Trioverse ficlets

"Going to have to do better than that," Reno rasped through a mouthful of blood. He spit and turned a feral grin with blood stained teeth on his opponent. "All you did was piss me off and make me a little less pretty."

Reno regained his footing and mockingly gestured with fluttering fingers for the fight to continue. His EMR fully extended with a flick of his wrist and crackled to life. Arcs of blue lightning jumped along its length. Playtime was over. Reno had a schedule to keep and a date he fully intended to not be late for. His opponent, Sev Mitchell, baby Turk and full grown pain in the ass, widened his eyes at the sight of the weapon.

"What? Can't take me on your own? Gotta try to even things up after all?" Mitchell called and swung his own weapon.

Over six and a half feet tall, almost as big as Rude, Mitchell had the brawn but not necessarily the brains as Reno's partner did. He'd been an irritating, condescending, ignorant fuckwad ever since recruitment had shoved him onto the Turks. Tseng had almost lost his legendary composure when told of the assignment, snarling epithets about having to babysit the moron just because Mitchell was a bastard apple fallen from a Shinra family branch. It had been done as either a means to goad Tseng and Veld, an attempt to discredit the Turks or simply been an available means to get rid of an embarrassment. 'Killed in Action' was more favorable than 'head blown off by President because he couldn't keep his mouth shut'.

They couldn't just outright off the idiot, either. Tseng had considered that President Shinra might see it as an insult and uprising against himself and the company. In such a case he could 'legitimately' let Heidegger take over and clean house. Tseng and Veld would never willingly expose the Turks to such an option. The division had to remain intact and under the current leadership to further their goals until Rufus could come to power. The senior Turks had invested a lot of time and planning in the education and grooming of the younger Shinra. It wouldn't be wasted by the impulsive killing of such obviously planted bait.

Reno's grin widened and he danced around Mitchell on light, agile feet. Blurringly fast strikes rained blows on the bigger man and he only managed to block about half of them. Reno had dialed down the setting of his EMR so that each time it connected the man only got a painful, but not incapacitating, jolt of electricity. It was Reno's way of telling the man he wasn't worth the effort of full on battle, and that he was also not considered a decent adversary at all. Despite his ego fueled ignorance, Mitchell eventually caught on to the subtle taunt and tried some digging of his own.

"Fucker," Mitchell spat, "pansy assed, pretty boy." He tried a strike of his own that fell so short of the mark as to be laughable. "You afraid I really will mark your face?" He grunted as a jolt of electricity zapped him when the EMR connected with his thigh. "Maybe your SOLDIER boyfriends wouldn't want you anymore, eh?"

Reno didn't bother to answer. He sneered and stepped up the pace a little.

"You think people don't know? That Lieutenant is a fine piece of work, but that little blond that tags after you...sweet looking meat," Mitchell taunted. He paid for it with a vicious jab to his stomach and wheezed out a grim laugh. "Oh? That push a button, Red? He sure is a pretty thing. I wouldn't mind having him bouncing on my cock. Or better, hold him face down and plow him until he bleeds and cries for mercy. I'll bet those blue eyes are even prettier glassy with tears of pain."

Reno was breathing hard and shaking with the need for control. It would be a mistake to react to the taunts. He would only give Mitchell what the man wanted, confirmation of a rumor of weakness, something that could be used as blackmail or leverage.

"The President wouldn't even blink over hearing a too pretty cadet was raped. He'd probably say something about there needing to be stricter entrance requirements. Besides, something that sweet just begs to be used, doesn't it? Even SOLDIER boy couldn't do a thing." Mitchell wiped some blood from his face and made the mistake of thinking he had the upper hand. "Heiddeger will know soon enough if he doesn't already. You really fraternizing just for a fuck?"

Reno blurred into a deadly dance of pain and punishment. Strike after strike hit only to return and hit harder. He wanted to shove the EMR down the fucker's throat for even *thinking* that Cloud and Zack were to be used against a supposedly fellow Turk, for thinking that he could touch Cloud. Reno mercilessly beat the man until an iron grip latched onto his left arm.

"He's done," Rude's deep, quiet voice penetrated Reno's rage but it did nothing to stop the snarl directed at him. He easily caught Reno's other wrist when the EMR swung towards his own head. "Enough," Rude rumbled and squeezed the bones in his partner's wrist warningly.

