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Playing for Keeps	By : flippykitten Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 695 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Playing for Keeps
- 1
Author's notes: Gratitude to toxictattoo for helping me through numerous revisions and keeping me on track. You always make my stories better. And much appreciation to delladella for a wonderful beta and the perfect title. My fics are originally posted at my homepage: http://dreamcatcher.livejournal.com/ and also http://community.livejournal.com/ffvii_yaoi/

Playing for Keeps

The bullet whizzed past Reno�s head and left him gaping in a silent �oh shit�. He managed a quick glance down the alley before he hit the pavement with a grimace at being caught unawares. Relaxing his body was second nature, and he folded into a somersault to land in a squat behind a barrel. It was the only cover in an otherwise empty alley, crowded on either side by decaying warehouses that blocked out the sky. Any port in a storm� or a gun fight, in this case.

Hopefully, his refuge wasn�t filled with anything flammable. Or explosive. Tseng still had a stick up his ass about the last mission.

Flipping his ponytail behind his shoulder, he scanned for Rude and spotted him across the alley, struggling to tuck his considerable bulk into a recessed doorway. Two badly dressed attackers versus two Turks. Reno grinned. Not much of a fight but at least he could stretch his legs a bit.

He caught Rude�s eye across the way, then silently counted down the seconds.

Three.

His hand clenched tighter on the rod.

Two.

He loosened his grip with a disgusted sigh. Damn rookie mistake.

One.

With a nod, he barreled from his hiding spot and flipped off the wall, careening down the alley with a yell that echoed through the evening air. He never gave the would-be attackers a stationary target. After one last grandstanding flip, he bounced to a halt in front of them, grinning from ear to ear.

�Hi.�

A jump-kick sent the gun flying from the first one's hand. A roundhouse dropped his partner to the ground. Reno snorted with disgust as a quick jolt of lightning from his EMR finished the job. Hardly worth getting out of bed for.

He dusted off the arm of his jacket and briefly contemplated tucking in his shirt, but decided to screw it. He looked good no matter how many assholes shot at him. But, as Rude strolled up behind him, he found himself fixing his hair despite himself.

Rude peeked over the top of his sunglasses before pushing them back up with his middle finger. �Twits,� was his simple assessment.

Reno had to agree. Tseng was sending them out for the lamest assignments. He tossed a set of handcuffs to Rude without needing to look in his direction as he happily conveyed orders into the phone for a clean-up crew. It was one of the perks of being a Turk. Hiding the evidence had been a downright pain in the ass before he joined up with Shinra.

�Yeah, hey, it�s Reno. We got �em.� He spied the flex of Rude�s muscles as he dragged the two unconscious men over to the nearest drain pipe. Damn pretty scenery, he had to admit.

At a sharp bark in his ear, he dragged his thoughts back to the conversation with a distracted nod. �Uh-huh. Yeah. Sure. Wait� what?� Tearing his eyes away, he actually listened this time.

�We�re leaving them here, whaddoyouthink? I ain�t no babysitter.� Rude�s head popped up, and Reno sent him a quick roll of the eyes and a wink. Someday, Shinra would learn: Reno didn�t do menial work.

�Screw that. You want �em, you come get �em. Unless you want me to just let them go�� His smile widened as he flipped a thumbs-up to his partner. �Uh-huh, that�s what I thought.�

Snapping the phone shut with a flip of his wrist, he strolled over to stand by Rude who was doing a double (and triple) check of the drain pipe that served as a hitching post for the hostages.

He slid his hand down Rude�s back. �They�re gonna pick these guys up for �questioning.� We are officially off the clock, my friend.�

Rude didn�t comment on the hand on his back, but then, he never did. It just made Reno more determined. He could be single-minded when he chose to be, and now he had Rude in his sights. Gearing up for the challenge, he allowed himself a hidden smile at the things he�d do if he ever got Rude naked.

For now, though, he knew his actions would be better played when not in the field, so he backed off to give Rude some space. He wandered over to stand in front of one of thugs, giving a halfhearted kick against his leg as he examined him closer. �Hey, Rude?�

�Yeah?�

He leaned in closer, almost breathing on the man�s face. �Tell me again why we can�t just kill �em?�

The thug gulped, his Adam�s apple zinging up like a ring-the-bell carnival game but falling short of the mark to wobble back to the bottom. Reno gave him a toothy smile. This was even better entertainment than sticking gils in a stripper�s thong.

