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Interlude 3
------------------------------------------- It was nearly two weeks later before Reno got a chance to deliver the letter to Cloud. In the meantime, it rode around in the breast pocket of his jacket, eating at his curiosity. The handwriting on the envelope didn't look like the General's, so he assumed it was from Zack. While it couldn't be said that the Turk was close friends with anyone in SOLDIER, Zack was about as close to being a friend as he considered anybody. And because of that, he was trying to keep an eye on Cloud while Zack was gone. Finally, off-duty on a friday afternoon, Reno stopped by Cloud's dorm room. The blond's roommate - Kaney Durein, according to the nameplate beside the door - opened the door with a sneer. "Hey, is Cloud --" Reno began. Kaney's dark eyes raked over the Turk's rumpled uniform. "He ain't here," he declared shortly. "Try the Zoo. He's probably there mopin' over his boyfriend." The derision in Kaney's tone was clear. And given the letter in his pocket, and knowing the time Zack had spent with Cloud before leaving... it wasn't hard to find a source and a name for Kaney's implication. Reno narrowed his eyes, tipping his sunglasses down onto the bridge of his nose. If this was what Cloud had to put up with from his roommate, it was small wonder the boy was at the bar. "Thanks, square boy," he replied with a predatorally cheerful grin. He'd long made a point of making sure he had a reputation throughout the ranks of Shinra. It was useful in many circumstances. Kaney stiffened, stepping back to use the half-open door as a shield between him and Reno. "Yeah, no problem, Turk." Reno nodded, tapping his nightstick idly against his leg. "A smart man doesn't make backhanded accusations, square boy. Espescially not about First Class SOLDIERs and their relationships." The dark-haired boy blanched, dropping his gaze to the floor. "Didn't mean nothin' by it. Sir." He added the sir almost as an after-thought, half-heartedly. "Unhunh." Reno sighed, resisting the urge to whack the homophobic- SOLDIER-wannabe's thick head with his nightstick. "If you see him before I do, tell him I got a letter for him." Kaney almost smirked, ready to make another snide comment. Reno eyed him coldly over the top edge of his sunglasses. "Uh, yeah..." the boy stammered. "Yeah, I'll tell him." Nodding once, Reno turned and sauntered away.
The blond barely even glanced up when Reno slid onto the chair opposite him. Not a good sign, the Turk thought with a sigh. "Hey, Cloud." Blinking slowly, Cloud looked up at him. He frowned in thought for a moment before coming up with the Turk's name. "Reno. Hey." Counting the empties on the table, Reno tried not to sigh. "How long you been here?" Cloud blinked again. "Few hours," he mumbled. Leaning forward, Reno pried the half-empty bottle from Cloud's numb fingers. "You eaten anything recently?" A one-shoulder shrug was his only response as the boy's gaze fell back to his now empty hands. "Hee~eeyy," Cloud protested feebly, reaching for his beer. Reno kept it out of reach. "I think maybe you've had enough for tonight, Spike." Cloud frowned. "I'm not... not drunk." Tilting his head to one side, Reno studied the boy. A slight smile crept onto his lips. "And I never touch the stuff, myself." "Are you..." Cloud raised one hand, pointing his index finger at Reno. It wavered from side to side. "Are you being... sarcassssstic?" "Me?" Reno countered, pushing his sunglasses up into his hair and donning a wide-eyed, innocent expression. Cloud giggled. "You." "Couldn't be. You know they keep me around for my honest, no-nonsense talk, don't you?" He arched one eyebrow. The blond turned surprisingly solemn for a moment. "Bein' sarcastic doesn't make you dishonest," he said slowly. "Sometimes, bein' sarcastic is an easy way to be honest, cuz then people don't notice it's true." Both Reno's eyebrows jumped up in momentary surprise as Cloud glanced shyly down at the table again. "You're pretty wise when you're half-tanked, Spike," he murmured. He watched for a moment as Cloud traced patterns in a puddle on the table. "You wanna maybe get out of here, get somethin' to eat?" Cloud shrugged. "I guess. Real food?" Reno couldn't help laughing. "Yeah, real food. Not that cafeteria shit." He stood up, placing Cloud's half-finished beer back on the table. Weaving to his feet, Cloud studied the redhead for a moment. "Why you doin' this?" "Doin' what?" "Bein' nice to me." Cloud narrowed his eyes. "What'cha want?" His hands clenched into fists by his sides. Folding his arms across his chest, Reno considered the blond. "Nothin', Cloud. I'm just bein' friendly. Call me crazy, but it's just the way I am." A long moment passed as Reno held himself perfectly still, sensing the coiled tension in Cloud. Finally, Cloud let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "Gomen," he muttered. "S'just been... you know... since Zack left...." Reno didn't really know how it had been, but he could guess. He nodded. "Zack and I get along pretty well. I'm not about to get him pissed at me." Cloud scowled. "You tryin' to look out for me? I don't need that. I can take care of myself." "I know," Reno said quietly. "Don't mean you should turn down a friendly gesture though." Tilting his head to one side, Cloud thought about that. