Kumbaya

“Kumbaya”
Part Four
(An “Alliance” universe ficlet)
~********************************~
(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)
*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.*
~***********************************************~

Cloud was feeling well enough after lunch to go hunting with Zack. Reno declined their invitation to go with. Some things he could get the hang of but shooting furry animals wasn’t one of them. Neither of them said anything about it and he was grateful for it, embarrassed that they’d discovered his soft spot.

“Don’t worry though,” he assured them as they gathered their gear and started leaving camp, “I’m not gonna try to pet any critters that come sniffing around.” He almost changed his mind right after saying the words, remembering the mother grizzly and her cub. “Uh, if that bear happens to come along…”

“Try shooting in the air first,” suggested Zack. “If that doesn’t scare her off, get in the truck and haul ass unless you can pull the trigger at her.”

“Gotcha,” Reno nodded. He watched them go and he sighed. There wasn’t shit to do out here by himself…except drink. That wouldn’t be any fun without his companions either, so he contented himself with playing a little solitaire with the deck of cards he kept in his jacket.

Two hours later, he was bored of playing cards and his companions hadn’t returned yet. He looked up at the sky and saw the darkening clouds coming in from the east. “Great…I was hoping to get through this without rain,” he sighed. He climbed into the tent and tried to think of something useful or at least interesting to do. With a shrug, he fished out his cellphone and called up Rufus to chat with him for a while.

“Hey boss. Yeah, I’m still alive. Zack and Cloud went to go bag us something for dinner so I’m stuck here by myself. Ya busy? Hmm.” Reno grinned. “Feel like entertaining me a little?” Nobody did phone sex like the president.

~************************************~

“Should we clean these away from camp?” Cloud pondered aloud as he and Zack made their way back to the camp. The meat from the rabbits and pheasants they’d caught should last until they left tomorrow. If not, they could always do more fishing.

“I guess that would be for the best,” Zack agreed. “We don’t want the smell of blood around our camp and Reno might not want to see us do it. I never would have thought Red was a softie for animals.”

Cloud nodded with agreement and they chose a spot to clean their kills before taking it back to camp for cooking. Between the two of them it didn’t take long and soon they were on their way again.

~************************************~

“Hey Foxy, we’re back with dinner,” Zack hollered as he and Cloud walked into the camping area. They both stopped and looked around. Reno was nowhere to be seen.

“Maybe he’s…uh…” Cloud said awkwardly.

“Taking a dump?” Finished Zack with a smirk. “Maybe. At least he put the fire out before he went to do it. Here, you take my critters and I’ll get the fire going again while you get them all on the spit, okay?” He handed his string of skinned and plucked kills to his lover and walked to the center of camp, intending to put fresh wood on it and get it started again.

As he passed by the tent on his way to get more wood, Zack heard a familiar voice moan lasciviously. He paused and listened, a grin pulling at his lips.

~Ah ha…sounds like Red’s giving himself a little pick-me-up. No wonder he didn’t answer when I called.~

Zack tiptoed to the tent and leaned in to listen more. He heard a whimper, followed by another sexy moan. Imagining what he’d find when he did it, he grabbed hold of the zippers and prepared to yank them down and surprise the Turk inside. What he heard next made him freeze and caused his eyes to pop wide.

“Unh…Rufus…don’t stop, baby! I want ya to fuck me senseless!”

Zack blinked in utter confusion but he didn’t stick around to hear the president’s response. He lurched away from the tent with a half-panicked expression on his face, making his way across the camp to Cloud. The blonde paused in his task of skewering the meat and he looked up at Zack with raised eyebrows.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking back in the direction Zack had come from suspiciously. “Don’t tell me the bear really did come here!” He started forward, his fear for Reno tossing his cooking plans out the window.

Zack grabbed him and stopped him, shaking his head. His face was pale as he spoke to the slighter man. “More like a cougar…I just heard Reno getting it on with Rufus in there!”