�Bait,� Rude summed up as he snapped the second cuff closed and flipped an unneeded phoenix down back to Reno, who snagged it with synchronized ease. �Rufus wants to flush out their big guns. A little torture, a little maiming.� He nodded. �The usual.�

Rude gave one last tug to the drain pipe to make sure it would hold before straightening up to eye Reno. "So no killing.�

�Yeah, I gotcha. It�s still wrecking my buzz.� It was an oft-repeated conversation, comfortable in its sheer repetitiveness. Reno gave one last snort at their captives and hauled Rude off with him, leaving the howling pair to rattle their handcuffs.

Heading for the street, Reno slung an arm over Rude�s shoulder and moved up on his tiptoes to pull his head down for a noogie.

�You know what we should do?" There was a bounce in Reno's step at his bright idea. "Get totally shit-faced.�

Rude grunted, which in the Rude-to-Reno dictionary meant, �That sounds wonderful. I�d love to join you.� Reno grabbed him by the sleeve of his suit to drag him into the nearest bar.

Standing in the doorway of the establishment, he viewed the women dressed in their fancy gowns and the men in their silk suits. He gave one long, sweeping look, then tugged on his slightly stained lapels before heading straight to the bar to bang his hand on the marble counter. A booze joint was a booze joint, no matter how much you dressed it up.

�Two Mako Mamas for me and my partner here.�

He slouched against the bar, flashing a wide grin at the woman next to him who reached up to possessively finger her pearls.

Rude rolled his eyes as he grabbed the seat next to him. It was done behind his sunglasses, but Reno could tell. Reno could always tell. He threw his arm over Rude�s shoulders and leaned in to lick his ear. �You gotta loosen up.� He lowered his voice. �Have some fun.�

Rude just waved a hand in his direction.

�Cut it out.�

Reno straightened back up with a grin. �One day you�re going to fall for my persuasive charms.�

He wiggled his fingers over Rude�s shoulder at the man on the other side who was subtly attempting to slide down to another stool.

Rude sent the man an apologetic expression and turned back to his drink.

�Hey, Rude?�

The slightest shift in posture let Reno know he was listening.

�How long do you think it will be before we round up all those protection-racket scum?�

Rude ran his finger around the edge of his glass. �Rufus doesn�t like his property being muscled in on. It won�t be long.�

�Good point.� Reno tilted his head. �So you think the faster we round up these assholes, the faster we get us a serious assignment?� He took two steps towards the door. �It�s worth a shot. Let�s go kick some ass��

Rude grabbed hold of the back of his coat before he could blink, and Reno fell back against him, one leg still held out mid-step. His body ended up between Rude�s parted legs.

Reno knew opportunity knocking when he saw it. Taking advantage of the light contact, he squirmed to face him and trailed his hand down Rude�s thigh.

�If you didn�t want me to leave you, you could have just said so.�

Rude looked at him over the top of his glasses in a way Reno found oddly disconcerting. Unreadable. Even to him. Rude turned back to his drink.

That was� different.

Usually Rude just brushed off his attempts and they settled back into their usual banter.

But now Rude was downright ignoring him.

Reno sighed and blew his bangs up in the air. Never one to dwell on things, instead, he looked around for someone to make Rude jealous. It was a wonderful idea, if he did say so himself.

An hour later, he found himself in some Tall, Dark, and Rich�s bed, Rude forgotten as he got banged into the mattress. His good intentions never did last long.

Seconds after cleaning up from his orgasm, he was crawling out of the bed and pulling on his pants as he hopped towards the door, wondering the whole while if Rude might have a point in continually turning him down.

The next morning, he skidded into their shared office at Shinra, slicking his hair back with one hand and making a half-ass tuck of his shirt with the other. Rude looked up then went back to writing his report.

�Did I miss the meeting?�

Rude hesitated, as if he was going to say something, then simply nodded and kept writing.

�Well, darn.� Reno�s grin said differently.

Tracing his fingers along the desk, Reno bypassed any paperwork in favor of the hard candy nestled in a bowl. For such a stoic fucker, Rude sure had a sweet tooth. He popped a caramel in his mouth and mumbled around the candy, �Man, you look like shit.�

He took in the slight wrinkles in Rude�s collar and frowned. Anybody else wouldn�t have noticed. But Reno knew better. Something was up.

