Haunted, a Cloud/Reno story

By Kigichi and Bekas Strife

Contains extremely OOC!Reno, a bit of Cloud, MPreg, angst and much more.

Disclaimer: These characters and the world where they live in aren’t ours. Only the storyline is.

AN: Kigichi mostly writes Reno and Bekas Cloud.

Enjoy!!

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"Finally…! It’s DONE!" Finally! After the mighty battle with The Stain That Shall Not Be Named in the bathtub, the dust bunny of doom under the beds and the never ending spots on the counter and floor, Reno was finally DONE with the cleaning! Grinning, he went to the kitchen and picked up the tray of food he had just made, looking proudly at all of his lover’s favorite foods. The redhead took one last glance at their practically shining house and walked up the stairs to feed Cloud. There was nothing like nice, warm food to flush away the sorrows. "Hey, Cloud? You hungry? I worked hard and almost got killed by the blender." 'Not to mention the broom and vacuum conspired against me and tied me up in the closet for an hour' he added silently. "You wanna eat?" Reno grinned, looking at his lover lying down on the bed.

Cloud kept sleeping peacefully, sucking on his thumb tenderly. To Reno it may have looked cute but the blond was just unconsciously trying to stop the bleeding on it. The man let out a small sigh through his nose and shifted a bit, not once waking up as the sheets slid down his body to pool around his naked hips.

"C'mon Cloud!" Reno pouted and set the tray on the table next to the bed, reaching down to pull the covers up just in case Cloud got cold. "I have steak!" Not getting any response, Reno muttered and reached out to pull Cloud’s thumb from his mouth. "How old are you?" He muttered before pausing for a moment, spotting the small cut on Cloud's thumb. He knew it couldn’t have been from before, Reno had healed him. So it must be fresh. "Oh Cloud…" Reno sighed softly, placing a tender kiss on the wound. "At least you’re trying... now, wake up!!"

Cloud jerked awake, blinking at the redhead hovering above him. "Wha..." he mumbled, sniffling slightly. He smelt food... "Smells good..." he admitted and blushed slightly, listening to his stomach rumbling.

Reno laughed at his lover’s embarrassment. "Good, you’re up! The next step was to belly flop you yo!" Picking up the tray, he set it on Cloud’s lap, grimacing as he got a whiff of cleaner. "I'm gonna be smelling like that for WEEKS."

Cloud chuckled, sitting. "You didn’t need to do all of this." he said softly, seeing all the food. "You're going to eat with me, aren’t you?" He asked hopefully: his lover had to eat as well... not only he still was sick as that was too much food for him to eat alone!

Chuckling, Reno shook his head and pulled a rag and can of spray from his pocket, starting to dust the room. "Nope…! I'm not gonna get any fatter than I need to yo! Just eat what you can!" Spraying the cleaning supply onto a nearby desk, his face scrunched up in revulsion. "Besides, the combination of food and this smell will make me sick."

Cloud sighed sadly; looking at his lover’s turned back. It looked like his lover was pushing him away slightly... but maybe he was just seeing things in a wrong perspective. Right…? "'kay…" he said, stabbing a potato and putting it in his mouth, chewing lazily.

Grinning happily, Reno made sure everything in the room was shining. "You slept a long time chocobo head! I got this place SHINING! ... If you ignore the one hour delay due to… maintenance problems." 'Stupid Vacuum…' Grinning, he took a final swipe at the desk in front of him before moving onto the dressers. "Martha Stuart can kiss my ass!"

Cloud chuckled and nearly choked on his food. "M'eating, damn it... wait for me to swallow before making a joke." he smiled, turning his attention back at his food and sighing lowly. God, he couldn’t eat more. It was delicious, but... he just wasn't in a mood to eat. Or do anything in general.

"Hee, funny, you never had a problem talking with your mouthful before… or were that me? I can never remember!" Taking a final swipe at the mirror, Reno looked around the room and grinned when he noticed it was completely clean. "YES! I'm DONE!" Raising his arms in victory, Reno slowly allowed himself to topple backwards until he fell to the floor. "... Hey, there’s a rubber duck down here..."

Cloud glared softly at Reno when he fell to the floor and then put the tray on the floor before lying on his stomach and staring at his lover's feet. "Not mine." he stated softly, scratching his nose and staring at the cut in his finger. It was already healed due to the mako in his body. Sighing, the blond started nibbling it, removing the dead skin from there. It scratched at the touch! It annoyed him.

'Squeak!' 'Squeak!' 'Squeak!' "Hehe... mine now yo!" Sitting up and crossing his legs, Reno held the small rubber toy in front of him. "I shall call you squeakers and you shall be mine and you shall be my squeakers!" Smiling, Reno looked up at Cloud, frowning as he watched him bite at the healing cut. "You know...” he began, staring down at his new toy and rolling it in his hands.”It wouldn’t bug you if you never did it in the first place yo... but..." Looking up, he took his lover’s hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. "At least it wasn’t your wrist. I'm proud of you for that."

Cloud blinked and sighed softly, resting his head on top of Reno’s. "There... there was more than one time that I had the blade ready for that... but I never did it, at least not with the intent to die, because I knew that it would kill some of the people that I love. So I decided to keep fighting... if only for just a little more." he said honestly, kissing Reno’s forehead tenderly. "You were one of those that i did not want to hurt.... so I thank you for having given me strength."