Cloud regarded him with an incredulous expression before shaking his head. “No…that can’t be right. Why would Rufus Shinra come all the way out here? Just to hop in the sleeping bag and pound at Reno while we’re out hunting? Doesn’t make sense.”

“Hey, I know what I heard,” Zack hissed. “I don’t know why but the man’s in there right now…go listen for yourself if you don’t believe me!”

Cloud understood Zack’s anxiety. Zack had his own hang-ups concerning the president and the thought of Rufus somehow getting out here and slipping into the tent with Reno just for the hell of it was mind-blowing by itself. Deciding Zack had to be mistaken, Cloud handed the meat over to the taller man and crept up to the tent carefully, listening for noises. He heard a soft, muffled cry, followed by Reno panting the president’s name. Cloud backed away again and shot a blue-eyed look of bewilderment at his lover.

“See?” Zack whispered harshly. “Told you so!”

It was so bizarre and so illogical that Cloud could only stand there like an idiot with his mouth hanging open. There was a rumble of thunder in the distance and it was just enough to drag him out of his daze. “Okay, I don’t know why he’s here,” said the blonde as he went back to Zack’s side and took the meat from him, “but it’s going to rain before long and we have to get these cooked. Just…try not to think about it and get the fire going, will you?”

Zack nodded and hurried away to gather more wood. Cloud continued what he’d started, rubbing seasoning and tenderizer over the meat to prepare it. Just as Zack returned with an armload of wood and started getting the fire going again, the tent opened and Reno stepped out, stretching languidly.

“Oh, you guys are back,” said the Turk in a lazy drone. “Hey looks like you had a pretty good haul. Guess I’ll come help ya get it cooked.”

Both of his companions were staring at him and he frowned. Maybe they heard him whacking off? But why would that make them both look so uncomfortable? “What’s with you two? Hey, if ya heard me in there you shouldn’t be surprised by now. Ya know how I am.”

“Uh…is Rufus going to stick around and have dinner with us?” Zack asked uncomfortably, poking at the kindling as he lit it.

Reno looked at him quizzically. “Did ya hit your head or something, Fair? Rufus ain’t nowhere around!”

“Oh yeah?” Zack hissed, “then who was that I heard screwing your brains out in there?”

Reno ogled him for a moment before reaching into his jacket and producing his cellphone. “Miracle of modern technology, country boy. If I can get off without going solo I will, yo.”

“Phone sex?” Cloud muttered.

“Oh,” Zack said, his face heating with embarrassment. “Yeah.”

Reno chuckled at the dark-haired fighter, thoroughly amused by his assumptions and reaction. “Ya know, you’re just a little precious sometimes, Feathers. So what had you all bothered about the thought…jealousy or envy?” He gazed at Zack with sly, ginger-lashed eyes and put his phone away.

“I’m not jealous,” Zack insisted as he averted his gaze and concentrated on his job. “I just got surprised when I thought he was in there. It would have been mighty awkward.”

“There’s that drawl again,” Reno observed, still smirking at the other man. “You crack me up sometimes, man.”

~*********************************~

They finished their dinner just before the sprinkle of rain turned into a shower. Cloud wrapped the remaining meat up and put it in the smaller cooler they’d brought, hoisting it up with the pulley to keep it off the ground and stop animals from getting into it. While he did that, Zack put the water bucket out and got the filter in place.

“I’m kind of glad we got this downpour,” the black-haired man said as he and his companions retreated to the tent. “Otherwise I’d have had to fly to the stream or lake for more water.”

“They aren’t as clean as they used to be,” agreed Cloud. Not only that, but small fissures in the bed could allow for Mako leaks. So far he hadn’t seen evidence of Mako pollution in this area but that didn’t mean small traces of it couldn’t get into the natural water supplies.

“So rain water’s cleaner?” asked Reno. He looked out the screen and watched the downpour. The water struck the tent with surprising ruckus, forcing them to raise their voices as they spoke.