Rude pushed his glasses up in a nervous gesture that Reno spotted instantly. He flicked out a hand to snag the glasses and expose bloodshot eyes.

The glasses were yanked out of his hand. Rude shoved them back on his face with a huff. �I had a few drinks last night after you left with,� a small tic appeared on his left cheek, �that man.�

�Hey, I thought you didn�t have a problem with that.� Reno pursed his lips then brightened. �Does this mean you�re jealous of my extra-curricular�� his voice turned suggestive as he drawled out the word, �activities?�

Rude stiffened. �I don�t care who you spend your time with.�

Reno�s grin widened at Rude�s protestation. He nonchalantly wandered over to give him a pat on the back, one that turned into a rub. �Hey, I was just messing with ya. It�s all good.�

Rude grunted but didn�t shy away from his hand.

�Well, then.� Never one to take only an inch when given a mile, he draped himself over Rude�s back as if reading over his shoulder. �What fun did I miss today?�

Rude shifted a bit under his weight but didn�t push him off. Reno�s smile grew wider behind his back. Continuing to rub his hands on Rude�s shoulders, he continued his ruse of reading the report. One hand slid forward to finger Rude�s tie.

A small squirm underneath him was the only response, so Reno pushed things further. He slowly undid the knot. If he could ever get Rude to just give in to a nice long fuck, all that tension in his shoulders would drain right away. Reno was a firm believer that sex could fix everything.

�An assignment in Gongaga?� His fingers stopped briefly then moved down to the buttons on Rude�s shirt, sliding the top one out.

Rude tightened under his touch but didn�t resist. �Yes." A light cough. "As soon as we clean out the protection racket."

�Shouldn�t take long. They�re losers.�

Reno moved on to the next button with great care as he talked, as if not wanting to scare a flighty animal. He slid his hand down under the shirt, making sure to add a calculated hot breath in Rude's ear as he did it.

Rude inhaled, and answered with another nod as his fingers tightened on his pencil. Reno slid his hand down a little farther and tweaked at Rude's nipple. The pencil snapped in two with a loud crack.

Keeping his smile hidden, Reno slipped around the side of the chair to pull the pieces from Rude's unresisting hand and set them deliberately down on the desk.

Elena strode into the room with purpose, took in the scene, and instantly turned on her heel to walk back out. But the spell was broken. Rude was already straightening up, the dazed look dropping from his face as he looked down to button his shirt.

Reno sighed but knew when it was wiser to retreat until another day.

He left with a spring in his step, pleased he had been able to push things just a little further along. He gave Elena a cheeky grin as he jaunted past her office door.
Two days later, they were back in another alley. Another day, another boring assignment. Reno paced back and forth. �Why are we always in alleys? It makes me feel like a hooker. And not one of those classy escorts either.� He stopped pacing and tilted his head. �And why am I now picturing Tseng in a pimp hat?�

Reno could see Rude trying to hold back a smirk, and he couldn�t help but note how good Rude looked when he was happy, how his face brightened. He had a killer smile that he kept hidden far too often. Seeing even a hint of it was a unique thrill. Reno had promised himself he wouldn�t push things while out on missions� but it was getting harder to resist. He leaned in close to Rude�s ear. �We should make good use of our time.�

Rude pulled his large frame upright, reverting back to stiffness as he scanned the alley. �Keep your eye out for our targets.�

Reno sighed at Rude's infuriating work ethic, even though he�d known what Rude�s response would be. But it never hurt to try. He gave in with a small sigh. �You never let me have any fun.�

To pass the time, Reno hopped up onto a barrel to balance on one leg. Street-fighting didn�t usually lend itself to standing on one foot for extended periods of time, so he bobbled alarmingly. He quickly picked up the reins of his previous rant. �This mission sucks. They�ll just be little no-talents like they�ve been for the last three stake-outs. This is Tseng's revenge assignment.� He finally dropped his leg and looked up, totally unapologetic. �He's still mad at me for shredding his tie in the paper shredder.�

The world turned upside down when a grenade exploded behind him. He tumbled from the barrel to hit the ground hard.