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Reno leaned into the kiss, smiling softly as the small, loving gesture sent tingles down his spine. "I'll be your strength if you'll be mine, yo." He was going to need all the strength he could get in the upcoming months. "I'm just happy that you’re willing to try and stop."

Cloud nodded. "No worries about that." he reassured with a small smile. "I’ll try to stop it if it makes you happy... after all, you're fighting too." he whispered, closing his eyes and resting his cheek on their hands. “And I don’t think our children would appreciate such a father…”

"I’ll keep fighting until my dying day." Leaning forward, Reno nuzzled their heads together, placing a small kiss on Cloud’s cheek. "You’re worth fighting for."

Cloud smiled, just hoping that Reno would think that in the next few hours. After all, everything seemed to be fine and then moments later, their sand castle just simply came crashing down. "Did Tifa call already? I still have that little news for Denzel..."

'WARK! WARK! WARK!' Sweatdropping, Reno laughed nervously at the glare Cloud gave him. "Hmm... did I ever mention I changed your cell tones?" Giggling nervously, he waved at the warking and vibrating cell on the table next to his lover. "Gonna get it?"

Cloud sighed loudly and moved to get it, uncaring about his lack of clothes as he sat on the bed. "Hello?" he yawned. "Oh, hey Yuffie... M'good, you? Hmm... No, Reno is still sane... as much as he can be..." the blond said, nibbling the cut on his thumb again. "You're at Tifa's? Is Denzel there? Yes? Great, can you call him for me? You’ll talk with Reno next; now let me speak with Denzel, please."

Reno giggled as he heard the excited voice of the ninja from the other line. "HI YUFFIE!" He called out, laughing at the excited squeal he heard from the other line.

Rolling his eyes, Denzel reached up to snag the phone from Yuffie. "Hello?"

Cloud smiled, listening to his son's voice. "Hey Denzel. How have you been? Is school ok?"

"Yea it- Yuffie, go away! You can plot world domination with Reno LATER! – Yea, it's going great! I'm top of my class!" It was great to hear from his dad. Even if it had only been a few days, he still missed him. Badly. "How about you guys? Moving ok? Reno drove you nuts yet?"

Cloud chuckled. "I think I’m immune to him already. I’m glad to hear that everything is okay." he said, proud. “How long till school is over?" he asked with interest: he had arranged two of the rooms for the children, already anticipating their arrival. He still had to decorate them to look good for them but hey, he couldn’t wait for seeing those little devils again. For as much as he tried not to create strings with the children, because in his mind he would never be a good father, it was difficult to get away from those two. Smiling, Reno crawled up on the bed and rested his head on Cloud's legs with a sigh. It had been a long day and his joints were killing him.

"We, Marlene and I, get out in about a week!" Grinning, Denzel jumped up and down a bit. "Can Marlene, Tifa and I visit you then? Cid said he already went and we wanna come too!"

"Of course you can... I have your room ready already." Cloud smiled, listening to Denzel’s shout of delight. "I have something to ask you, though." he said.

Coming down from his little happy high, Denzel turned his attention back to Cloud, ignoring the strange looks he was getting. "What is it?"

"Would you like to be the baby's godfather?" Cloud asked right away. Better to get over with it. "You would still be their older brother but i would really like if you were his godfather as well." he smiled.

There was a long silence from the other side of the phone and Reno snickered. "I think you killed him, yo." He joked.

"… I WOULD LOVE TO!"

"ACK! Maybe not!" That had been just a bit too loud for Reno's overly sensitive ears.

Back at the bar, Denzel practically shook with excitement. "Dad, I would love to be the baby’s godfather!"

Cloud grinned happily. "It’s settled then!" He said, grinning from ear to ear.

Smiling happily, Reno sighed and sat up from his lover’s lap. He was hoping that Cloud would run his fingers through his hair like he usually did but he must not be ready for that yet. Kissing Cloud’s head, he moved to gather up the tray and bring it downstairs. "Who is gonna be the godmother?" Denzel asked excitedly. "...I'm not going to have to marry them will I!?"

Cloud laughed softly. "Of course not... and we still don’t know." he said, reaching and giving his lover's hip a gentle squeeze just to make him turn around so that the blond could give him a thankful smile. "Tifa and Elena are out of question because a fight about it would be inevitable so that leaves Yuffie, Marlene and Shera." he explained.

"Well, Shera is good but I prefer Yuffie!" Denzel grinned at the ninja who was currently hopping onto the table to escape an angry Cid’s wrath. Apparently, she had stolen his cigarettes… again. "She has more energy and can keep up with the baby."

Down in the kitchen, Reno smiled as he cleaned up. Cloud had smiled at him. Better yet, he had smiled when Reno did something for him. Whistling happily, Reno made a silent promise: Cloud would never have to lift a finger again. Reno would do it all. "Anything to make you happy yo." He whispered softly.

Upstairs, Cloud lay down with a slightly painful grunt. His cuts were gone but scars and the pain remained. "Yuffie it is then." he said softly, practically hearing Denzel’s smile. He blinked and then smiled softly once more, raising an arm when his lover re-entered the room and motioning to him to lie down next to him.

Not hesitating even a moment, Reno rushed over and lay down next to Cloud, smiling and opening his arms to the other man just in case he wanted to be held. “Good! Oh, can I tell the others? And does Yuffie know? Do you want tell her?" Denzel knew he made a mistake the second he said Yuffie’s name. Quick as a flash, the materia thieving ninja was by his side and trying to pry the phone from his hands.