Reno gritted his teeth against the pain of his wrist bones grinding together and debated the wisdom of bringing his feet into play. What is really worth it to take on Rude just to finish his revenge against an opponent that was too damaged to fight back? They stared each other down, Rude calm and unflappable and Reno spitting and vibrating with anger, until a pathetic moan from the floor broke the silence. Reno stepped back and twisted his wrists for release. Rude held him for another charged second then let him go.

"Fucking fucker!" Reno spat, but he did move back another two steps at the silent command given by Rude's right eyebrow raising pointedly. "Shoulda let me just finish him. Fucker has it coming, daring to think he could blackmail a fellow Turk!"

"Tseng and Veld should handle it," Rude said as he felt for a pulse on a blood sticky neck. Finding one he pulled a small, glowing sphere from his pocket. "Cure," he muttered, healing the injuries just enough that Mitchell wouldn't die. After a pause, he switched to a different color sphere and said, "Erase, T minus thirty," effectively erasing from Mitchell's memory the fight. They could tell the man he had been found trying to take on a training 'bot on too high a setting. Well, they could if Mitchell survived his debriefing interview with Veld and Tseng concerning the injuries. After dealing with the idiot, Rude effectively demolished a training 'bot on standby with his bare hands then knelt again to change the settings.

Reno stood off to the side, wiping away blood and still too angry to be grateful for his partner's intervention. His mind seethed as he thought about just who and how many people Mitchell might have told his juicy little tidbit. It wasn't like the man had too many friends or drinking buddies, but that didn't mean there weren't some who would listen to him just to get some fresh dirt.

"Gonna give me some'a that?" Reno asked his partner harshly when Rude stood and brushed off his trousers. "Bastard opened my cheek and split my lip."

"No," Rude replied and continued over the low growl rumbling from Reno's throat. "Medical personnel will be here soon. Let them treat you for the injuries you sustained trying to rescue Mitchell from his own ego." He nodded in the direction of the demolished machine. Luckily it, too, had the capabilities of an EMR and the electrical burns wouldn't have to be explained. Rude snagged a towel and tossed it to Reno. "Wipe down your piece, man, and chill out."

"Chill out?" Reno blurted in disbelief. "Did you even catch any of that?"

"Enough of it."

"Then you know what the fuck he dared to say to me!"

"He also had a point, Reno. I told you when you started fucking around that it could be dangerous for both you and them."

"It's not just 'fucking around'!" Reno hissed.

"Exactly," Rude said, still the picture of calm. "Makes it even more dangerous, and you acting like some vengeful lover isn't helping matters any. Calm down and think logically before I have to put you down. You don't want that."

Reno controlled himself with an effort. Rage, possessiveness and the need to protect still burned in his blood and made his muscles twitch. Rude was one of only a handful of people who could best Reno and, damn, the bald bastard hit *hard*. The arrival of the medical staff forestalled any more conversation. The first to arrive, a slightly built older doctor with the unlikely name of Hiney, took a set of vitals on the groaning man just beginning to return to consciousness.

"Damned, stupid new recruits," Dr. Hiney muttered under his breath. "Give them a weapon and they think they can take on anything."

The doctor continued a running monologue on Turks, egos, stupidity and everything in general while he stabilized Mitchell for transport. A tech, meanwhile, timidly dabbed at Reno's face and lip, flinching each time a painful touch provoked a snarl from the slightly battered Turk. Some antiseptic that burned enough to earn a string of colorful curses from Reno and a couple of butterfly strips later and the tech gratefully pronounced Reno good to go.

"Oy! No Cure for me, doc?" Reno shouted after the man supervising the gurney going out the door.

"You're fine, Turk," Dr. Hiney told him impassively. "It will heal in a day or two provided you don't open the wounds again doing something stupid." His worn, aggravated tone of voice suggested how much experience he had dealing with Reno and how he figured Reno would do just the opposite of what he advised.

Reno fumed silently until he was sure the little party had gone further away. He pulled out his weapon again to do a more thorough job of cleaning it and pinned his partner with a look.

"You thinking I should break it off?"

After a moment Rude replied, "No." He kept a wary eye on his adrenalin and fury charged partner. "Like you would listen to me anyway."

"I do listen to you." Rude's aggrieved tone of voice forced Reno to respond to that. "I respect your opinion, man."

"You do," Rude agreed. "but not when it comes to this. Your heart over rules your head when it comes to them. Just...be more careful. Don't do something that would force Tseng or Veld to speak to you about it."