“Depends where you get it from,” Cloud said with a shrug. He unscrewed the lid of one of their remaining bottles of water and got a bowl out of his bag to brush his teeth.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to drink rain water from Junon or Edge,” Zack agreed with a grimace.

“The pollution ain’t that bad anymore,” argued Reno.

“Maybe not but I still wouldn’t recommend it,” countered Zack with a grin.

Cloud finished brushing his teeth and passed the bowl and bottled water around for his companions to do the same. Reno slopped a bit in the process, unused to using a bowl to expectorate. With he was finished he handed the bowl to Zack and waggled his eyebrows at Cloud. “Why don’t you come here, Blondie? I didn’t get to mack on you last night ‘cause you were out cold.”

Cloud mumbled something and scooted closer. Having long ago grown used to Cloud and Rude’s tricky fuses, Reno put an arm around the blonde’s shoulders and contented himself with the small stuff, first. He nuzzled the fighter’s pale hair and teased his earlobe with his teeth and tongue. Zack watched covertly, smiling around the toothbrush as Reno worked his magic on their lover. Reno started flicking open the buttons on Cloud’s flannel shirt with smooth, deft motions while his mouth did things to the blonde’s sensitive ear that made his eyes flutter shut.

“Mmm, the woods really do make you unwind,” Reno purred as he pulled Cloud’s shirt open and caressed his chest. He stroked a nipple to hardness and Cloud turned his head and caught his mouth with his, kissing him demandingly. Usually it had to be spontaneous with the blonde or there was more coaxing involved. Telling him out loud that he wanted to sex him up generally just made him embarrassed.

Zack finished cleaning his teeth and he crawled to the tent opening to dispose of the paste water. When he ducked back in, he shook a few drops of rainwater out of his hair and closed in on his lovers, enjoying the sight of Cloud’s chest rising and falling faster. Rather than say anything aloud and risk spoiling the momentum Reno had going, Zack leaned in silently and started kissing Cloud’s neck. Sandwiched between the two of them, Cloud wondered vaguely if they had planned this or if the two of them just fell into it naturally. Given the sex drives of his lovers, it could have been either but he didn’t know when they might have found time to formulate this plan without him noticing it.

Someone’s hand started working at the fastenings of his pants and Cloud started to mumble against Reno’s lips, but the Turk refused to break the kiss and the blonde’s position was too compromised to do much about it.

“Hey Red,” Zack whispered huskily. “I haven’t seen you top our Sunshine yet.”

“Have to fix that, don’t we?” answered Reno with a silken chuckle.

Cloud hadn’t been expecting that and he was embarrassingly intrigued. He and Reno had taken turns bottoming for Zack and Reno had done it for both of them on the first night there, but the Turk had never topped him in front of Zack before. Reno nuzzled his cheek and paused to look into his eyes, his expression sensual and questioning at once.

“How about it, Cloud?” He stroked the other nipple to a peak and watched as the blonde’s lips parted to emit a little gasp. Zack got his pants open and exposed his erection, giving it a slow pull while he waited to hear the answer too.

Cloud probably couldn’t have spoken coherently even if he tried. He was so turned on he knew that he’d lose control and jump one or both of them soon if something didn’t happen. He nodded wordlessly and captured Reno’s mouth again, thrusting his tongue in with needy approval. Reno groaned and eased him onto his back, while Zack tugged his pants down and pulled them off.

~How did I end up in nothing but an open shirt?~ Cloud pondered how quickly his lovers had gotten him in this state of undress. Both of them were still fully clothed, but as Reno resumed kissing him Zack began to relieve the Turk of his garments, too. When he finished undressing Reno, he lit the overhead lantern so that he could see everything in the failing light.

“Do we have to have the light?” questioned Cloud as his bashfulness chose the moment to come flooding back.

Zack and Reno grinned at each other and the former reached out to free Reno’s hair from his ponytail. “Oh yeah,” Zack insisted. “I want to see every minute of this.”

