Picking up the Pieces

There be sex in this chapter!

Chapter 3: Strife Delivery Service

Adrian sat in the cockpit of the helicopter admiring the scenery from the window and listening to Reno humming beside him. He had only been airborne a handful of times in his nineteen years and the view still took his breath away. They flew over vast expanses; wide grassy plains dotted with flocks of wild chocobo soon faded into the wasteland that surrounded Old Midgar and Edge.

“So what kinda people are we dealing with here?” Adrian asked the redhead as they slowly approached their destination “All I really know is that they were a threat to ShinRa, then they saved the world and defeated Sephiroth”

“Well Ade,” Reno said with a sigh and a nostalgic smile “Their leader is a fine piece of ass that goes by the name of Cloud Strife, ex-SOLDIER I think.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, that wasn’t ever explained to us. Strictly a need-to-know-basis thing, yo. I just figured he was in SOLDIER, coz he’s got those glowing baby-blues… just like you. Anyway, he’s fuckin’ dangerous. Got a sword that’s almost as big as you or me. We have to be careful around him.”

“Who else?”

“There’s a girl called Tifa Lockhart, she’s got some grudge against ShinRa from a long time ago. She’s probably the second one we have to worry about, likely to fly off the handle, you know?”

“What’s her weapon?”

“She’s a martial artist. She packs a punch, kicked my butt once, yo. There’s a big guy with a gun-arm, name’s Barret Wallace. He’s also got a chip on his shoulder, so watch out for him too. A ninja, about your age, her name is Yuffie Kisaragi. Uses a shuriken, saved her sorry ass from Don Corneo once. A pilot, Cid Highwind, he used to work for us, uses a spear. Some wolf-lion thing that talks, calls himself Nanaki. Then there’s Vincent Valentine, undead ex-Turk extraordinaire, uses a gun”

“Undead?” Adrian raised an eyebrow in disbelief

“According to our personnel files, he died more than thirty years ago, when he was twenty seven. I saw him myself; the creepy fucker doesn’t look a day over twenty, never mind sixty. I’m hoping that he won’t be here, yo, he freaks me out somethin’ fierce” Reno shuddered. “We’re almost there, I just need to find a place to set down”

Reno piloted the helicopter expertly through the ruins of Midgar toward Edge, finally landing on some of the old highway.

“I think we can walk from here, yo. Bring your handgun and EMR, just in case we run into any trouble.”

They both holstered their guns and tucked their EMRs into their sleeves, and set off to find some answers.

~

Cloud raced through Edge, he wanted to get back to the bar and warn the others. He had no idea what business ShinRa had here, but he was going to find out. He turned a corner into the town centre and skidded to a stop as he spotted a familiar redhead across the square. Reno was talking to a woman working at a stall; he had another Turk with him, a brunette that Cloud didn’t recognise. He was even more confused now, why would ShinRa only send two Turks?

He trailed them, gradually getting close enough to hear their conversations. They were asking about him, and Tifa, and the rest of AVALANCHE. Cloud furrowed his brow, he couldn’t think of any reason that this pair of Turks would want to seek him or his friends out.
Eventually they got the information they needed and started heading in the direction of the Seventh Heaven. He left them then. He had to get there first to prepare his friends for their unwelcome visitors.

~

Reno was getting pretty bored interviewing the inhabitants of Edge, trying to find out where Cloud and company could be found. They had wasted nearly two hours. Right now, Ade was talking to the owner of a small store while Reno kept an eye out for any anti-ShinRa activity that they might attract.
Ade walked up to him with a smile on his face. Reno allowed himself a glimmer of hope.

“You got something?”

“Old man says he knows Strife and Lockhart. That she owns a bar a few blocks over, The Seventh Heaven. And, get this, Strife is running a delivery service from the same building.” Adrian looked very pleased with himself

Reno chuckled internally, Delivery service? The saviour of the world has become a fuckin’ delivery boy?