�Oh, fuck��

Reno was still scrambling to his feet as Rude whirled to face their attackers. Good ol� Rude. Good ol� ass-kicking Rude. Reno struggled to get his balance as Rude charged into the fray, without any apparent thought for his own safety.

�You trying to kill my partner?� Fire exploded from Rude�s fingertips, spreading over the three gang members.

Reno scurried to catch up, instantly cataloguing the better quality of clothing, the higher-grade weapons. These weren�t the low-rung grunts from before. They had finally flushed out the big guns.

Rude�s voice was almost a bellow. �Nobody kills my partner except me!�

Another blast flew from Rude�s hands. Everything after that was a blur. High-flying kicks and judicious ducks kept Reno too busy to do more than keep cursory tabs on Rude as he pulled out every trick in the book. They needed it. These guys were loaded up on obviously stolen materia. It was leveled high, and the lack of control in casting showed.

And that spelled danger.

Their attackers started casting wild ice shots. One lucky cast crackled through the air to send Rude down to the pavement, ice shattering around him. Reno saw red. When Rude tried to clamber to his feet, Reno jumped in front of him with a fierce growl, refusing to let him take any more damage.

He felt the refreshing tingle from behind, working its way up from his toes in a peaceful aura of green that covered his body, the familiar comfort of a cure from Rude. Rude tried to come up around his side to rejoin the fray and Reno shoved him back. Rude might be bigger, but Reno had righteous indignation on his side. He took over the fight without a second thought.

As the slow-motion picture of Rude falling to the pavement replayed through his mind, Reno became more and more reckless, taking greater risks to stop the fight now, before Rude got hurt again. All because he�d let down his guard.

A nasty, loaded quake slammed into his chest and he reached the last of his strength. He fell to his knees as, behind him, Rude finally hit his limit, anger emanating from every pore. One large blast cleared out the area.

Reno dusted himself off, legs shaky and his heart rabbiting in his chest. The simple, �Thanks, man. I owe you,� died on his lips when the jolt of serious pain hit his nerve endings, and he dropped back down to his knees.

It finally hit Reno as he ran light fingers over the gaping wound. He could have died. So close. All it would have taken was a lucky shot, control not needed. Just plain old, dumbass luck.

Rude hustled over, jumping over the now-silent corpses that littered the alley to drop down to Reno�s side. A potion quickly appeared, passed over to Reno with hands that were almost as shaky as his own.

�You okay?� Rude slipped off his ever-present sunglasses to inspect him.

Reno downed the potion, spilling some down his chin in his haste to dull the pain, before finally finding his voice. �Uh�� He patted his pockets, ensuring he was still alive. �Yeah.� He strengthened his voice. �Yeah.� Trying to thumb a cigarette out of the pack only ended with him scattering the contents across the alley.

He looked up. �Fuck, Rude. I almost died.�

Then he spread his hands wide, face switching into a grin in a 180-degree turn that left Rude blinking. �But I�m alive.� Reno's voice grew louder with glee. "I'm alive!"

He jumped to his feet, with only a slight wince, as he patted himself down to ensure that, yes, he was okay. He was relatively healthy. And oddly, frustratingly, undeniably horny.

He backed Rude up with a quick movement, shoving him back against the grimy alley wall, not caring if Rude protested if his suit got dirty.

Priorities...

He was alive. He was horny. And Rude was not getting away from him this time.

Rude must have felt the same weird buzz running through his body, because he didn�t stop Reno. Instead, he sank back into the wall, his usual resistance nowhere to be seen.

Reno threw himself against Rude, arms up over his shoulders, rocking his hips up against him and devouring his mouth. Rude�s tongue responded under his questing, and Reno�s cock instantly jumped to attention.

When he felt Rude�s hands slip around to grasp his ass and pull him closer, Reno let out a long, decadent moan into his mouth. This is what he�d been waiting for. He�d known it would be good if Rude ever just gave in. And it was more than good. It was hot, it was erotic, and it was fucking Rude under his hands and against his body.

Rude slouched down against the wall to tug Reno closer, lifting him up to rub their cocks together in a slide of fabric and hard flesh. It was heady, and Reno could feel a different sort of tingle in his body, different from cures and potions. It was as if Rude were sex in a bottle and he was unleashing the full force on him now.