“Why don’t you roll onto your side for me, baby?” Reno suggested, his hands gliding down Cloud’s chest and stomach. “I know you like spooning.”

Cloud bit his lip and took the suggestion, feeling an interesting combination of lust and shyness. Reno’s warm, lean body pressed against him from behind and Zack got the lube out and handed it over to the Turk. The sable-haired fighter’s first instinct was to lie down beside Cloud but he had a better idea. He climbed over his lovers and eased himself down on the sleeping bag behind Reno, caressing the Turk’s naked backside with his fingertips while Reno started preparing Cloud.

“You gonna fuck me while I fuck him, Wolfy?” Reno asked in a low, husky whisper as he turned his head and kissed Zack. He whispered it directly into the bigger man’s ear, trying to keep Cloud from hearing. He curled his fingers around the blonde’s stiffened cock and stroked it slowly to keep him distracted.

Zack smiled against his lips and nodded. He began removing his clothes while Reno eased a finger into Cloud’s backside and began to pump carefully. Cloud’s shuddering gasp indicated that the deeper flush on his cheeks was no longer due to embarrassment and the Turk kissed his ear and kept going.

Zack waited to start working on Reno, not wanting to distract from his preparation of their lover. He glided his fingers over the crease where the redhead’s buttocks met his thighs, drawing a sigh of pleasure from him. He watched Reno’s middle finger disappear into Cloud’s body with the first and he smiled as the blonde bit his lip and pressed back against them. Cloud’s pink-capped erection was starting to dribble with precum as Reno stroked him off and stimulated him inside.

When Cloud started to instinctively push back against Reno’s fingers, Zack knew he was almost ready. The black-haired man grabbed the lube and got to work on Reno, nibbling his neck as he pressed his slick finger against his hole, rubbing to make it relax for him. When the resistance gave and he pushed inside, Reno shuddered and rocked backwards against him. He didn’t break his rhythm despite the pleasure and he kept working Cloud’s body to receive him. More accustomed to and experienced with bottoming, Reno didn’t require as much preparation as Cloud. He knew how to relax his insides for his partners and he was ready enough for Zack by the time he was satisfied that Cloud was relaxed.

“Good to go, Zack,” Reno murmured to the former Soldier, afraid that he’d come too soon if he made Zack wait until he’d already started.

“You sure?” Zack whispered back, a flash of concern crossing his features.

“What are you two talking about?” Cloud gasped, his arousal briefly over-ridden by suspicion. He gasped immediately afterwards as Reno withdrew his fingers, positioned himself and sank slowly into his body. “Oh…ah…” The feel of being penetrated by the Turk’s cock affectively put an end to his questions.

Zack lined himself up and just as carefully pushed the head of his arousal against Reno’s hole, butting against it until it gave. The Turk’s body gave another of those delightful shudders and he moaned. Zack reached his arm around to embrace both his lovers as well as he could and he kissed Reno’s neck and withdrew a little before pushing further in. Guided by his motions, the redhead did the same and Cloud’s shaken gasp made them both smile.

It began to dawn on Cloud that Zack was doing Reno while Reno was doing him. He was briefly annoyed at them for trying to sneak it up on him instead of just being honest, but he had to admit he could be kind of a prude about things like this.

“I wouldn’t have minded,” he panted, his eyes rolling with pleasure as Reno’s cock pumped with slow, gentle motions inside of him. “Should have just asked.”

“Sorry baby,” Reno gasped. “Just didn’t want to freak you out.” Zack’s thick length pushed against his prostate and the redhead clenched his teeth as it made him twitch inside the blonde. “Fuck, Wolfy…ya got the angle…oh shit…”

“Good?” queried Zack. His breath tickled Reno’s skin as his lips skimmed over his shoulder.