Reno clapped Ade on the back “Lets get going, yo”

They followed the directions that Ade had gotten from the Shopkeeper. Reno took in the passing crowd, noticing the huge amount of homeless children. Their thin bodies, tattered clothes and hollow eyes brought back bad memories.

It wasn’t long until they caught sight of a large sign that read “7th Heaven”. They paused in front of the building.

“How do you wanna go about this?” Adrian asked quietly, his tone apprehensive

Reno smiled reassuringly at Adrian, hoping to allay the fears of the younger man. “We’ll just walk in and gauge their mood, yo. Play it by ear. I’ve dealt with them before, they may not be happy to see me. Keep your EMR handy”

Reno was feeling a lot more nervous than he let on. But he lived for this feeling, and he knew that a part of him was almost hoping that they would get into a fight. He reached forward and pushed open the door. Stepping inside, sharp eyes taking in the room in one sweep.

The bar was almost empty, though he was sure it attracted quite a crowd in the evening. There were five patrons at the bar, and he recognised the woman who was tending bar. Tifa was staring at them with a strange expression on her face.
Reno noted that she didn’t seem surprised to see them, he mentally cursed, he had wanted to catch them off guard. Someone had obviously seen them here and relayed the info to Lockhart or Strife.

He plastered on his best smile and sauntered up to the bar, with Ade in tow.

“Long time no see, yo” he said as he slid onto a stool

She narrowed her eyes. “What brings you to Edge, Reno?”

“What? I can’t stop by to say hi?”

She didn’t acknowledge his question; she was looking at Adrian curiously. “Who’s your friend?

“My name’s Adrian” Ade said, smiling sweetly. Reno was pleased to see that she was a little more receptive towards Adrian than she had been to him.

“So Adrian” she smiled a little “What can I do for you?”

Adrian turned to him, eyebrows raised in question, Reno nodded.

“We’re here to ask a few questions”

~

Tifa was more than a little confused by the sudden appearance of Reno and the other Turk. Cloud had returned home to warn them, and he had taken the others into the back room, he didn’t want the Turks to know they were all here for some reason, leaving her to deal with Reno.

She had never liked Reno, and wouldn’t even if he didn’t work for ShinRa. He made her uncomfortable, the way he acted as if he thought he could charm anybody, male or female, friend or foe, into his bed. She didn’t like how he was looking at her now either, his bright eyes roaming in a way that made her skin crawl.

So she was concentrating on the other Turk, Adrian. His smile seemed more genuine and his eyes were kind. She admired the way his suit clung to his trim figure, how his chestnut hair partially covered his right eye and how his eyes shone with that familiar blue glow. Apparently they wanted to ask some questions, Cloud probably wouldn’t like that, but she decided to cooperate for the moment.

“Questions? What about?” she asked, addressing Adrian only

It was Reno who spoke though, his face serious “About what happened to our commander at the Temple of the Ancients, we still haven’t found him. We were wondering if you or any of your friends could help”

Tifa opened her mouth to answer when Cloud burst from the back room, he looked rather angry. She watched her friend walk up to the redhead.

“Reno, if you want answers, then come with me.” He said before walking out of the room. Reno looked surprised but he followed without argument.

~

Cloud led him outside to the open space behind The Seventh Heaven. He stood silently for a few moments, looking at Reno as if he had just scraped him off the end of his shoe.

“What do you want, Turk?” the last word was said with such disdain that it made Reno wince.

“Like I told Tifa, we just want to ask a few questions, yo” Reno replied trying to be as amicable as possible “We’re not here to cause trouble”

Cloud just snorted, obviously not believing him. Reno was confused, he and the other Turks had no animosity left for AVALANCHE and he couldn’t understand why it wasn’t the same for Cloud. It was all water under the bridge as far as he was concerned.

“What’s your deal, Strife? Why you bein’ so fuckin’ hostile?”

“Hostile?!” Cloud growled “Reno, you fucking crushed sector seven! What were you expecting?!”