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Don't know what's wrong with me tonight --" Reno grinned. "You're half-drunk, Spike. Don't sweat it." Cloud gave him a rueful smile as they made their way slowly to the door. "So wehah we... ahh... goin'?" Cloud asked around a yawn. He slouched against the side of Reno's small black car while the Turk unlocked the door for him. "Maybe I should take you back to the barracks," Reno replied with a laugh, as he caught the sagging blond. Cloud cringed. "Not there," he whimpered. "Don't wanna go back there yet." Reno helped him into the car and closed the door without saying anything. Cloud glanced over at the redhead nervously as he settled into the driver's seat. "Well?" he asked finally, once Reno had started the car. The redhead flashed him a grin. "Lighten up, Spike. The barracks aren't my idea of a good time." Cloud slumped back in his seat with an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I know you're strange --" "Hey! I ain't that strange!" Reno protested. Cloud giggled, stifling another yawn. "So say you." "Ch. Yeah, well, you ain't seen the things they keep for overnight guard duty yet, have you?" He glanced over at the boy, who was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "Things with fangs and claws and poison. Things to give your nightmares nightmares." "S'that why you're strange?" Cloud mumbled. "Been bit by a creepy-crawlie?" Reno snorted, trying to suppress thoughts about particularly nasty creepy-crawlies he'd run into. "Nah, they keep Hojo on a leash most nights," he joked. Curling up in the seat, Cloud blinked at him. When Reno glanced over again, he'd fallen into a light doze. "You're a sweet kid, Spike," he said softly. "No wonder Zack's been lookin' out for you." Staring almost blankly at the traffic, he sighed. "And no wonder the General hates you." * * * Cloud woke with a start at the slam of a door. Wide-awake and wide-eyed, he studied the unfamiliar room around him. The walls were a soft sand colour, the carpet a deep rust-brown, and the sheets on the bed he lay in were light chocolate brown. Besides the bed - a double - there was a chair half-buried in clothes placed below a window in the right hand wall, and a four-drawer dresser set below an oval mirror on the left hand wall. The closet doors looked to be natural wood and stood half-open, showing a rack full of dark clothing. It was a warm, comfortable looking room. It was also totally unfamiliar to him. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to get a feel for where he might be. After a moment, he got up and wandered over to the closet, realizing in the process that he was naked. The carpet was thick and plush against his bare feet and he wiggled his toes appreciatively. Opening the closet, he discovered that it was full of Turk uniforms and a collection of black clothing. That was enough to remind his fogged brain of the bar, and Reno's car... and nothing more. Scratching his head, he wondered where his clothes were, deciding against trying on any of the slender Turk's. The door clicked open behind him and he turned slowly. Reno walked in and tossed his clothes on the bed before glancing over at him. "Don't think you'll find much to fit you in there, Spike," he said with a friendly grin. Cloud ignored him, walking over to the bed to retrieve his clothes. His shirt was warm, as if fresh from the dryer. He dressed efficiently, quickly, but without seeming hurried or nervous. "What happened?" he asked, tucking his shirt into his pants. "Did you...." he couldn't bring himself to finish the question. Reno arched an eyebrow at him. "Did I what, Spike? Take advantage of you in your drunken stupor?" He sat down on the bed, eyes sparkling with mirth. "More like you puked on yourself when I tried to get you out of my car, and I wasn't about to let you sleep anywhere like that." "Oh," Cloud murmured, blushing faintly. "S'ok, kid. It happens. I've seen more experienced drinkers than you chuckin' their lunch." He shrugged. "Don't sweat it." Cloud nodded, fiddling absently with a button. "Thanks for letting me stay and all." "Like I said, don't sweat it. Anyway, I couldn't let you go without doing what I meant to do when I went looking for you." The blond's eyebrows jumped up in surprise. "W-what?" Reno smirked and waved the slightly crumpled envelope. "Letter delivery." He wasn't prepared for how quickly Cloud pounced on him, but he was smart enough to take himself elsewhere while the boy read it.
Chapter 11
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