( Author's Note: Okay... I haven't been here in a while. Thanks for all the love on Home, and for the few fans I have here... here's a little something to tide you over until chapter 2 is finished. This was for a contest in y!Gallery... and I love how it turned out, so... enjoy! And, per usual... Reno and Rude do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be here, I'd be smack in the middle of a TURKy sammich. XD )

It wasn't simply the way he touched me.

" Are... are you okay with this, Aibou...? I-I mean... you never--"

" ... just shut up and unlock the door."

No, that doesn't explain it right, at all. The first time... that first wonderful night. Just us. His taste and smell was intoxicating, even more so than the alcohol that flowed through our bodies at the moment. Perhaps that's why he finally gave in to my advances. He never said a word, he just grabbed my collar, right there at the bar, and kissed me. In front of Tseng, Elena, Rufus, even... he kissed me. Soon enough, he was in my apartment, my room, my bed. Lips and hands moving frantically over each other's bodies... ripping clothing off so fast it was a blur. He was on top of me before I knew it. Things were moving so quickly, it all seemed like a dream. Except for those eyes. Those eyes snapped me back to reality. As soon as I took those shades off for the first time... eyes the color of warm, melted caramel, the most perfect golden brown shade greeted me...

" I've wanted this for so long... Rude..."

" ... is that so?"

I'll never forget those eyes that first night. I could never recall his eyes being so bright when we were kids... the Mako in his body being the cause of that ethereal glow. Funny how somethings work out like that... my eyes shined with cold, his with warmth... those gorgeous hues... Even in our states of inebriation... the way he looked at me, those orbs glowing and sharp, piercing the darkness of the bedroom... it felt as if he could see right through me. Through all the deceptions and lies I had crafted over the years...things I had even began to believe myself. Those lies and truths seemed to just reach out from some hidden depth, perhaps from my soul if I believed such a thing really existed, wanting to be exposed to this man. It was as if everything inside of me just wanted to open up like a book to him... and part of me knew that he could already see most of what was hidden; it's hard to hide things from someone you've known for so long. We met when we were, what was it? Pre-teens? So much has happened in our lives, it's hard to remember... well, for me, anyway. I'm sure he could recall every detail. Like how many times I got caught picking my nose in class the first day, or how many girls slapped me when I flipped up their skirts. Some habits die hard. Rude's lips pressed gently to the large red welt on the left side of my face; I hissed in return. The pain actually seemed to fade, then...

" You shouldn't wear those glasses so much... your eyes could distract an army..."

" I'm light sensitive."

" Since when?"

" ... and now, we change the subject."

" ... oh... gods... aaah...!"

I remember how his hands felt on my body. They were rough, of course. Years of fighting hand to hand had calloused those palms... those tough, battle-worn hands... yet, they were so gentle on my skin, gliding over every curve of my thin body. I can recall how my face burned, more than what the liquor inside me was doing, at his soft touches, like he was appreciating some fragile work of art. I was hardly fragile... but the way those deep, sepia-colored digits lightly caressed my chest, then stomach and thighs... I was starting to feel it. Those larger hands were like magic... anywhere they touched evoked moans of pleasure from my lips, flesh that was numb with drink now warmed and tingling under him. His own deeply tanned flesh seemed to respond to my touch, as well. Soft grunts and sighs escaped from his own mouth as my hands wandered over his muscular chest, up to his shoulders and neck, and over his bald head. My fingers played along the outer rims of his ears, circling around his many piercings. I could recall when he got most of those... and how he tried to get me to get mine done. After the first piercing, and the subsequent howling in pain and cursing every known relative of Rude's in the book, I decided that piercings weren't for me.

" Why do you still keep that one ear pierced?"

" Because... it reminds me of you."

" It doesn't still hurt, does it?"

" Of course not! Why would you ask that?"

" ... because you're crying."

He swept a finger across my cheek, and it was then I noticed the wetness. What...? Why was I crying? Talk about not making sense... I rubbed my hands across my face, ridding it of the foreign moisture.

" ...'m not crying..."

" You sure about that?"

I looked away from him. Gazing into those honey-wheat eyes would just tell him the truth. He leaned down, and kissed the corner of my mouth, that familiar goatee of his brushing against my jaw. I clenched my eyes shut; I could feel the sting of more tears approaching. Perhaps it was the alcohol... I'm not sure. I was just so happy... so fucking happy to be with Rude... nothing else, no one else mattered. One of those milk chocolate-colored hands cupped my chin, and turned my face back to his. My eyes opened, and a goddamn waterfall escaped me. His lips pressed to a wet cheek, and murmured softly...

" Reno... why didn't you ever tell me?"

" ... I was afraid... I didn't want to risk losing you... you're my best friend... only thing I got that's like family... I didn't want to lose you..."

" ... Reno..."