The blonde moved closer to the redhead, obviously trying to intimidate the taller man. Reno raised his eyebrows in surprise, he really hadn’t expected Cloud to be so aggressive, or hypocritical for that matter.

“I was just doing my job, you blew up two reactors! Killing hundreds of innocent people. Talk about the fuckin’ pot calling the kettle black!” Reno jeered.

It felt good to watch the look of righteous indignation wiped off that pretty face. He only had a second to admire it however, before he was punched, hard, in the mouth. He reeled on his feet but didn’t fall. Reno wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at the crimson stain with fascination. The taste of blood, as usual, went straight to his groin.
He looked at Cloud, the blonde looked angry but uncertain. Reno growled in the back of his throat before swinging a fist toward the swordsman’s face. Cloud pulled back at the last second so the blow only glanced his chin instead of hitting him square in the nose.
While Cloud was still recovering from the punch, he levelled a kick into the blonde’s stomach, enjoying the “Oomph!” of pain that it caused.
He jumped backwards nimbly as Cloud charged at him, just avoiding the other man. Cloud spun at the last second and punched Reno in the side. The redhead grunted and fell to one knee. Cloud took this opportunity to pin him down, straddling him and holding his wrists.
Reno bucked and wriggled, pissed off that he had been bested so easily, he clenched his teeth, trying to will away his arousal. He knew there was no way that the blonde wouldn’t feel the erection bumping against him. Cloud was looking down at him, his expression of grim anger turned quickly to one of shock and then embarrassment.

Reno cleared his throat; he smiled sheepishly “Eh…sorry about that, I…” His words trailed off into a moan as Cloud circled his hips, grinding their arousals together.
Reno was surprised to say the least, it would seem that Cloud had enjoyed their little tussle just as much as he had. He pressed back against the blonde, smirking when Cloud inhaled sharply.

“I had no idea that you felt this way about me, Strife” Reno teased

“Shut up, Reno” Cloud muttered as he leaned down to bite the redhead’s lower lip

Reno gasped and Cloud took the opportunity to slide his tongue into the redhead’s mouth. It was a violent kiss, lips crushed against each other and teeth clashed. They snarled and growled, grinding against each other as the kiss intensified, the taste of blood was heavy and metallic in Reno’s mouth and it drove him wild. Cloud released his wrists to reach down and rip the other man’s shirt open, buttons flew and fabric tore, but Reno couldn’t find it in himself to care. He cried out when his nipple was pinched between two strong fingers, sending bolts of pleasure through his body.
Cloud finally released his bruised mouth, leaving him gasping for air. He watched as the blonde trailed small bites down his torso while he unbuttoned Reno’s pants, sliding them down his hips. He kicked off his boots and wriggled his pants and underwear off. He grimaced when his bare ass touched the concrete beneath him.

Reno bit down hard on his bottom lip when Cloud took him into his mouth in one go, enveloping him in unbearable heat. He tangled his fingers in blonde spikes as a tongue flicked at his head, making his hips jerk and he felt Cloud chuckle softly around him before he was taken whole again.
He writhed on the concrete, never taking his eyes off the man between his legs. His breathing becoming more erratic and his thrusts growing more frantic, his back arched as he released. He purred contentedly and closed his eyes; he felt Cloud moving back up his body and opened one eye lazily. They kissed again, this time at a more relaxed pace. Reno could taste himself and blood in the other man’s mouth, he could also feel Cloud’s neglected arousal pressing against him.

“Check in my left pocket” Reno whispered into the kiss. He felt a hand wandering blindly, eventually finding his discarded trousers, slipping into the pocket and retrieving the prize within.
He let out a surprised cry when strong arms around him lifted him clear off the ground. He instinctively wrapped his legs around Cloud’s waist, shocked by and impressed with the smaller man’s strength.
He was carried the few steps to the wall and pressed up against it, mouth caught in another kiss. He heard the sound of the cap being popped of the bottle of lube that he carried everywhere. He moaned in the back of his throat when a finger slipped inside him. He felt himself hardening again when a second and a third were added, circling inside of him, brushing against his prostate and making him see stars.