Reno irritably put away his EMR and grabbed the rest of his equipment to head for the locker room. Rude followed like a silent shadow, not speaking again but before they got to the door he reached out to squeeze Reno's shoulder in quiet support.

In the Turks' locker room, Reno got his casual clothes from his locker and stripped to stand in the scalding shower. The force of the water on his injured face made him wince. He smoothed his face out to ease the pull then winced again when he thought about Zack's and Cloud's reactions to his injuries. Zack would most likely be concerned but pragmatic about it. It was an every day possibility to be injured in the line of duty. But Cloud...Reno lathered his length of hair and thought about his youngest lover.

Cloud had recently, jubilantly, started his SOLDIER training and was in the process of receiving the first round of mako injections. His reactions lately hadn't been anywhere near as delightful as that first time, Reno still grinned each time he remembered Cloud's expression the next morning, but there *had* been some changes. Cloud's temper was more easily riled and not as easy to vanquish. His slight form had filled out a little more, but that had only served to make him more lovely. One of the most notable changes had been the dramatic increase in his self confidence. While Reno and Zack could still make him blush and stutter in acute embarrassment he shook it off faster and had no trouble meeting their eyes.

The good outweighed the bad, Reno told himself for about the millionth time. Cloud was marginally safer as a SOLDIER. The General's hatred and distrust of Hojo ensured that he kept a very close eye on the men under his command. The memory of Cloud's blushing, stuttering, starry eyed accounting of his first brief conversation with the famed General still made Reno smile. The same memory also tugged his lips into a frown. Zack had told him that Sephiroth had been quite interested in the young SOLDIER, even going as far as watching a training session from behind the reflective windows of the observation room.

Not for you, poster boy, Reno thought and let the shower flow over his face and into his mouth. He spit pink tinged water towards the drain and shut off the water. A long look in the mirror while shaving made him grumble some more about his partner. He winked at his slightly battered reflection and tried a charming smile. Yeah, he could distract his lovers from asking too many questions.

Reno dressed, tied off his damp tail of hair and stopped only long enough to drop his suit at the dry cleaners. Then he grabbed his bike to race towards home. Habit made him open the apartment door as quietly as possible. What greeted him was the sight of his younger lover sprawled bonelessly on the couch and fast asleep. Reno crept closer and his hand ghosted over Cloud's cheek to lightly trace the dark smudges under his eyes.

"He had a tough day," Zack said softly from the hallway. "Still building his stamina." Zack beckoned Reno closer and cupped the redhead's jaw to tilt his face into the light. "And I think it's a good thing he's probably down for the night. Are you going to just tell me, or will I have to resort to other methods of persuasion?"

Reno leaned into the warmth of Zack's touch and edged closer to press their bodies together. "Nothing big, just sparring with a rookie who needed to be shown that it's a bad idea to fuck with me." He turned his head to touch his tongue to the inside of Zack's wrist. It brought the gratifying result of a small hitch in Zack's breathing and another arm looping around him to settle against his lower back. Reno dropped open mouthed kisses up the inside of Zack's arm until he could nip at his neck.

Zack groaned in appreciation and let his head drop back, but he wasn't fooled.

"You have something on your mind, and you're trying to distract me." He tightened his embrace and stared into Reno's feverishly bright eyes. "What's up, Reno? Don't tell me it's nothing, either. You know I can feel the tension in your body, and it's not the good kind."

Reno sighed softly and rested his forehead against Zack's chest. Concerned, Zack stroked his hand through his lover's hair, discarding the hair tie so that the smooth strands slid easily through his fingers. They stood like that for several long minutes, Zack waiting patiently and giving the redhead the reassurance and comfort he seemed to want but never asked for aloud.

"Okay," Reno finally said, "but let's go to the bedroom so we don't wake Cloud. Poor kid looks done in right now."

They tip toed further down the hall even though it was pretty apparent a herd of stampeding chocobos wouldn't wake Cloud from his exhausted sleep. Once in the surprisingly tidy bedroom Zack took the bed to recline propped on his elbows while his softly glowing eyes tracked the redhead pacing the floor.

"Have you noticed anyone watching either of you or paying any unusual attention to Cloud?"