Those full, voluptuous lips covered mine as a shaky sob escaped me, unable to hold it in anymore. They were soft, silky, and tasted of hard liquor and cigarettes, moist with my tears. Our mouths parted, and tongues met, wrapping around and caressing each other. He took control of that kiss easily... and I let him, let him push my tongue back inside, running his along the roof of my mouth and pinning my tongue like it was nothing. He pulled back after a few moments of play, and we caught our breaths. I was lost inside those depths the color of a faun's fur in the summer sun. We just gazed at each other for what seemed like eternity. I could hear my heart pounding against my chest. Had I looked down, I would have probably seen it, as well. It was threatening to beat right out. My beloved partner reached up and brushed some wayward strands of red from my eyes, his hand then cupping my cheek. I leaned into the touch, rubbing against that large, rough palm of his.

" I'll never leave you, Reno."

" ... Rude..."

I wrapped my arms around his neck suddenly, pressing my lips to his this time. Oh, how I had wanted this... more than anything... this was so perfect, so right... I only prayed this wasn't a dream. Everything felt too real to be, though... as I felt him press against me, grinding our hips together, the shock of ecstasy that shot through my body made me realize that this was definitely no dream. He reached over to my nightstand, and grabbed the small vial of lube that sat there... he must've studied that stand, because he wasn't even looking at it when he got it, still locked in the kiss with me. I heard the bottle open, and Rude sat up, squeezing some of the contents onto his fingers.

" Are you ready for this...?"

" ... more than anything in my life..."

He leaned back over me, piercing me with a gaze that was just short of animalistic lust... and something else... a look that matched the same needy, desperate feeling that I was feeling. His finger at my entrance now, my eyes fluttered closed. I spread my legs further apart, and he inserted a digit into me. I whimpered, tensing up, my back arching off the bed slightly as he carefully slid further inside. I could feel his warm breath against my ear as he whispered for me to relax. I took a deep breath, willing my inner muscles to loosen and grow accustomed to the invading appendage. His tongue traced along the ridges of my ear, and I gasped, hands moving to his shoulders and gripping them. He pulled his finger out, then thrust back in with two this time. I bit my bottom lip and moaned. I felt those fingers explore the depths of my hole, lubricating the walls, and coaxing the muscles apart. He brushed against my prostate, that sweet spot, and I moaned again, a shaky, breathy sound. My legs wrapped around his hips, the balls of me feet pressing against his cheeks. I wanted him inside me. I never wanted anything so bad in my life. His teeth nipped at my ear then, capturing and pulling on the silver loop that hung from it. My fingers dug into his shoulders, and I cried out.

" Rude... please... I want you...in me..."

He didn't say a word. Easing his fingers from inside of me, he captured my lips in a deep kiss. I nipped at his bottom protrusion, as he lifted my left leg over his shoulder, my fingernails scraping down his chest, smoothing my palms back up. He positioned his arousal at my sensitive entrance, and I opened my eyes, gazing at the most beautiful face I had ever seen in my life. With the slightest of smiles, something more akin to a serene look just barely tugging at the corners of his mouth, he pressed inside, pausing as the tip entered fully. I hissed in air through my clenched teeth, grabbing his upper arms and squeezing, whimpering as my muscles tried to push out the new invader. He groaned, forcing himself in further, burying himself in to the hilt. He paused there, his own eyes closed now, as I squirmed beneath him, gasping and moaning. As I became used to his size, he began a slow, easy rhythm, leaning down so often to nip and lick at my neck. My hands stayed locked onto his powerful biceps, moaning with each thrust of his hips, murring as he attacked my neck with lips and teeth. His hand came up to rub down the length of my thigh, as his pace began speeding up. With each thrust now, he shifted his hips upwards, hitting my prostate with dead-on aim. Each hit lit up my nerves like a christmas tree, the euphoria moving through my veins like the best drug, warming my face and upper chest, and coating them in a light sheen of sweat. I felt the heat pooling behind my belly button, shooting down to my groin. My own erection throbbed for attention. I grasped it, the sweat on my palm, and precum that had spilled proving to be just enough lube. I pumped my shaft in time to his thrusts, calling out his name as he sped up even more, crashing into me with more and more urgency as we both seemed to be reaching our peaks. Suddenly, and violently, I reached mine first, my back arching off the bed completely, a loud, sharp cry ripping through my throat. My eyes were open, but I couldn't see anything but spots. I felt a final, harsh thrust from him, as his body tensed, a whispered obscenity was all that came from him as he filled me with his seed. I fell back against the bed, and he collapsed on top of me, panting heavily into the pillow beside my head. My arms wrapped weakly around his shoulders, as I kissed his shoulder and neck. After a few moments, he propped himself up on his elbows, looking at me with half-lidded amber jewels. A tender looked crossed his face, something so radically different from his usual stoic mask... I could only stare back in awe. He cupped one of my cheeks in his hand, and ran a thumb along my cheekbone.

" Reno... you're crying again..."

" ... am not... it's sweat..."

" You're a horrible liar."

I grinned. I couldn't help it... I was just so happy. So abso-fucking-lutely happy. He chuckled softly, and kissed me.

I knew, from that point on, I would never have to worry about being alone again...