Cloud smiled at the sounds coming from the other line and closed his eyes, gingerly snuggling against Reno’s chest. "Reno can tell her." he said, passing the phone to his lover. "Tell Yuffie she’s gonna be the godmother." he said, knowing that Reno would be happy for being the one giving their friend the big news.

Grinning, Reno gently took the phone from Cloud to do as he said. "Hey baby!" Chuckling happily at the squeal he got in return, Reno grinned. "Yuffie!! Guess what yo! ... No... No... No… EW, NO! STOP GUESSING!"

From the other end of the phone, Yuffie laughed. "Well, if you’re NOT being pounded and gonna give me a copy then what IS the good news?!" Gay porn, what could be better than that?!

Banging his head on the phone, Reno ran a hand through Cloud’s hair. "We want you to be the godmother of out child, yo."

There was a pause, followed by a shy "Re-really?"

Reno smiled at the girl’s soft and surprised tone. "Of course. You'll make a great godmother. I know you will."

Yuffie paused, a smile coming to her face. "ALRIGHT THEN!" she cheered. "I'm gonna raise this kid to be the BEST thief EVER!"

Reno chuckled and held the phone away from his ear as Yuffie continued her rant about 'her and the child working together to collect and master every materia in the land before selling it for all they could get!' "... I think she's happy, yo."

Cloud smiled and snuggled further against Reno’s chest, gently circling his arms around the other man's waist. "I'll be happy too if she stops thinking about teaching our child how to steal." he joked softly. "Like hell I will be letting her teach our pure child that kind of stuff."

Chuckling, Reno placed the phone back to his ear. "Yu-Yuffie? Yuffie... PRINCESS!!" He chuckled as her rant came to a standstill. She hated being called that. "No teaching our child how to steal! Now, give the phone back to Denzel. I need a break from your glass shattering squeaks.” He chuckled again at the loud shriek he got in response. "I love you too!" Still giggling, the redhead handed the phone back to Cloud so he could talk to his son.

Cloud smiled and received the phone, starting to play with a strand of red hair with his free hand. "Hey. Happy?" he asked, listening to Yuffie’s squeals and Tifa’s shouts of disappointment.

Reno blinked in surprise at his lover’s actions and smiled, holding the other closer. "Yep! Although, Tifa might kill you when she sees you next." Denzel giggled at bit at the sight of a slightly fuming Tifa as Yuffie bounced around her, taunting the older woman with her new. ‘Godmother' status.

Cloud cringed and sighed softly. "... Try to sooth her pain for daddy, please?" he asked, hopeful. If there was anyone that could scare the shit out of him, it was TIFA.

Frowning, Reno held the other closer, silently promising himself that Tifa wouldn't touch a hair on his love’s head. "Haha! Yea, no problem dad!" Chuckling a bit, Denzel looked over just in time to see Yuffie get a shot glass to the head. "Hmm… on second thought, maybe I'll let Marlene do it." He chooses LIFE, thank you very much.

Cloud pouted, feeling Reno embrace him tenderly. He would have missed this, if Reno had decided to step on him after his pleas and go away. He tried not to think about it, feeling as it still hurt him deep inside. "Well, thanks a lot." he mumbled. “Has Barrett behaved?”

"Yea. He doesn’t want to set a bad example for Marlene." If there was one person who could pause, Barrett’s swearing kink, it was his little daughter. "What he doesn’t know is that she says that and worse." Denzel snickered, remembering the colorful language that the young girl had let loose when she stubbed her toe. "The joys of living over a bar, I guess."

Cloud grumbled. He would have to definitely change that one day. "... Hang on a second." Covering the speaker, Cloud raised his head and nuzzled Reno’s jaw with his nose, gaining his attention. "... What do you think of asking Tifa to let Denzel live with us during his vacations...? I don’t say living permanently with us cos he's at edge's public school and has his friends there... But Tifa won’t stay forever since she has the bar and Marlene will go with Barrett to Corel at some point so I thought it would be nice if he could stay…" he asked, wanting an opinion and also wanting to know if Reno would allow it. After all, the house was more of Reno’s than exactly his.

Smiling happily, Reno nodded and nuzzled his face into his lover’s soft hair. "Whatever makes you happy?" Whatever made him happy... That was his new motto. If it would make Cloud smile, then he would do it. Or see it done.

"It’s not what makes me happy; I’m asking you cos I want to know if it’s okay with you as well." Cloud protested softly, pouting. He didn’t want to take decisions and having Reno just going with the flow cos he had the idea. No sir!

Blinking, Reno laughed and nuzzled his lover’s head once more. "I would love to have him over here yo. He can get closer to the baby!" Of course he wanted Denzel over here.

Cloud smiled and kissed Reno’s neck before turning to the cell-phone. "hey." he greeted once more, getting Denzel’s attention. He was about to talk when his son interrupted him.

“Dad, I think I have to hang up!” The boy exclaimed, watching Tifa putting on her fighting gloves as she advanced dangerously towards Yuffie. “I’ll call you later!”

"… Okay, see-" click. "… Ya!" Cloud sighed, closing his cell phone and placing it on the nightstand. "... Tifa got pissed."

Shrugging, Reno pulled Cloud closer. "She'll be okay yo. She will soon realize that she has Marlin and Denzel to look after. The stress of also being a godmother would freak her out a bit. Besides,” He added, nuzzling Cloud’s nose with his. "Yuffie doesn’t really have anything to connect her with us. Barrett has Marlene, Tifa has Denzel, Red and Cait and Reeve were part of Shinra and are Tifa’s friends, and you found Vincent! This baby is just the thing Yuffie needs to feel like part of the group."

