Night Shift 24: M11-M20 Hallway
((OOC: Starting off in M13, moving into the hall.))Homura closed his eyes as that familiar voice filled the air, let out a slow breath to ease into the proper mindset for what was about to happen. Short this time, which was good, as he didn't have any desire to listen to the head doctor prattle on endlessly. No, Homura was eager to get things
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The flaw in his plan was apparent soon enough when Reno failed to be properly cowed by Rufus' revenge tactic. That was unexpected.
Uhh... shit.
A dark thought surfaced in Rufus' mind, he seizing on that quickly like a drowning man would a life preserver. It was a long shot, but it might just work. One way or another, he needed to win this. Had to. The amusement in Reno's eyes was welcomed, not wanting to chance pissing off his one of two allies here. If Reno had showed the slightest sign of discomfort (or at least discomfort that Rufus would have known him well enough to pick up on) Rufus would have backed off. Since he didn't, Rufus leaned a little closer, his hair brushing against Reno's own.
"Do you know how I knew you weren't my Reno?" he asked, that low growl still in his voice. "My Reno had two scars. One is barely visible right here..."
Rufus fingertip slid slowly down Reno's throat, drawing a line just shy of touching the man's cartoid artery. Even he was smart enough not to do that. Given Reno's profession, he doubted the Turk would want a caress that intimate or potentially dangerous.
"The other is right..."
The fingertip dropped down without warning, following the line of Reno's Landel's wear collar at first and then lower to the man's mid-chest. A fingernail scraped against the material.
"There."
Rufus tilted his head, trying to brush his lips against Reno's ear as he spoke. "My Reno was nearly gutted keeping some crazy man from gutting me about a week before Geostigma surfaced and ended up getting stabbed himself in the process. Then again, there's also the fact that I know for sure if he's a natural redhead or not. Would you like to guess how?"
Rufus drew back some, enough to meet Reno's gaze. He had to remind himself that this Reno didn't know he was lying his arse off. It wasn't the first time Rufus had completely lied to win. What was business but a complete and utter fabrication at times?
"That and he has this fondness for being on top that I don't think you share."
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He shifted his leg, brushing it lightly against Rufus' as he did. He didn't comment as Rufus spoke, only locked his gaze with Rufus, lowering his eyelids just enough to draw attention to his eyelashes. He didn't bother moving away from Rufus's touch, either, even leaning into it slightly. It wasn't like it was unwelcome or anything. Maybe the fact that he'd been here for almost a week without any real action (the closest he'd gotten was flirting with Lust) had something to do with this.
Reno was tempted to turn his head as Rufus's lips brushed against his ear, knowing full well where the President's mouth would end up if he did so. But he wasn't about to take it quite that far yet.
Rufus likely would've been able to pull his little story off - he always was a hell of a good liar - if he hadn't made a reference to the timeline. But he had, and he apparently didn't realize that Reno was fully aware of every event up to and past Geostigma. Reno was pretty damned sure that he hadn't gotten stabbed a week before Rufus came down with the infection. He'd taken plenty of hits for a number of people before. That one wasn't on the list.
Of course, Rufus could very well be telling the truth about the latter half. It wasn't that difficult to see himself bedding the President. Actually, that prospect was looking closer and closer right now.
In any case, there was at least one bluff for him to call Rufus out on. That didn't mean he'd do it, though. He wanted to play along and see where Rufus was willing to take this.
"Hmmm. Did you want to confirm for certain, that second scar? Don't tell me you can see through my shirt." He cocked his head, as though considering, before finally discarding the loose strand of hair and leaning forward enough to close the gap created when Rufus had pulled back.
"Actually, we can confirm that and your assumption about my preferences in bed all in one go. Efficiency. That's your thing, yeah?"
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The brush of the Turk's leg against his own was a spark of heat, one he pointedly chose to ignore. He wouldn't win this game by giving into a weakness like lust. There was a moment of (very) faint worry when Reno didn't pull back but leaned into his fingers some instead. Well, that wasn't expected. This might call for a change of plan on his part.
This became even more apparent a moment later when Reno more or less propositioned him to find out if it were all true. The question now was how far was he willing to go to say he'd beaten Reno in something.
That smirk never left Rufus' face as he stood his ground, letting Reno close that gap between him that he'd created. He stayed standing, enjoying the short time he was able to tower over the other man. Height gave him the illusion of being in control, of being higher up that Reno was. It was something he'd used to his advantage. The tip of his tongue touched lightly against the centre of his own upper lip, sliding along to the cornre as he pretended to think over Reno's question.