He ran eager, frantic hands down the front of Rude�s pants, grasping at the zipper, fumbling with the button, his usual nonchalance and coolness flying away in a haze of heat and lust. Licking up Rude�s neck with his tongue, he kept his hands working busily below. Words fell from his lips, murmured against Rude�s skin. �Want this, want you.�

Rude was responding. Rude was finally fucking responding, instead of maintaining that irritating fucking stoic demeanor he usually retreated behind.

Reno�s phone rang.

He growled and flipped the phone open to huff into the receiver. �Busy.� He hung up and turned his attention back to Rude.

Rude�s skin was warm under his hand as Reno slid under the waistband of his unzipped slacks. No underwear. He knew Rude went commando. With all their time spent in gyms and getting dressed in locker rooms, it shouldn�t have been a surprise, but the renewed realization only made Reno hornier.

When the phone rang a second time, he tried to ignore it, but the ring tone was definitely Tseng�s. He flipped it back open, keeping his other hand planted firmly in the center of Rude�s chest, feeling it rise and fall under his touch with every breath. �Yeah?�

He held the phone away from his ear as Tseng�s voice carried loudly over the line, �Reno, don�t you ever dare hang up on��

�Um, Tseng, yeah, hi. Things are okay here, what was that?� Reno made crackly noises. �I�m losing you, I�ll call you when I get a better signal, okay, I�ll catch�.�

He flipped the phone shut again.

�Now. Where were we? Oh yeah.� Reno ran his eyes up and down Rude�s body and leaned in to whisper, �I want you to fuck me.�

Rude stiffened and Reno pulled back. The action didn�t seem like a promising one. He met Rude�s eyes with questions in his own.

The phone rang a third time, and Rude shifted out from underneath his hand, picking Reno up by the armpits to move him off to the side.

�Answer the phone,� were his gruff words as he headed down the alley.

Reno watched him go as the phone rang unnoticed in his hand.

The next night, Reno had one last shot to figure out exactly what in the hell was going through Rude�s head. They were all hanging in Turtle�s Paradise celebrating their victory over the gang, glasses raised in cheers and cheeks flushed from alcohol.

Tseng had been buying rounds all night and the drinks were flowing. The other patrons sent sidelong glances at them as more and more booze was consumed and their voices rang louder throughout the establishment. But no one was going to say anything to a table full of Turks.

Rude had been ignoring him ever since the incident in the alley. Now, though, Reno was going to force the issue, make Rude realize what he was missing. Reno had a plan. A plan he wasn�t going to fuck up this time.

He took a quick scan of the bar for a willing victim and eyed a smooth-looking guy fingering the rim of his glass with a small smile. A little cocky for Reno�s taste, but he�d do. Reno slammed his beer down on the table and put his plan into action. Ten minutes later, he was straddling the man on his chair, tongue down his throat and hands wrapped in his hair.

He made sure the chair was situated so he could look over the man�s shoulder, keeping his eye on Rude as he licked along the man�s neck. Rude still wasn�t looking.

Reno ground down harder against the man and pulled a groan from his throat. He could see Rude�s head pop up at the sound. Reno did a little mental victory dance and renewed his efforts.

The guy was actually a pretty good kisse�

Rude�s large hand landed on his shoulder, and Reno found himself pulled off his conquest and hanging with his feet off the ground.

�Um� Rude?� This wasn�t how he expected his plan to go.

�You�re making an ass out of yourself.� Rude finally set him down so his feet touched the ground.

Reno adjusted his collar with a nonchalant tug. �What do you care?�

�I don�t, I mean� it�s just wrong. Seeing you with�� Rude jerked his chin towards the man with a sneer, and Reno felt a small glimmer of hope.

He reached out to rub his hand on the man�s shoulder. �You mean Rob?�

The man held up a finger. �Um, that would be Ron.�

Reno patted his shoulder. �Yeah, right. Rod.� He let his hand sit on the man's shoulder as he gave Rude a challenging look.

Seconds later, he found himself being dragged into the back hallway by one very irate-looking Rude, followed by his back being slammed back against the wall.

Ah, foreplay.

Reno eyed Rude with a smirk. He didn�t do anything but look. Not yet. The silence stretched out as he ran his eyes up and down, taking in every line of Rude�s body, every flash of skin not covered by the suit, every time the muscle in Rude�s cheek jumped under his exploration.