Cloud blinked and thought for a little, playing with Reno’s ponytail. He was right... Yuffie was like a stranger to them, if he saw it that way. You’re right." he agreed softly, nibbling at the cut on his thumb, cringing when he felt blood. The blond quickly looked away and wiped his lips without calling much attention, swallowing hard as memories of his terrible nightmare popped up in his head.

Sighing softly, Reno picked up his lover’s hand and stuck his bleeding thumb into his mouth, suckling gently. "Don't stress over it." He should lecture Cloud but that wasn’t what he needed right now. It would only upset him and that was the last thing Reno wanted to do.

Cloud shifted uncomfortably, feeling and seeing Reno tending to his wound. "You don’t have to do that." he whispered, looking away. He bet Reno knew from where did that came from.

Humming, Reno pulled back and gave the wound one last lick. "Of course I do yo." Snuggling closer to the other man, he sighed and closed his eyes. "I love you so I’m going to take care of you!"

Cloud blinked and nodded slowly, holding the thumb next to his chest as if he didn’t want Reno to see more proof of his weakness. He already felt quite uncomfortable as it was, lying naked on Reno’s arms and showing to the world his scars. "Thanks."

"You’re welcome!" Looking down at his lover, Reno realized what was bothering him and reached down to pull the blankets over the two of them. "Better?"

Cloud sighed; bothered by how Reno always knew what was wrong with him. It was nice and he felt loved, cared for... but in times like this, it only increased his discomfort... did Reno see the scars? All of them? "Yeah." he whispered, thinking seriously that he should take a nice bath. He could smell the blood on his skin.

Sighing happily, Reno pulled Cloud closer. "Hey…" He began sniffing the air a bit. "Ugh! I smell like cleaner! You wanna take a bath? We were both sweating as well."

Cloud nodded, getting up and keeping the blankets around him before sighing, letting them fall and getting up gingerly, wincing as his ankles flared up.

Getting up, Reno walked over, ready to catch Cloud should he need help. "You want me to carry yo? You can't be that heavy!"

"No." Cloud said quickly. Damn it, he wasn’t made of glass! This is why he didn’t want Reno, someone to know... it made him look weak. Frail. Ready to break. He didn’t like it. Not even one bit!! "Thanks but I can walk alone."

Flinching back a bit, Reno nodded. Cloud hated to feel weak and vulnerable. "Okay." He wouldn't say sorry. Saying that would just start a whole new chain of apologies and another round of 'The Blame Game'. “Want me to scrub your back yo?" That should be safe. He always did that.

Cloud smiled softly. "Yeah, please." he said, grabbing Reno’s like a small boy on his first date. "C'mon..."

Squeezing his lover’s hand back, they stepped into the bathroom and Reno began to strip, making sure to gather and place his dirty clothes into the hamper instead of the floor like he normally did. Eyes widening at the tub -it was big enough for seven people to be able to fit and still have elbow room - he leaned over to turn the water on. Nice and hot, just like Cloud liked it. "Bubbles or not…?" He asked, spotting bubble bath on the side of the tub.

Cloud shrugged, just leaning against the doorway. "Feel free to do whatever you want." he said with a sigh. He just wanted to take the smell of blood from his skin, he thought while sneezing.

"Bless you!" Pouring in the bubble bath, Reno grinned as the smell of blueberry assaulted his nose. "Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmy…!" He drawled in a low tone, absolutely delighted as he watched the bubbles rise. "C'mon! Hop in!" Cloud nodded and sniffled, entering the bathtub and pulling Reno with him.

Stumbling slightly, Reno entered the steaming water, groaning as the heat worked its magic on his sore muscles. "That feels nice yo." Humming contently, he reached over to pick up the washcloth, lathering it in strawberry body wash. "Turn around?" He asked, waiting for his lover to turn before gently running the cloth over skin, washing away the day’s dirt and sweat.

Cloud closed his eyes and let Reno wash his back, moaning softly as it made wonders on his muscles. After a while, the redhead stopped and pulled Cloud against his chest. "... Reno?" the blond whispered, smiling when he felt the baby lump against the small of his back. "Did your sickness stopped already?" he asked curiously.

Reno just shrugged. "Not sure. I haven’t really had time to eat, with everything that’s going on and the cleaner made me feel sick so i couldn’t eat even if i wanted to." He would go eat when they were done in here, maybe a sandwich or something. "I'll eat when we finish here and we should know by morning!"

Cloud nodded and smiled. "Sounds good." he said softly. Having time to think, the blond bit his lip. Just... who was this Marluxia guy? Could he be trusted around his lover and consequently child? "... Do you have Marluxia's number?"

Reno blinked. "Hmm... yea… he gave it to me in case we, the four of us that is, ever wanted to get together to hang out. It's in my phone yo. Want me to get it for you?" He asked, making to get out of the tub.

“It’s okay for now." Cloud said. "... But maybe you would want to mark a dinner with them for tomorrow?" he asked. He wanted to know the bastard now.

Reno smiled and nodded. "Yea...! ...Will you actually gonna let me near your kitchen?" Usually Cloud guarded that thing like a mother lion protecting her cubs.

Cloud smiled and ran his fingers through Reno’s red strands of hair. "We could BOTH make dinner. Or we could go to town." he said. The blond needed to know if Marluxia could be trusted... they were in a delicate situation after all.