“Hell yeah,” agreed the Turk. The sensation of being inside of someone while being fucked himself was amazing and he was mentally kicking himself for not trying it before now. Granted, the only man he’d ever topped before besides Cloud was Tseng but he couldn’t imagine the Wutaian protesting to something like this if he’d ever bothered to ask. When Zack was seated completely inside of him, he moaned heavily and bucked into Cloud a bit harder than he intended.

“Unh!” Cloud grunted, panting softly as the redhead’s dick rudely butted against his tender gland.

“Sorry,” apologized Reno again, reminding himself to take it slower. Cloud could get into a hard fuck but there had to be some build-up first. As for himself, he wanted that big cock inside of him to be a little more forceful and he said as much to Zack in his next panting comment.

It was a little clumsy at first but Zack gamely thrust harder and pulled his arm closer to brace Reno’s hip with his hand, so that he wouldn’t accidentally force the Turk to ram into Cloud. Reno consciously focused on the rolling motions of his own hips, groaning into Cloud’s hair as he took him slow and gentle. Cloud whimpered softly and turned his head for a kiss, placing one hand over the one that Reno was stroking him off with.

“Better?” Reno panted against his mouth.

Cloud nodded and sucked on the Turk’s tongue as it slid between his lips. He heard Zack’s soft grunts and exclamations of pleasure and he wished he could reach far enough back to caress the black-haired man. Zack moaned Reno’s name and then his and Cloud answered the moan, sympathizing with him completely. The scent of both his lovers enveloped him, providing an interesting combination of cinnamon, cloves and sandalwood. Cloud bit his lip on a cry as the sensations began to overwhelm him and he warned his companions that he was getting close.

“Thank fuck,” Reno panted with feeling. He was on the verge of climax too and he could tell by the rhythm of Zack’s breathing that he wouldn’t be far behind. He wanted Zack to have the full experience and he murmured breathlessly to encourage him. “Hey Wolfy…let yourself go, okay?”

“Have to,” Zack growled, shoving hard and deep into the Turk. Reno saw spots and he hollered a ragged exclamation as he started spurting because of the thrust. Somehow, he kept his wits and continued stroking Cloud off, making him follow him into orgasm. Zack kept going for a moment, his desperate little growls increasing in volume. Reno felt it when he came and he smirked with pleasure as his warm seed filled him.

Gasping and weak with pleasure, the three men lay against one another in the tent while they recovered. When he found his breath, Zack spoke. “We’ve got to do that again sometime, guys.”

~*******************************~

Reno was woken up several times by booms of thunder and the storm lasted until morning. When it cleared up, he finally got to sleep only to wake up an hour later, uncomfortably hot. He heard Zack and Cloud talking with each other just outside the tent and he sat up and fumbled around for his clothes. He dragged his jeans on but he didn’t bother with the shirt.

“Now it feels like summer,” the redhead grumbled as he unzipped the tent and climbed out to join his companions. He pulled his hair back and secured it in the elastic as he stumbled sleepily toward the fire. Zack and Cloud were already there, making up a cold breakfast of oat bars and the remaining fruit they’d brought with them.

“Yeah, we got a warm front when the storm cleared,” Zack said. He wore a muscle shirt and so did Cloud.

“You might want to put a little repellent on,” suggested Cloud when Reno swatted at a hovering insect. “Do you want coffee or is it too warm for you?”

“Gotta have the coffee,” Reno muttered. He started to plop down but realized the area around the campfire was muddy.

“Here,” Zack said as he dragged the large cooler closer. “Have a seat on this.”

Reno sank down gratefully on the surface of the cooler and ran his fingers through his hair. “Day’s just gonna get hotter, too,” he complained.

“Probably,” Agreed Cloud with a nod as he poured some of the fresh water they’d collected into the kettle and positioned it over the fire. “I might change into some shorts.”

“Hrm, that might make it worth it,” commented Reno with a brief leer at the blonde. He slapped irritably at another insect that took a bite out of him. “Where’s the damned repellant, again?”