"I suppose you would have no compunction about cheating on yourself."
His fingers ticked against the strands of Reno's hair that were free of the tie at the front, aimlessly moving until he reached the tail of red hair and tried to flip it over Reno's shoulder and into his own grasp. Rufus had lost count of the number of time over the years that he'd wanted to grab ahold of that hair and throw Reno into a wall with it. He tried to use it to force the Turk's head up, Rufus wanting to loom over him.
"I know my Reno is worth the time, but what makes you worth it?" he asked, sounding as bored as he would have been if forced to give interviews for mailroom positions. He was the very picture of Shin-Ra arrogance, that better-than-thou attitude that made his eyes cold and the archness of his smirk all the worse. "Efficiency has its place, but I prefer to take other things... slow and enjoy them. You look more like the fast and unable to control himself sorts."
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As Rufus tugged on his ponytail, he went with the motion, knowing what Rufus was trying to do and not particularly bothered by the display of dominance. Reno didn't have anything to prove to the President; Rufus was well aware of what he was capable of.
He leaned his head back all the way, slinging a casual arm over the backrest of the chair. His smirk widened until it was almost a lazy grin.
"Well now, but that would be telling, right?" He slipped a lock of hair out of Rufus's grasp, fingers coming into contact with Rufus's hand for a split second, the barest hint of a touch. He brushed the strands over his lower lip, tongue darting out to wet the tips. "You'll have to find out for yourself just how...worth it I am."
Even as he spoke, he was aware of how absurd this whole situation was, that it never would've happened had they been anywhere but here. He could almost hear Tseng hyperventilating in the background.
Speaking of the other Turks. Wasn't Elena making her way here right about now?
Oh, damn. This is gonna be fucking priceless.
"Y'know," he began slowly, "I could beg to differ. I could tell you that I'm actually controlling myself pretty damn well right now. But really - I think that might just be a lie. I think it might just be that your...attempts...haven't been able to cause me to fall into those violent throes of passion I can't control."
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Thoughts of Schuldig were far from his mind. He hadn't forgotten the telepath by any stretch of the imagination. The headache haunting the back of his head made sure of that. Schuldig simply wasn't something on his mind right now since it was a Schwarz only night, especially with Farfarello's reappearance. Had he known the Irishman was stalking the halls, Schwarz would have taken a higher precedence in his mind. Had he kept in mind that Elena was around somewhere or on the way, he probably wouldn't be pushing this so far.
Unfortunately, he was thinking with a lower power at present, one that was already consuming his intelligence. Or at least diverting it elsewhere.
Rufus' head tilted, real amusement that was tinged with exasperation overtaking that cold expression some. That bare touch there brought another spark, one that he quickly killed off. Reaction on his part wouldn't do right now. And his eyes didn't stray to that flick of tongue. Not at all. Or that's what he told himself. Okay, he had to get control of this back somehow.
"Oh, I know exactly how much you're worth, Reno. Roughly four million gil last I checked the company records," he drawled. "Of course, that's not counting the damage you do. That might drop your value to far less."
Rufus bent down enough to bring them within a few inches of space between them.
"I don't think you're controlling yourself at all. As I said, you're not my Reno. Mine probably all ready would have had me flat on my back by this point. He always did like my desk. Something about wanting Tseng to see fingernail marks on it and have to wonder or not be able to do anything about it. Then again, he did have a fondness for the helicopter as well. Amazing that he could steer the thing during."
Rufus' sharp smile came back, a fingertip rubbing against his own lower lip in a rather pointed manner.
"I don't expect you to fall into 'violent throes of passion' unless you happen to be a woman under there."
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Granted, Rude would be able get away with it, too, except it wasn't in his partner's nature to be all touchy-feely and intimate.
At the hint of amusement in Rufus' expression, Reno's satisfaction only grew. So he really was getting to the President.
Points for me.
Though Rufus did surprise him a little by naming an actual price. He wasn't aware Rufus kept tabs on these things. True, that number might've just been one he'd made up on the fly, but Rufus was also certainly detailed and obsessive enough to sit there calculating how much each of his Turks cost.
"Four million, huh? So assuming that's the wholesale price, how much do I go for on the market? Or am I not for sale because you're just possessive like that? Being a collector and all."