Zack quirked a fine, black eyebrow. "This isn't about Sephiroth, is it? It's only natural for him to be interested in the progress of up and coming SOLDIERs, especially ones with as much enthusiasm and raw talent as Cloud." Zack bit his lower lip for a moment. "He also knows that Cloud belongs to us...and, he's fine with that."

Reno stopped pacing to stare at his lover. "Sephiroth knows that we're all lovers? You told him?"

Zack shrugged one shoulder. "Didn't have to. Seph's uncanny like that. He knows more about what goes on outside of his command than people give him credit for. He asked and I confirmed it. All he said was to not let it carry over into overt favoritism to Cloud while the kid is a lower rank."

One worry eased in Reno's chest at hearing the great General wasn't interested in his lovers in *that* way, particularly Cloud who had regarded him as his role model for so long.

"I wasn't worried about Sephiroth," Reno only partially lied. "I'm talking about anyone else watching him."

Zack snagged Reno's wrist and pulled the redhead close to stand between his legs.

"You've been unusually jittery and testy for months now, Reno, ever since Cloud made the cut. I've been waiting for you to talk to me but you never have." Zack's smooth voice betrayed a little of his hurt over that fact. "What's eating at you? And before you say anything, let me tell you that Cloud has noticed, too."

"I didn't say anything before because it's mostly just been a feeling," Reno said and traced Zack's lower lip with his fingertip. "I didn't want to worry you about it because there was nothing concrete to back it up."

"News flash, lover. You're worrying me, and you're worrying Cloud."

Reno sighed in defeat and sank to the floor to kneel between Zack's legs, resting his chin on his lover's knee and petting the opposite knee in silent apology.

"I shouldn't be telling you this, Zack. It's been for Turk ears only. Veld and Tseng would probably have ripped my balls off and shoved them down my throat before thinking of even more creative ways to kill me if I had dared to let anything slip. But...now I'm getting the feeling that they are really unhappy with what Shinra is doing these days. Hojo demanded that the Turks bring him this girl from down below plate. He spewed some nonsense about her being an Ancient and the last of her kind. Who the hell knows if it's true or what he really wants to do with her. For some reason Tseng took the assignment, but he's been somehow letting her slip away every time. I don't know *why* he's doing it or what he's telling Hojo, but he is, and..."

Reno took a deep, shuddering breath. The relief of finally being able to talk to Zack about what he had been hearing was almost painful in its intensity.

"And where does Cloud come into all this?" Zack was running his thumb along Reno's jaw, and his tone was gently encouraging, but Reno had felt the tension building in Zack's legs after the mention of Hojo.

"I'm not sure," Reno admitted. "But, there's been whispers of Hojo beginning a new project, or maybe restarting an old one. I don't really know. I've never heard of anyone willingly let the crazy bastard experiment on them. Then Cloud got his first mako injection. You can't tell me that his reaction was all that normal. You were worried, too. The feeling got stronger that something bad is coming. Hojo wants a specimen. He wants a *human* specimen. He wouldn't be above using the candidacy program to find someone."

"No, he wouldn't," Zack agreed. He tugged on a lock of Reno's hair. "What else happened today that you didn't tell me."

"The rookie I beat the shit out of mentioned you and Cloud. He *knew*, Zack. We've been so careful, and he sure as hell is no Sephiroth. He shouldn't have known anything. Then he went on to say if anything happened to Cloud that it would go unnoticed at Shinra."

Zack's normally gentle nature turned hard and unyielding towards anyone that threatened his lovers. "Did you kill him?" he asked in a low growl.

"Tried. Rude stopped me, but he erased part of the fucker's memory and set it up to look another way. I...trust Tseng to take care of it from here."

"Does Tseng know about us?"

"Probably," Reno grudgingly admitted. "I'd be surprised if he didn't. Not much gets past him, but he's never said anything to me about it."

Zack took a deep, cleansing breath, held it for a minute, then let it out in a slow sigh to try to dampen his anger. The mako bubbling in his blood made it difficult considering the personal threat to all he held dear. His eyes glowed fierce and bright with it.

"Zack?"

Zack managed a small smile for Reno. "We'll make sure that nothing happens. Cloud's a SOLDIER now. Whatever Hojo wants it will harder to make a SOLDIER disappear than one of thousands of troopers. We'll also be more on guard against anyone trying to use us against each other." Zack's smile took on a sharper edge. "You, however, should have mentioned something sooner."