Humming, Reno leaned into Cloud's touch with a content sigh. "I think making dinner together would be great yo." He was a bit surprised at the fact that Cloud wanted to know Marluxia but he wasn't about to complain. "Marluxia can bring dessert! He runs a bakery in town!"

"Okay." Cloud nodded, letting his hand slid down his lover's chest before cuddling and hiding his face in his neck. He could feel a headache forming already, all the stress and constant fear of doing something that may push Reno away getting to him.

Looking down, Reno's smile faded at the sight of his lover’s pained expression. "You okay?" he asked, mentally slapping himself the moment the words left his mouth. Of COURSE Cloud wasn’t okay! He wouldn’t be grimacing if he was ok. "I'll be right back." Stepping out of the tub, the redhead quickly got his lover some aspirin and a glass of water. Reno handled Cloud his pill before settling down on the floor, smiling up at the blond. “There you go.”

Cloud smiled and leaned over the bathtub, kissing his lover gently before taking the pill and drinking a few mouthfuls of water. "Thank you." he thanked quietly.

Taking the glass, Reno smiled and went to go put it back onto the counter next to the sink. "You’re welcome yo! Anything else I can get you?" Anything to see his lover’s smile again. Anything to make him happy.

"No, just get back in." Cloud asked in a whisper. He just wanted to be in his lover's arms, feel loved... he almost lost it all hours ago and with all his emotional baggage he just wanted to feel secure at the moment. "Please..."

Hopping into the tub without a second thought, Reno wrapped his arms around Cloud and pulled him close. "Smile for me!" He asked after a small moment, grinning. "You’re so cute when you smile yo!" He adored his lover’s smile. It was so small but so sweet altogether. Cloud blinked at his lover’s sudden request and then rolled his eyes, giving his lover his already well-known small smile. Grinning happily, Reno tightened his grip around Cloud’s waist and placed a small kiss on the other’s shoulder. "Thanks!"

"Anything for you baby." The blond whispered, resting his head on Reno’s shoulder as he picked the sponge and started washing Reno’s chest gently, smiling as he ran the fluffy object over his lover's stomach.

"Hmm… that feels nice." Sighing, Reno leaned further into the other’s touch, shivering a bit as the soft cloth ran across his skin, cleaning him of the day’s dirt and sweat. It tickled a bit but he wouldn’t pull away. It felt nice.

Cloud kissed the corner of his lover's mouth, now running the sponge up and down his lover's long legs. "Have you already called Rufus? He may want to know that we got here safely." he commented.

"Yeah…" Reno mumbled around the other’s lips, squirming a bit as Cloud rubbed the cloth across his claves. "That tickles!" Snickering a bit, he settled down and nuzzled his face on the other’s shoulder. "Rufus said he would come and see us later when work settles down."

Cloud hummed and nodded, smiling as his lover squirmed. "I’m trying to wash you here, stop." he said playfully. It looked like everything was falling into place. Now he just needed to stop being an idiot and try to keep the peace between them.

"Meh…!" Reno whined, doing his best to stay still. "You know I'm ticklish!" Grinning, Reno leaned forward and placed a kiss on Cloud’s lips. "I'll get you back later!"

Cloud smirked: sure... "I’m sure you will." he said softly, putting the sponge away to pick up the shampoo and put a nice amount on his hand before starting to massage his lover's scalp. Moaning, Reno flopped over until his forehead came to rest on Cloud's shoulder. He loved it when his scalp was rubbed or massaged. It sent tingles up and down his spine. Shivering a bit, he reached up to gently run his fingers down Cloud’s back, nails scraping slightly.

Cloud shivered as well, massaging Reno’s nape tenderly. "What about we go to the beach for a while during the afternoon? Or to the pool?" he suggested. They were living in a lovely place: they had to make use of it!

Nodding his head, Reno snuggled down closer into Cloud’s ministrations. "Sounds great. It's way too nice out to stay inside." They were gonna be here living in there for a while, anyway. It would be good to get to know the surrounding area in case of an emergency.

Cloud smiled and carefully started washing the soap off his lover's hair. "After our baby is born..." he started. “What do you want to do? Go back to Edge or stay in here...?"

Reno paused for a moment, thinking. "... I'm not sure... I guess it all depends on either or not we will be safe." They had to think about their children. Would Edge really be a good environment for them?

"Yeah…" Cloud whispered, finishing his job. "Edge has everyone in it and it’s friendly but... it’s nothing like Costa Del Sol. Costa Del Sol has better schools, a better environment... I dunno."

Smiling, Reno leaned forward to place a small kiss on Cloud’s lips. "Whatever you want, hun… And don't worry about that right now. We have seven months to figure it out!"

"If not less…" Cloud chuckled, taking a small breath before sinking into the hot water. Seconds later he came back up, running his hands down his soaked hair. "I was born two months earlier."

"Oh GAHH…! Don't even JOKE about that!" Moaning in false despair, Reno sunk down, low into the water. "... How is it gonna come out?" He shivered a bit. That wasn’t going to be pretty.

"C-section; you can’t have the baby normally, thankfully." Cloud explained lying down on top of his lover and keeping his head above the water, gently rested against Reno’s collarbone. He smiled tenderly feeling the lump against his bellybutton. "... I guess I wouldn’t mind getting pregnant myself, I think." He confessed softly. It should be a great feeling, feeling and just plain knowing that they were harboring a life inside their bodies. He respected and admired Reno for it.