“Here,” Zack rifled through a pack nearby and tossed a bottle his way. Reno caught it and examined it curiously. “It’s all natural stuff so you shouldn’t have to worry about a chemical smell.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” said the Turk dryly as he popped the cap and started pumping the spray over his arms, chest and pants. “Get my back for me?”

Zack obliged and lifted Reno’s ponytail aside to spray some of the stuff on his back and shoulders. “Better let me get that cute tushy too, Red.”

Reno stood up and allowed him to spray more on his backside and thighs. “This shit better work,” he said as he took his seat again. “Uh, sorry,” he mumbled a moment later, realizing he was being a dick again.

“If you weren’t cranky in the morning I’d think something was wrong,” replied Cloud with a smirk. He dropped a coffee bag into the mug he’d prepared and poured some steaming water in. Reno watched with bleary eyes as the blonde tore open a packet of sugar and dumped it into the mixture before dropping a spoon in and handing it over to him.

“Thanks, Blondie.” His morning crankiness was somewhat absolved by his lovers’ courtesy toward him. He dunked the coffee bag a few times before setting the mug aside to take the plate Zack handed to him. Once again, they were doing it all while he sat back and complained. Reno chuckled after swallowing a bite of apple and he shook his head. “I must be a really good lay.”

“No arguments from this quarter,” Cloud agreed with a subtle smile at him.

“None from me either,” Zack chuckled. “Why else would we put up with you, Foxy?”

Reno took the teasing in stride, knowing he’d set himself up for it. He bit off some of the oat bar and chewed it with a grimace. He liked the oatmeal Zack had concocted from the bars better than the raw stuff, but it was food and he’d had worse. He took a sip of coffee to wash it down and admired his companions silently as he ate. He wasn’t good at expressing appreciation but he knew he was lucky to have them.

~*************************************~

After breakfast, they went fishing again. There were still some leftovers from dinner last night but Zack knew Reno had enjoyed fishing the day before and he wanted him to have the experience once more before they left the mountains. Cloud was impressed by how well Reno handled himself with the spear fishing, especially when the redhead caught more than he and Zack.

“Don’t worry about it going bad on you,” Zack said as they headed back to camp. “The fish will keep until we head back to the farm and we’ll freeze it right away, so you can take some home with you.”

Reno had the perfect idea for his share of the fish and he didn’t argue against the offer. They finished off the leftovers from the night before for lunch and then packed everything up, wrapping the fish and storing it in one of the coolers for the trip back. The only complaint Reno had was that the insects seemed to be more attracted than repelled by the spray he’d used by the time afternoon came around. His discomfort was somewhat salved by the sight of Cloud in his denim cut-off shorts and muscle shirt.

“Wait, I’ve gotta get a picture of this before we head back,” Reno said as he got his cellphone out and aimed it in Cloud’s direction. “Bend over the hood of the truck, Blondie.”

Cloud’s eyes widened. “What? No!”

“Aww, come on,” encouraged the redhead. “That shit you guys sprayed on me is like some kind of special sauce to these damned bugs and I’m covered in bites. Make it up to me, hot stuff.”

A predictable blush covered Cloud’s cheeks. “I’m changing out of these things,” he muttered.

“Not yet,” Zack insisted with a wink Reno’s way. He caught the blonde around the waist and backed up against the truck, pulling him with him. “Let’s just give him a little snapshot, Sunshine.” He lowered his mouth to the blonde’s and muffled his protest with a kiss, leaning backwards over the hood of the truck and forcing Cloud to bend over him.

“Thanks, Wolfy,” snickered Reno as he zoomed in with the cellphone camera and took one shot of Cloud’s ass and another of the two of them kissing.

“Assholes,” gasped the blonde when Zack released him. The other man squeezed his bottom and grinned at him, unperturbed.