When the silence had stretched out for the perfect amount of time, he looked up at Rude out of the corner of his eye. He started moving his hands, hands he could never seem to stop around Rude, always wanting to touch, always wanting to push things as far as he could go, as far as Rude would let him.

He slid his hands down the front of Rude�s chest and kept going, never stopping, sliding down onto his knees to kneel on the floor in front of him. Looking up, he kept his hand on Rude�s waistband.

Reno knew exactly what was going on behind those dark sunglasses. Rude was considering it.

This was the farthest he Reno had ever gotten. He started talking as his hands moved, words falling from his lips like honey, voice low and seductive.

�God, I�ve wanted this for so long.�

His hands were shaking as he lowered the zipper.

�I want to feel you in my mouth, wrap my lips around you.�

He jerked Rude�s pants down over his hips, and Rude�s muscles tightened under his hands.

�You have no idea how long I�ve wanted you to fuck me.�

Rude stiffened and jerked back. Again. It was another fucking replay of the fucking alley and Reno was fucking losing it.

He stood up in a rush and swung his arms out to the side as Rude zipped himself back up with purpose. �What? What do you want from me?� He was trying to keep his voice low, but he could feel his volume rising with every word. �I want you. And I can damn well tell you want me.� He stood with his hands on his hips, breathing hard.

Rude�s next line effectively silenced him.

�I want more than just a fuck.�

Reno gaped. As he stood there, with mouth open, Rude leaned in to kiss him hard, a demanding kiss that made Reno�s toes curl and took his breath away.

Then Rude walked away, leaving Reno in the hallway to think about his words.

Oh.

�

Oh!

A half-hour later, he was fidgeting in front of Rude�s door. He raised his knuckles� then dropped his hand. He turned on his heel. Only to turn right back.

As he stood in flux, wondering what in the hell he was doing, he finally turned off his brain and knocked determinedly. Rat-a-tat-tat.

No answer.

He clenched his fists. Dammit, Rude had to be here. After all the gut-wrenching contemplation he�d put into this visit, he had to be here. Besides, it wasn�t like the guy went anywhere without him. He knocked again, nervously humming under his breath, �Shave and a haircut, two�� The door opened, and he was left with his hand in mid-air. �Bits,� he finished.

Rude leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms. He wasn�t wearing his sunglasses. They would have made this encounter a bit easier, made Rude�s gaze a little less all-seeing, but even Rude didn�t wear his sunglasses in his own home.

As it was, Reno felt suddenly naked under his gaze. Rude�s bulk standing over him affected him in a far different way than normal. Every movement took on new meaning.

�I�m sorry, about earlier�� Reno waved his hand, then let it fall to his side, feeling like the first time he�d made out with Mary Brandon in the back seat of a stolen Shinra motor mobile.

�I didn�t know, I mean� I never thought...� He ran his hand through his hair, unable to stand still, and a bit disbelieving at how words, usually so easy for him, had flown out the window. He caught his nervous tic and twined his fingers together to crack his knuckles.

Rude just stood there. Watching him. The fucker was always so calm-looking. Reno knew his partner well enough to know it was an act, but still� Reno wore his emotions on his face, everything wide open. He wished for just a bit of Rude�s mask.

Rude finally backed away from the door frame to gesture him in.

Instead of heading straight for the leather couch to throw himself on it with a bounce like he normally did, Reno stood in the center of the room, feeling lost.

�Did you mean it?�

Rude nodded. And Reno could tell, he�d meant every damn word. The asshole.

He bit his lip. This was more than a fuck. It was trouble waiting to explode in his face. Messy complications. Fragile emotions.

But he was chagrined to find it wasn�t stopping him in the least from following through on this crazy-ass visit.

Tilting his head, he asked, �Is that why you were never with anyone else?"

Rude crossed his arms, with his chin up in the air, and nodded again.

Giving Rude a hesitant smile, Reno took a few steps closer. �You know I�m kind of an ass.�

Rude finally laughed out loud. �Pardner, I�ve known that about you since the first day I met you and you zapped me with that penis-compensator over there.�

Reno pulled himself up to his full height, which was still half a foot shorter than Rude�s. �I�ll have you know I�m not compensating for anything.� His smile turned sly as he added, �Which you would know if you ever let me�� He let the sentence trail off.