Reno chuckled. "That would be a bit hard, seeing as that I don’t have any Jenova cells." He knew Cloud would love to have the child himself. "How about this: I'll have enough kids for the both of us yo." Smiling, he placed his hand on the small lump. "It really shouldn’t be this big after such a short amount of time… I think there is more than one in here."

Cloud quickly raised his head, his eyes shining with delight. "You think so...?" He whispered, biting his thumb. To have more than one child on their first try… It would be great!

Grinning, Reno nodded and took Cloud’s hand, pressing it against the lump on his stomach. "Doesn’t it feel like it's too big? Maybe I'm just putting on weight."

Cloud bit his lip and he felt just exactly how big Reno was. "You didn’t eat that much to get this much weight, baby." He said. "... Think we should go to the doctor to see if he can discover if there is more than one?" he asked, frowning worriedly. He was surprised at how a single baby had enough space to move inside someone’s body: how would TWO be able to spend 9 months together??

"We have to wait until I stop throwing up first." But how long would that take? "... oh man... what if there WAS more than one!? I'm gonna get so FAT." And most likely eat like a horde of horses as well. Reno winced. He didn't want to lose his figure! He knew that the reason Cloud liked him in the first place was his looks. What if he lost them? "Were gonna have to add another crib."

Cloud nodded. "And you won’t look fat. You’ll look lovely, having that glow that all pregnant women have." he reassured, smiling at the thought. Of course that he would have to kick away more guys and gals that decided to lay their eyes – and sometimes even hands – on his lover but who cares? His sword arm needed exercise anyway and Reno would be as handsome as ever.

"But I'm not a woman yo... what if it doesn’t work that way? What if i just look fat?" Reno grimaced and rubbed his stomach. "But it’s not like I have a choice, I guess." But he would have to make sure to eat healthy. "I think I'm gonna give up ramen and sweets." He LOVED to eat candy so this was gonna suck. The things a parent did for his image and children.

Cloud smiled at his lover's resolve. "You'll look beautiful no matter what happens. You'll also be the best parent ever." He said honestly: Reno would be a better parent than he would, that was for sure.

Shaking his head, Reno wrapped his arms around the taller man and tugged him closer. "You’re gonna be a WAY better parent then me yo. Just look at Marlene and Denzel! The two worship and love you." An ugly little nobody like him who grew up in the slums was hardly parent material.

"Yeah and they frikin' squealed any time i told them you were coming to dinner or lunch with us." Cloud retorted. He knew well that those kids loved them as if they were their parents or older siblings.

Smiling, Reno gave Cloud another gentle hug. "That’s only because I teach them poker and take them to Rude so he can bring them on chopper rides." They didn't really like him. Given the option, they always preferred to play with Rude. "They love you to death though."

Cloud smiled at the last sentence but shook his head at the rest. "Let me get this straight: you taught them POKER?" he asked, eyes wide as plates. Oh shit, if Tifa finds out... he’s dead meat.

Sweatdropping, Reno coughed and pulled away. "I'm sorry but… they saw me and Rude doing it and wanted to learn. I'll tell Tifa yo." He didn't mean to upset Cloud... again... "I'm sorry."

Cloud shook his head and kissed his lover tenderly for a few moments. "It’s okay baby. She doesn’t need to know: ignorance is bliss."

Smiling a bit, Reno tilted his head to kiss Cloud’s chin before reaching out to grasp a handful of bubbles. "If she does find out then I'm taking responsibility." He was safer then Cloud was. Tifa would never hit a pregnant man! … Hopefully...

"Like hell I’ll let her near my pregnant lover... and my children." Cloud said, cuddling against his love’s chest. He felt so warm and comfy that he just felt like curling like that and sleep forever. "... Should we give the kid both of our surnames or just one of ours?" he asked, having had that sudden random question.

"Hmm... I think they should get your last name." His lover WAS the father and Cloud DID said a few days ago that he would like to marry him. Fiddling with the bubbles in his hand, Reno tossed them into the air and tried to pop them before they hit the water. 'Does he still want to marry me?' Reno though, sneezing as a bit of foam tickled his nose. 'Probably not...' After all that happened? That was probably the farthest thing on his lover’s mind.

Cloud turned his head upward after his lover's words and studied his expression. Reno was thinking about something important and he could almost see the bitterness in his eyes as he came across some conclusion deep inside his mind. Drawing circles in his lover's chest, the blond smiled as something came to his head. He had an idea of what his lover was thinking about but he wanted to hear it. How could he have forgotten about it? "Gil for your thoughts?" he said softly and calmly, gently snapping Reno out of his thoughts.

Startling a bit, Reno opened his mouth to tell Cloud what he was thinking, only to snap it closed a few seconds later. He had made himself a promise that he wouldn’t upset Cloud anymore. He was certain that his lover didn't need his fears on his plate; he had too much to deal with himself already. 'Besides,' He said to himself, 'What if he DID change his mind?' Reno didn’t' think he could handle that right now. Shrugging, he picked up another handful of bubbles and tossed the tick foam from hand to hand. "Just thinking about all the sleepless nights we’re going to have once the baby, or babies, comes."

Cloud blinked and then hummed. He was wrong about Reno’s thoughts after all. Resting his head back on Reno’s collarbone, the blond kept quiet. "We’ll get over with it." he replied lowly. He always seemed to understand Reno… Did that sparkle disappeared too? Damn it all... Sighing softly, the blond reached for the soap and coated his hand in it, sliding the slippery hand down the redhead's chest and starting to make little sketches in the newly formed foam.