“Fuck…” he hissed “Come on Strife, what are you waiting for?”

He heard buttons and a zipper being undone and then he was being filled. His head fell back against the wall and Cloud latched onto his throat, biting and sucking as he pushed deeper. Their rhythm started slow, each thrust deep and satisfying. Gradually their momentum built until they were bucking wildly together. Reno bit down on Cloud’s shoulder as he came again, coating his chest and the front of the other man’s shirt. Cloud followed soon after, his eyes rolling into the back of his head while a deep growl reverberated in the back of his throat.
They slumped against the wall together, panting. Reno slowly lowered his legs, wincing when Cloud slid slowly from him.
He looked down into the blonde’s eyes; they were a little dazed and sleepy looking.
Reno leaned in and kissed him softly.

“So, about those questions?” he asked cheekily

Cloud just raised his eyebrows, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

~

Adrian sat at the bar, writing down Tifa’s account of what happened at The Temple of the Ancients. He was a little bored, and felt a little guilty for manipulating the girl. She had told him everything, and all he had to do was smile at her and bat his lashes. Not that he didn’t think she was attractive, but a bit too wholesome for his tastes.

He was a little worried about Reno, the other Turk had been gone for quite some time and that Cloud fellow hadn’t looked too pleased to see them.

“Are there any other witnesses here?” he asked

He watched her chew her lip, obviously trying to decide if she should tell him the truth.

“Yuffie was there too” she said quietly

“Is she here? May I speak to her?” he asked, lacing his tone with the appropriate amount of sugar

“I suppose it couldn’t do any harm” she conceded and moved to a door behind the bar. She opened it just enough to stick her head inside, he heard her speaking with someone but couldn’t make out the words.
She withdrew and was followed by a shorter girl, who looked to be a little younger than himself. Wutain, he guessed, by her dark hair and eyes. He looked her over approvingly; he wouldn’t have to force himself to flirt with this one.
He held out his hand, she folded her arms and just stared at him, a cheeky glint in her eyes.

“I’m Adrian Frayne.” He let his arm fall back to his side, “I would like to ask you about the events you witnessed at The Temple of the Ancients, specifically regarding the disappearance of the former Turk commander”

“And why should I help you?” she said with a smirk. He almost laughed; she looked so much like Reno right now it was scary.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t exactly like your friend Tseng. He stood against his own country, my country, in the war. I couldn’t really care less what happened to him.” She was almost grinning now, obviously not all that concerned with the politics of the former commander, but more with trying to wind Adrian up. “So, I’ll ask again. What do I get if I help you?”

Two can play this game, he thought smiling to himself

“How about I take you out for a drink?” he replied

“Nice try, but I’m only seventeen. Come back in another year” she said slyly, her smile widening

“Then how about dinner?”

“I could be talked into that.” She lowered her arms to her side, loosing the defensive posture. “Ask your questions, Ade”

He blinked, and had to bite back another potential burst of laughter. She had even taken it upon herself to shorten his name, just like a certain redhead.

“I think I’ll leave you two to it” Tifa said, smiling and heading for the room that Yuffie had come out of earlier.

“You here alone?” Yuffie asked

He shook his head “Reno’s here too, he’s talking with Cloud”

“Cloud agreed to talk to him?” she looked genuinely surprised

“Yeah. He doesn’t seem to be too fond of my friend” he said with a smile

“It’s not so much that. He just doesn’t like anyone who works for ShinRa, it doesn’t matter who you are. So you wanted to ask me something?”

“Can you tell me what you remember about what happened to Tseng?”

“Well, I remember that he got stabbed, badly, by Sephiroth. Like, impaled. He had been in the main corridor of the place, you had to go through it to get in or out, but when we were leaving, he was gone. I thought that one of the other Turks must have come and taken him” she paused “apparently not though, if you have no idea where he is.”