Waiting�

He had stayed, dammit. Even after everything Rude had said earlier, after the scene in the alley, after the scene in the bar, he stayed.

Rude had to know he wouldn�t be here if he didn�t want to be.

He gave Rude a challenging look.

Then slowly licked his lips, holding Rude's gaze through sheer force of will.

Rude was on him in a heartbeat, shoving him back against the nearest wall hard enough to make him gasp. Rude claimed his mouth, and it was better than in the alley, better than he imagined it would be. And Reno�s imagination was pretty damn good.

The weight of Rude�s body against his, Rude�s tongue slipping between his lips, the hunger behind every action, it all combined to make Reno close his eyes and melt back against the wall. The feeling of rightness was unexpected, though it shouldn�t have been. They were already so attuned to each other�s bodies, it was scarily easy. They fit.

Rude finally pulled back, keeping an arm against the wall on either side of Reno�s head. He was breathing hard, and tension was evident in every line of his body.

Voice low, eyes dark, he gave his command. �Bed. Now.�

Reno was ducking under his arm before Rude had finished the words, tearing off another article of clothing with every step down the hallway. Adrenaline raced through his body, different from any of his previous sexual encounters.

Before, it had always been nonchalant fucks grabbed in late night pickups by offhanded invitations. This� was Rude. It made his dick hard just at the thought.

Rude followed after, entering the bedroom and closing the door behind him. The click of the door echoed through the quiet room.

And it changed everything.

With the door closed, the dark furnishings and low lighting gave the encounter increased intimacy.

Intimacy.

Just the word set off an almost claustrophobic reaction in Reno�s head. Reality finally hit him.

This was Rude. Not some nameless stranger. They were in Rude�s bedroom. And Rude wanted only him.

An image played in his mind as he sat on the edge of the bed, over and over, of walking into a spider�s web and becoming entangled. Sticky strands tying him down, the air growing heavier around him.

He grappled for his usual nonchalance and shook off the image, shaking out his wrists at the same time. It was just sex. He�d done it hundreds of times. In all positions, in all variations, twosomes, threesomes and more-somes. He wasn�t a blushing virgin by any stretch of the imagination. He clamped down hard on his thoughts and got back to business� which was good old fashioned hot and sweaty sex.

Better.

Rude removed his clothes with impatient movements, brusque gestures. It was a new side to his partner, a total lack of restraint.

Clothes landed in a pile on the floor.

It was now or never.

Reno crawled backwards on the rich brown comforter and spread his body out for Rude to view. It was a new feeling, one of pushing boundaries. They knew every intimate detail about each other.

Except this.

Rude crawled over him on all fours, and the sight of his partner, naked and looming over him, made his body flush. The mattress dipped under Rude�s weight and his knees sank down on either side of Reno�s body.

It was weird as all fuck� but damn if it wasn�t hot.

When Rude sat back on his knees, Reno reached out tentatively to run his hand down the heavily muscled thigh. The brown skin under his fingers contrasted sharply with his own light coloring. Rude's body was warm, and Reno could feel his muscles tense in response to his light exploration.

He stopped his questing movements and looked up.

Rude wasn�t the type to pick up a stranger. He�d only wanted Reno. The simple thought packed a powerful punch. It disconcerted him at the same time, but maybe that was part of the allure, part of the attraction� and probably a big damn part of the sheer head-spinning terror that kept popping up no matter how hard he tried to shove it down.

Too much thinking. Reno shook his head lightly. He grabbed life with both hands. He wanted this. That was all he needed to know.

He made a vow. No more thinking. It never helped.

Instead, he trailed a finger down the center of his bare chest towards his cock, his tongue slipping out between parted lips, enticing. Sex. It was right there at his fingertips. He didn�t want to wait, didn�t want to draw things out any longer. He wanted Rude now.

He cupped his hand around his cock and stroked himself to full hardness. It was a calculated display, crafted to let Rude know exactly what he wanted. He stretched his body out underneath Rude with a small purr, daring him with a look.

Rude reacted immediately. He grabbed the lube. Slipped between Reno's legs with surprising grace. Growled low in his chest as he inserted a finger inside Reno�s body.

Reno gasped at the intrusion. It had been building for so long that this was the only way it could have gone: rough, fast, a headlong rush� He moaned as Rude added another finger, and he writhed on the bed, screwing himself down on Rude�s hand.