"I told you why I didn't," Reno protested, but something in Zack's tone sent a bolt of lust racing through him, and he smoothed his hands up Zack's thighs suggestively.

Zack didn't rise to the bait, sitting still and unmovable as stone. Well, not exactly true. Part of him *did* rise, but that was only natural around Reno. His sharp smile lasted for another minute before it dissolved into an exasperated grin. He shook his head and took Reno by the shoulders to hoist him and flipped them until Reno was a hot, squirming presence beneath him. The feel of clothed hardness between them as he rolled his hips more firmly between Reno's needy, spread legs made Zack's enhanced eyes glow brighter and a possessive growl rumble in his throat. The easy way Reno's arms encircled him and tugged him closer soothed Zack's irritation with his lover.

He allowed Reno to pull his head down and nuzzled into the still damp softness of all that glorious hair then nipped hard on a pierced ear. The combination of pleasure and pain made Reno moan and pant his name, but Zack wasn't about to let Reno get away with distracting him so easily. He braced his upped body on one inhumanly strong arm and grasped a handful of hair to arch Reno's neck and keep his lover from the kiss he obviously wanted.

"Za...ack!" Reno demanded, his voice refusing to echo the pleading his body was doing.

Zack traced Reno's brow, cheeks and mouth with his lips but never let them touch. His warm breath tickled the flushed skin, and Reno strained against the hold on his hair.

"You shoulder talk to us, Reno," Zack's lips barely brushed against his lover's as he murmured the words. "Hiding facts doesn't help any of us, and you shouldn't have to deal with any of it by yourself anyway. We're in this together, you know."

Reno mumbled something noncommittal and tried to swipe at Zack's lips with his tongue. Damn SOLDIER reflexes made that impossible and Reno had to settle for tightening his thighs' grip on Zack's hips. Reno wanted to promise Zack what he's asking, but he really can't. There some things that truly must stay only within the Turks.

"If it affects you and Cloud, I promise."

Zack understood what he didn't say and relented, accepting the compromise. He rolled them again until Reno was straddling his body. The redhead easily balanced himself on his knees while his lover grabbed the lube then reached between them. Zack teased his hole with gentle circles and watched the becoming flush of arousal steal over Reno's pale skin. Reno rocked into the touch, pushing back against him in a silent plea for more. Zack grasped his trailing length of hair to pull him down for a kiss as he slowly pushed two fingers inside, making his lover moan with pleasure into his mouth.

Zack groaned along with him. Reno was deliciously warm and tight inside. Thoughts of his cock buried there started a tingling in Zack's groin. He stretched Reno a bit more despite the redhead's protest that he wanted it *now*. It just wasn't in Zack to hurt one of his lovers if it could be prevented. He finally pulled his fingers free and slicked himself, urging Reno to rise up more on his knees then he held Reno's hips and let him take control.

It was arousing as all hell to watch Reno. The Turk closed his eyes partially and unconsciously bit into the corner of his lower lip as he held Zack's cock in one hand and eased himself down on it. A delicate shiver made its way through his body once the first resistance was past and he pushed his hips down and back. Zack rubbed his thumbs over the sensitive skin where hips met thigh in appreciation of the gripping heat surrounding him. When Reno opened his eyes to grin wickedly at him all Zack could do was hang on. Reno rode him fast and furiously, not even taking himself into hand for his own pleasure. Zack obliged, stroking him in rhythm with the frantic pace.

Reno stiffened and came with a hoarse yell, throwing his head back and grinding down hard against Zack as he spurted over Zack's fist. Zack stroked through the shuddering aftershocks then flipped him to his back for the few thrusts he needed to find his own completion. They panted together, trembling in spent pleasure, Zack pressing open mouthed kisses along Reno's jaw and neck. Zack was arranging them more comfortably when a soft noise at the door got their attention.

Cloud stood there, swaying with exhaustion and blinking his hazy, blue eyes. He rubbed at them like a kitten woken from sleep and yawned. Without a word, Cloud crawled into the bed between and flopped face down into the pillows. Reno chuckled and stretched the kinks in his back while Zack stood to strip off Cloud's pants and shirt.

"Guess we're not interesting enough, tonight," Reno drawled.

Zack shook his head and stroked through Cloud's hair. "The first year is the hardest. After he gets more mako in him he'll have more endurance."

Reno hummed a wordless, non answer and spooned against Cloud's back. Zack switched from petting blond hair to red.

"We'll keep him safe."