He nodded and wrote it all down. It was, more or less, the same as Tifa’s version of what happened.

“So you are sure that he wasn’t in the temple when it was compressed into the black materia?”

“I’m sure that he wasn’t in that hallway, and he wasn’t exactly in any condition to go wandering off, you know? Somebody must have taken him, and if it wasn’t one of you Turks then I don’t know who it could have been.”

“That’s all?”

“Yep. Now, where and when are you taking me out?” her smile returning

~

Reno had gotten Cloud’s side of the story relatively easily after what happened, and now they were doing their best to clean up.

Cloud had gotten away with a few stains on his clothes that weren’t really visible unless you were looking for them. Reno on the other hand, had a ripped shirt, his jacket was dirty from being on the ground and then pressed against a wall and he had an angry love bite standing out on the side of his neck.
Cloud had said that he didn’t want his friends to know what happened, Reno had laughed and gestured at himself.

“It’s going to be a bit difficult to get back in there without them realising what happened, I mean, seriously, look at me” he said incredulously

“I’ll go inside and see who’s about. Maybe I can convince your friend to distract them while you sneak out.”

“He mightn’t be finished yet. We did come here with a job to do, yo. Not just so I could get done up against the wall, you know?”

“Well we have to do something. They can’t know”

“Why? Would it be so bad if they knew? You’re a grown man, you can do what you want”
“It’s not as simple as that. I’m their leader, they have expectations.”

“Whatever, yo. Go on then, see who’s in there. My friend’s name is Adrian by the way, be nice to him, he’s new”

Cloud didn’t move to go though. He looked at the other man and took a deep breath, running his hand through his blonde spikes, which sprung neatly back into place.

“Was this just a one time thing, Reno?”

“I dunno’ Strife, do you want it to be?” Reno asked, his expression turning sly.

“No…” the blonde replied quietly, looking at the ground feeling his cheeks burn. When he raised his eyes Reno was directly in front of him, having crossed the distance between them silently.

“Good” Reno smirked, pressing a card into Cloud’s hand. “Give me a call sometime, Strife”

“Reno?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t call me that”

Reno raised an eyebrow, “Okay… Cloud. Why don’t you go speak to Adrian now?”

Cloud stepped back, feeling a little uncertain. But he turned and went through the door back into the bar anyway.
His heart was beating fast and at an irregular pace, his legs felt weak and he was feeling a little light headed, but there was no denying that he felt good. He allowed himself a small smile and tucked Reno’s card into his pocket.
He peeked around the corner into the main bar, gladly noticing that there were only two people there. The Turk and Yuffie. He stepped into the room, announcing himself by clearing his throat. They both turned and looked at him. The Turk spoke first, worry etched on his face.

“Where’s Reno?”

Cloud just beckoned for him to come closer, the Turk complied, moving away from a confused Yuffie.
Cloud waited until they were almost face to face and leaned in to whisper to the other man.

“Reno wants to leave without being seen. He’ll explain why to you himself later. I need you to distract Yuffie so he can get through. I’ll drive him back to your helicopter and then come back for you, ok?”

The Turk was looking at him distrustfully, but he nodded in agreement. Cloud watched him turn and walk back to Yuffie, he whispered something in her ear and she giggled in a way that made Cloud cringe. She grasped the Turk’s hand and led him upstairs.

He waited until they were out of sight before moving back to the rear door. He leaned outside and caught the redhead’s eye.

“The cost is clear, come on. Quickly”

They both moved through the building silently, Cloud closed the front door quietly behind them.
He mounted Fenrir and looked back at Reno.

“Hop on”

“What about Ade?”

“I’ll come back for him after I drop you off, get on the bike, Reno” he replied impatiently.

~

Reno was a little nervous about getting on that monster of a bike; he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of there being no barrier between him and the speeding blacktop. But he slid on behind Cloud, gripping the other man tightly.
He told Cloud where he had left his bird and the blonde sped off without warning, making Reno yelp and clutch onto him in a death grip.

