "Come on, Strife," he sighed with exasperation and they went inside.

Everyone knew of the redhead by now, but Cloud on the other hand was causing a stir of interest as they made their way through the Garden. Mostly from young woman ogling at him with blushed faces. Reno couldn't blame them in all honesty. Strife was a hot bastard, his glowing blue eyes enough to make anyone melt. The blonde was indifferent to the attention, the interest bouncing off him like a brick wall. 'Idiot, he could be getting ass left and right if he wasn't so damn repressed.'

"Here we are," Reno said, opening Squall's office door without knocking as usual. The brunette looked up when they stepped in, giving Reno a surprised look before putting his eyes on Cloud.

"What's up? I thought you said it would be awhile before you came back," Squall said.

"Well, aren't you happy to see me?" Reno said, plopping down on the couch, while Cloud stood there in stony silence. "This is Cloud, by the way. He's here to help us figure some of this shit out." The blonde and brunette stared at each other, the silence stretching until Reno chuckled. "Lets not all start talking at once, babes," the Turk said, laughing harder when the two glared at him with similar expressions of annoyance. 'Boy, is this going to be a grand old time.'


THE END