~*************************************~

“I Guess we can make use of this if you don’t want it,” Zack said as he lifted the straw hat off the dash and studied it. “It might look goofy but you’d be surprised how much good it can do when you’re working in the sun.”

Reno eyeballed the hat and bit his lip. “Uh…I guess I don’t mind taking it with me,” he said. Zack paused and looked at him with a sly smile, causing a rare blush to form on the Turk’s cheeks. Reno scuffed the ground with his shoes and shrugged, putting his hands in his jeans pockets. “It’s not so bad and I had a little fun.”

“So you want your souvenir after all?” Zack prompted, holding the hat out to him as the redhead leaned against his car.

Reno snatched it and ignored the grin Cloud threw at him as the blonde opened the passenger side door and placed the wrapped fish inside on a plate. “Yeah, I’ll hang it on my wall next to a certain pair of cuffs,” muttered the Turk.

“You don’t have to be in a big hurry to rush home,” Cloud said softly, lifting his eyes to regard Reno.

“I’ve gotta go back to work tomorrow,” answered the Turk in an equally reluctant tone. “If I stay here overnight I know we’ll end up fooling around ‘till the break of dawn.” He was eager to get back to a soft bed and a hot shower but he wasn’t the slightest bit eager to leave Cloud or Zack.

“We’ll have next weekend,” Zack said, trying to lighten the mood. He handed the hat over to Reno and cupped the back of his head for a shameless kiss.

Reno kissed him back just as shamelessly and as soon as the kiss ended, he ducked into the car and caught Cloud before he could pull away, pulling his head forward for an equally heated goodbye kiss.

“Keep the fire warmed up for me ‘till I can come visit again, Blondie.” Reno murmured smugly against Cloud’s mouth.

“I…I will,” answered Cloud dazedly. He eased back and shut the passenger side door, watching by Zack’s side as Reno slid in and started the car.

“You know, I think we can break him down a lot sooner than we thought,” Zack muttered sidelong to the blonde as Reno backed out of the gravel driveway and onto the road.

Cloud smiled quietly.

~**************************************~

“What’s this?” Rufus asked as Reno handed something frozen and wrapped to him. The redhead went straight to his office as soon as he was on the clock, bringing an unexpected and unknown gift with him.

“Trout,” said Reno. “I caught most of ‘em myself, if you can believe it.”

Rufus raised a brow at him. “Did you? I seem to recall you swearing up and down that Rude would never get you out on that lake. What tactic did Strife and Fair employ?”

“Spear fishing,” answered the Turk with a shrug. “It wasn’t too bad…kind of liked it, actually.”

Rufus’s mouth twitched. Yes, he could picture Reno spearing fish in a river, if nothing else. “I trust the rest of the trip was tolerable?”

“Got chased by a bear,” said Reno, prompting another surprised look from the president. “Zack saved my ass but it wasn’t something I’d want to do again. Oh and get this….” He started snickering. “Do you remember that phone conversation we had yesterday?”

“Vividly,” answered Rufus with a smirk.

“Well, Zack caught the tail end of some of it when he came back from hunting,” Reno had to pause to catch his breath and his knees threatened to buckle. “He thought…he thought you were in the tent with me, yo!”

Rufus set the frozen trout on the table and shook his head. “How could I have…he honestly thought I was in there?”

“Yup.” Reno leaned on the president’s desk for support as his amusement overcame him. “He got Blondie convinced you were in there too! How do ya like that?”

Rufus covered a laugh behind a cough. “What a delightful pair of idiots,” he said, imagining the confusion it must have caused.

“So what do you think about the fish, boss?” Reno was still trying to control his laughter.

“I think it’s been too long since I last prepared fresh trout,” Rufus answered with a crooked smile. “Perhaps tonight you, Tseng and Rude can come to my apartment after work and we can enjoy a barbeque.”

Reno was all too happy to take the invitation, pleased that the camping trip had not only given him more time with Cloud and Zack, but evidently it would give him more time with the others, as well.

~*****************************************~

-The End