Blinking a bit in surprise, Reno glanced down, raising an eyebrow in amusement at his lover’s actions. "Am I your drawing pad now?" He asked, amusement lining his voice and eyes. He was still a little wary about his earlier thoughts but for the sake of his lover’s happiness, he had to forget about them.

Cloud looked up briefly and then wiped the soap, resting his hand against his chest. "Sorry." he apologized, scratching his nose. Hell, he felt like a kid... He had to stop it: his children and Reno didn’t need another kid around.

Shaking his head, Reno pulled Cloud closer to him and rested his head on the other’s with a sad sigh. He had done it again. "I didn't say that I minded it..." Where did his Cloud go? Where was his strong, tough lover? A few days ago he would have grinned and pinned Reno to the ground before continuing to draw. Now he was like a meek little lamb. The redhead hoped he went back to normal soon. With Cloud like this, Reno didn't know what to do to make him happy or smile. All he seemed to do was screw up and it was breaking his heart.

Cloud breathed deeply through his nose, wrapping his arms around his lover's chest before nibbling the man's soft skin. "I need to stop acting like an immature kid." he explained. He had to change for his lover's sake, for their relationship's sake. “I’m going to be a father… And a father is supposed to be older and acting as such.”

Shaking his head, Reno ran a hand through the others wet hair. "Why yo? I’m a kid all the time! Maybe it's time for me to grow up instead." The last thing he wanted was for Cloud to FORCE himself to change. If he did change then Reno wanted it to be natural and by his choice. Not for his sake. Never for his sake or their children’s.

Cloud chuckled and shook his head. "You change and I kick your ass." he growled playfully, tickling Reno’s sides gently. "I love your antics... it is what makes you... Reno. I wouldn’t have you any other way." he said with all his honesty, resting his forehead against his lover's. “I’m known for being a serious, brooding bastard… Acting like a kid shouldn’t be part of me.”

Giggling, Reno squirmed in the other’s grasp. Smiling, he leaned up to nuzzle his nose against Cloud’s, closing his eyes with a happy sigh. "I like it. I love your seriousness and your brooding. It makes me feel accomplished when I get you to smile or laugh and you only show your younger self to me. I feel special for being the one who knows that secret, sweet part of you."

Cloud blinked and smiled softly. "I love you. You know that, don’t you?" he asked. He felt like he needed to say those words; that he needed to make sure his lover knew it. A shiver ran down his spine as he started to feel the water starting to cool down around them.

Nodding, Reno leaned to kiss Cloud on the cheek. "I love you too, yo." 'That’s why I’m going to keep you happy.' He added silently to himself. Noticing his lover’s shiver, he glanced down and noticed that all the bubbles had dissolved and the water was beginning to cool down. "Darn...looks like we have to get out." Standing up, he exited the tub and handed his lover a towel before grabbing one for himself. "Why don’t you go get changed? I'll clean up in here."

Cloud shook his head. "Just forget about cleaning..." he said, drying himself before pressing against Reno. This was supposed to be a day just for them, to try and make things better, to help them understand what was wrong and what they should change.

Blinking in surprise, Reno smiled and leaned into his lover’s touch. "You sure…? I guess I can always get it later." Cloud seemed to be in a good mood and he didn't want to ruin that. "What do you want to do then? You want to go the beach or the pool…?"

"Wherever you are." Cloud said simply, ruffling his still damp hair. Anywhere would be perfect as long as his lover was there. Cloud leaned forward to catch Reno’s lips in a soft, loving kiss, placing his hands on the redhead's baby lump.

Sighing happily, Reno wrapped his arms around Cloud's neck and tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss. "Sounds good to me, yo…" He murmured after pulling back from the loving embrace.

Cloud smiled and went with Reno inside the room, watching him put his swimming trunks on. "They’re getting too tight." he noted, seeing how they hugged Reno’s stomach. "Here" he said, giving the redhead a pair of his own. “Those should be better."

Taking the trunks, Reno slipped then on and grinned as they fit him perfectly. "This works!" Grabbing a towel from the bathroom, he tossed another to Cloud before making his way out of the room. Pausing at the top of the stairs, his face scrunched up a bit and a distasteful look crossed it. "Aww man... I'm gonna have to buy a whole new wardrobe!" He HATED shopping.

Cloud laughed heartily for the first time since his oh-so-emo breakdown, warming Reno’s heart. "Think this way: it’s because you're going to put another life in this world that you'll need to go shopping." he said, knowing his lover's distaste for the activity.

Groaning, Reno bumped his head on the wall gently a few times. "Okay fiiiine... but YOU’RE coming with me! No way in HELL I'm going to be at the mercy of retail workers by myself." The last time he went alone, all the women kept ogling his hair and asking why it was so soft while the men kept saying he was 'Fabulous!'. Reno shuddered. "Never again..."

Cloud chuckled and nodded, walking past his lover on the stairs. "Fine, fine..." he hated shopping as well but for his lover, he would swim to Wutai and come back if he asked him to.

Sighing in relief, Reno nodded and started to walk down the stairs. "… What was the point of leaving the tub? I mean, we’re just going back into cold water again-" He was cut off when his foot slipped in the stair. Quickly grabbing onto the railing, Reno jerked to a halt, eyes wide and breathing heavily. "I'm okay!" Standing back up he made sure to watch where he was stepping this time.