Watching through shuttered eyes, Rude never stopped the movements of his fingers. The look encouraged Reno to push it further. He met Rude�s gaze. Then very deliberately rocked his body.

Rude reared back on his knees and yanked Reno down towards him, pulling his legs apart and situating his cock, ready to enter Reno�s body. Reno tensed against the mattress. He was so close to having Rude inside him. Mere inches from crossing a line that could never be crossed back.

Reno was ready to blow right past that line and leave it a simple dot in the rear-view mirror.

�Do it." Pure Reno, never able to stop talking. "Now, Rude. Fuck me now.� Demanding words, low and throaty.

�No.�

The simple word left Reno blinking. The whole night had been one confusing-ass ride of ups and downs, and he wasn�t used to this. It was throwing him off balance. More off balance. So out of his element, he didn�t even know where to start.

Rude hovered over him with a determined expression. His voice softened at Reno�s confused look and he repeated the word. "No. Not that. Not just a fuck. Tell me, Reno.�

Reno opened his mouth. Closed it again.

He could feel spiderwebs spreading over his body.

Lying underneath Rude, he felt open and exposed in a way that was so much more than just sex.

Rude continued to look at him in that same damn annoying way, always so serious, always so intense, so� sure of things.

How could he be so sure? If he were Rude, he�d be putting on his tennis shoes and running as fast and as far away as possible.

But Rude wasn�t running.

The silence drew out. Reno�s eyebrows knitted. He knew his hesitance, his fear, must be clear on his face. He waited for Rude to get disgusted. To get frustrated. To leave.

Instead, Rude leaned down to run his hands through Reno�s ponytail and slip his hand behind his neck for another one of those soul-tingling kisses.

Asshole.

Rude finally pulled back, leaving Reno feeling strangely empty.

He followed Rude back up in a rush, attacking his mouth while his hands clawed at Rude�s back, not letting him pull away again.

Fuck it all to hell and back, but he wanted it.

�Do it.� He pulled away only long enough for the words to slip out of his mouth before he was back on Rude�s mouth, drowning in the ease of a simple kiss that had never been the same with casual fucks.

�Make�� he paused again, frustrated with himself, with Rude, with the world at large, but it was no use. He was going to say it. �Make love to me.�

The words caught in his throat. But only a little.

Rude�s eyes softened with satisfaction.

Slower this time, he lined himself up for entrance, looking to Reno for confirmation. Reno could tell� Rude wasn�t going to let him get away with a light quip or the ability to blow this off come morning.

He tensed. Then nodded with a deliberate motion.

The feeling when Rude enteredhim was like finally being filled, complete. Something he hadn�t even known he was missing. Skin on skin; chills through his body and heat in his veins; the weird wonder of looking up to see ecstasy in Rude�s eyes. Rude wanted him.

Every push rocked his body hard against the mattress. Every time Rude�s cock slid deep inside his body, his breathing grew shallow and his knuckles tightened in the sheets. Rude buried himself as deep as possible, his hips nudging up against Reno�s ass, before pulling back for another long stroke. Reno moved his body in counterpoint with one thought racing through his mind. Rude was claiming him. Claiming his body.

Rude�s eyes closed and his breath hitched. Reno could sense his partner�s reaction as easily in bed as he could in battle. He gripped his fingers into Rude�s leg, letting him know in their own shorthand way what he wanted.

With his eyes squeezed shut, Rude shoved his cock in one last time and his orgasm pulsed into Reno�s body. It had been a release triggered by a simple look, a simple touch, and all the weight that lay behind it. Reno never took his eyes off Rude as he followed with light strokes, barely needed, on his own cock.

He came down with harsh breaths and shaking limbs.

Apprehension immediately set in.

Uncertainty ricocheted through his mind in the aftermath of the intense act. What he�d done, what he�d said�

What if he fucked this up, what if he did everything wrong, what if�

The words bubbled out of him, straight from his head to his lips, in an almost plaintive sigh. �Rude, I�m an asshole. I�m gonna screw this up.�

Rude blinked. Then smiled. He covered Reno�s body and pinned him to the mattress, with soft kisses on his neck and a light whisper in his ear.

�It�ll be okay. I promise.�

And Reno believed him.

~~~
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