“You did that on purpose!” he yelled over the roar of the engine

“Maybe” Cloud called back, and Reno swore he could hear a smirk in that voice.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the helicopter with the speed that Cloud travelled at, but it felt like forever to Reno. He kept his eyes squeezed shut and held on for dear life. When the bike finally pulled over, Cloud had to pry the redhead’s arms from around his waist. Reno was lifted off the bike gingerly, and once again he had to marvel at the blonde’s strength.

“Thanks for the ride” he said, as he looked at his reflection in the hull of the helicopter, frowning and fixing his hair.
Strong arms wrapped around his waist and he felt Cloud plant a gentle kiss on the back of his neck. Then he was gone, getting back onto his bike.

“I’ll be back in a minute with the other guy” he said before he sped off.

Reno leaned back against the cool black metal of the helicopter and lit up a smoke, watching the bike disappear around a corner.

~

Yuffie had brought him upstairs into what looked like an office; there was a bed in one corner, a desk in the other, and a ridiculously huge motorcycle wheel leaning against the wall. Yuffie had moved into the middle of the room, and he admired the smooth skin that showed under her belly top, and how her shorts hugged her slim figure just right.

“What’s this?” he asked, gesturing at the room

“This is Cloud’s office slash bedroom” she said with a giggle, pulling him over to sit on the bed with her. “I don’t think he’ll mind us being here since he kicked us out of the bar”

She talked constantly, but he didn’t mind. He listened to her talk about her homeland, about working for the WRO and about her friends. The more he listened, the more he began to wonder if he should take her somewhere a little nicer than he had originally planned. He certainly liked her, and was looking for more than a quick roll in the hay.

He was just about to suggest a nice restaurant in Kalm when he looked down at her, into her dark brown eyes that were almost black and a spark passed between them. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, she melted against him, opening her mouth to him with a sigh. He ran his hand over her exposed hip, pulling her closer. She had just begun to unzip his suit jacket when they heard a noise from the doorway.

They both looked up and saw Cloud. His arms crossed across his chest in a disapproving manner. He turned and left the room, obviously expecting Adrian to follow.

“I guess it’s time for me to go” Adrian said reluctantly, looking back at Yuffie. He pressed his card into her hand, folding her fingers around it and squeezing gently. He stood up

“Bye, Ade! I’ll call you soon” she chirped as he left, he smiled back at her as he left the room and jogged down the hall to catch up with the blonde.
He found Cloud downstairs in the bar.

“I take it that you got all of the answers you need” the blonde said coldly

“Yeah, I did. Did Reno get a statement from you?”

The blonde snorted. “Yeah. Come on, I don’t have all day” and he walked out the front door.

Adrian followed, surprised when he saw Cloud sitting on a huge bike.

“Don’t tell me that you’re afraid as well” Cloud sighed “Just get on behind me and hold on”

Adrian did as he was told. Sitting behind the other man, trying not to hold on too tightly when they started moving. It wasn’t as bad as he had feared, but Cloud defiantly drove way too fast. They took a corner roughly and he had to increase his grip so he wouldn’t fall off, he leaned his face forward and prayed to the Gods that they wouldn’t crash. While leaning forward he caught a smell from the other man, he wrinkled his nose. Cloud absolutely stank of sex. Before he had time to contemplate what exactly that meant, he was jerked forward as the bike stopped abruptly and he realised that they had arrived.

He slid off the bike, grateful to be on solid ground again. The blonde drove away without even a goodbye.

“Hey Ade”

He turned to see Reno coming around from the other side of the helicopter and he burst out laughing. Reno looked a right state, and he wasn’t stupid enough to miss the connection between that and what he had just smelled on the blonde moments ago.

“You fucked him” he gasped through laughter

“Correction,” Reno said, putting his hands on his hips, a proud smirk pulling at his lips “He fucked me”

-------------------

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