Cloud quickly went to his lover, checking to see if he was hurt. "You okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine… I just slipped." Hopping off the last step, Reno shot his lover a grin before heading off towards the pool area. "Pool or beach…?" There was a path leading from the pool area to the warm, white sand of the beach near the ocean that they could take. "And don’t give me that look… I just have to be more careful."

Cloud worriedly followed. He knew his lover was clumsy so he would have to keep an eye on him. "... Pool maybe." On the beach it would be harder to help Reno if something happened in the water.

"Pool it is!" Reno cheered happily. Trotting out onto the deck, he stretched and took a deep breath of air. "It's beautiful today yo." The sun was shining and only a few white, puffy clouds dotted the sky. Walking out to the pool, the redhead dumped his towel on a nearby chair before sitting on the edge and dipping his feet into the water.

Cloud extended his own towel on the chair beside Reno’s and lay down, sighing happily at the heat of the sun. Damn, he could get used to this... "Reno, come here." he said, patting his lap as he searched in his bag. He had to put some sunscreen on his lover before he turned into lobster.

Glancing up, Reno shrugged and pulled his legs out of the pool before walking over to sit on his lover’s lap. "What’s up?" Looking down, he saw Cloud digging in his bag for something. "What are you getting?" He asked a bit wary this time. Cloud better not be grabbing what Reno thought he was grabbing. Inching away slowly, his eyes widened at the sight of the bottle of sunscreen his lover pulled out of the bag. "HELL NO!" He hated having sunscreen on. It took too long to put on and it made him feel all slimy. "I'll stay in the pool! I won’t get burnt!"

Cloud grabbed Reno’s ponytail and held him in his place before he could escape. "Reno, sit, now." he said, yanking gently on the hair until his lover was sat. Putting a nice amount of sunscreen on his hands, Cloud started protecting his lover, kissing his nape as he worked on the muscles of his back at the same time.

Moaning softly, Reno squirmed but didn’t' try and pull away again. "Man... I HATE sunscreen…!" Pouting, Reno wiggled when Cloud began to apply the white substance to his chest and stomach. "I hate how I burn and you don't... no fair..."

"I’m a country boy and the mako in me doesn’t let get burnt." Cloud said softly, smiling at some of the memories he has been regaining of his mother lately with this entire pregnancy situation happening. "I used to help my mom gardening... she used to get all burnt like you and I would always joke how she was such a little, beautiful and frail flower like the ones she took care of since she couldn’t be under the sun at the risk of getting burnt." he said, sighing as a wave of something he hadn’t felt in a long time attacked him: he missed his mom... terribly. He missed her caring words, her smile and her laughter... he wished she was there with him, to help him with Reno’s pregnancy and then with the babies...

As if sensing his lover’s pain, Reno turned around and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up memories and make you sad." He knew how much Cloud loved and cared for his mother. Losing her must have been hard. Reno didn't have any memories of his own mother. His father, mean bastard that he was, told him that she had left and abandoned them on first chance she got. That she was so horrified at giving birth to such a disgusting monster like him that she couldn’t take it and left. Funny thing was that in all the pictures Reno had seen he looked just like her. "A least you have good memories."

"There are countless bad ones as well." Cloud said, smiling up at his lover and kissing him gently to take his pain away. "I’m sorry as well... I didn’t mean to drop the mood."

Shaking his head, Reno kissed Cloud back, taking the time to try and slip away from his lover’s hold and escape the cool cream. "Just focus on the good ones yo! And you didn't drop the mood... just… put it on hold."

Cloud smiled and kept Reno on his lap. "You aint running." he chuckled, spreading the cool gel on his lover's stomach and smiling lovingly at the lump there.

"Meh…" Whining a bit more, Reno pouted and slumped back, resigning himself to his slimy fate. "There!" He cried out once Cloud finished smearing his stomach. "Can I go now?"

Cloud looked up and sighed, dismissing the redhead. "You really don’t like people touching your stomach, do you? You even pushed Shera away." he said, giving the redhead a look. "But yeah, go. I’ll just give myself a nice tan..."

Sighing Reno, reached down to grab Cloud’s hand and pressed it against his stomach. "I'm just not used to people touching me there. Especially without a warning." Leaning down, he placed a kiss on Cloud’s lips. "It was the lotion; you KNOW how much I hate it!" Pulling back from the kiss, he gave his lover another smile. "You can touch me all you want."

Cloud chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the redhead. "Oh yeah...? Okay…" he purred, sliding his hands from Reno’s stomach to his back, sliding one hand inside the other man's swimming trunks.

Before Reno could even squeal, they were interrupted by snickering coming from nearby. "You shouldn't be doing that in a place where anyone who goes down to the beach can see you, you know?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, feeling annoyed. Looking back to snap at whoever talked, he blinked at the sight of a pink-haired man...

--

Bekas: See?? XD Cloud is feeling better now! –Flails with a can of spray in her hand- Emo b-gone, SHOOOO! XD and we get behind the scenes footage! 8D WHOO! –can you see that I’m kinda high? XD yep, I am. SLEEP high-

Kigichi: annnnnnnnnnnd role reversal.

Bekas: ?

Kigichi: remember in the beginning? It was Reno complaining about too much food.

Bekas: well, I’m imagining a tray FULL of food... like Japan? Where people nearly walk on top of the others cos the island is becoming too small for all of them? Kinda like that.

Kigichi: lol... point – About Cloud being the one whining about too much food when Reno had that part in the beginning of Haunted.