Reno chose to dodge the issue of damages. That was one point he'd never win. Not even he could deny he'd destroyed...several things. Or, fine. A bit more than several.
"Yeah? He probably also likes the desk because that's where the drawers are, and I'm sure you know all the little surprises you keep in there." He paused, as though contemplating. "Or maybe that was only my President Shin-Ra. You might have them hidden somewhere else."
His turn to offer up complete bullshit, as well. Except this wasn’t so much intended to be believed as it was just to put a few images into Rufus’s head. Rufus was actually putting a number of images in Reno’s head, too-none of which were a turn-off. The opposite, really. But he'd be damned if he ever let Rufus know that.
"Nah. Sorry if that's your kink." He leaned forward slightly, but kept enough distance between them to avoid any actual contact. "I do, however, have plenty of other interesting things under there."
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Tseng would be having a coniption.
"Four million, six hundred, twenty-two thousand, four hundred and seventy three gil if you want the actual price that you were worth to Shin-Ra Company however long ago it was that I left. Only Tseng exceeded you in cost. Rude was just under you because he lacked your ability to move in and out of situations. His size lessens his value slightly on the covert operations front," Rufus said lazily, gaze sliding to Reno's hair instead of his face. It was safer until he had himself firmly back under control.
He chuckled at the mention of his desk drawers. "I keep an EMR in the top drawer actually. Most wondered how I survived the Tower falling on me after Diamond Weapon's attack. He gave me one of his EMRs loaded with Barrier incase an assassin ever got past my guards. I activated it just as the Tower was falling. Kept me alive."
That was true and false. It had been an EMR that Rufus had used, but it wasn't Reno's. It had been a new prototype Shin-Ra had been working on. It had been luck it was there. A faint tug was given to Reno's ponytail, Rufus' fingers edging to where hair met skull, picking idly at the hair tie. So close and so far away. So far, it was the only point they connected despite being a bare inch or two apart.
"Is this where I ask you for a show then? Or do you prefer those who simply move in and take? It's so hard to decide since you two aren't exactly the same."
Master of bullshit still it would seem.
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"Fascinating," he said.
Actually, it really kinda was, in spite of his bored tone. He'd never questioned his exact worth before. He knew he was worth a hell of a lot - the shit he was able to get away with made at least that much clear - and that'd always been good enough for him.
"You mean I managed to save you even though I wasn't even there? Damn, I'm good."
He could feel Rufus's fingers tickling the back of his neck, sending a slight shiver down his spine. Dammit, this was distracting. If he hadn’t been engaged in the most screwed up pissing contest in his life right now, he would've let his eyes close and enjoy the gentle, almost playful, touch.
Instead, Reno snorted and rolled his eyes, though there was more amusement than exasperation. "Spare me, boss. Since when are you ever indecisive? I've already lost count of the number of assumptions you've jumped to over the past several days, despite me not being 'yours'. Or..." He drew his leg up onto the seat of his chair, making sure to brush against Rufus's hip as he did. "...am I just making it that hard for you to draw all those clear, logical conclusions you usually come up with?"
One finger started to trace a path from his knee, sliding along his thigh and towards his waist, stopping just before he got too far. His eyes never strayed from Rufus.
"Of course, if you really don't know...then take a guess, yeah?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Not scared you might be wrong, are you?"
It wouldn't tell him anything if he made the first move, after all. No, he wanted to see if Rufus wanted him enough to go for it.
Besides, Rufus had started this whole deal. Only fair that he finished it, too.
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It was time to try to swing things back into his court instead of watching the path of that fingertip all too closely. He told himself that he wasn't staring at it, holding his breath until it stopped short. Nope, not him.
Reno just had to go and say 'hard' didn't he, especially in that voice. Had Rufus been in a more serious state of mind, he would have mused that the universe was assuredly against him.
Rufus' fingers spread out, tickling against the short hairs at the back of Reno's neck, letting the rest of the tail lay loosely curled around his hand. Damn it, he had to win this. He had to keep control somehow. If he backed down from this, he'd never live it down. The taunt of fear only made him more determined. Show fear or reluctance in front of his own bodyguards? Never.
That, of course, led to his next action. Leaning down without warning, Rufus tried to touch his lips to Reno's own, a tenative gesture for a man who ran the world. Or had. It would be better to be turned down than not try at all. Or so he told himself. What was the worst that could happen really?
If anyone walks in, I'm promptly shooting them, he decided.
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But it was a little harder to keep with that logic ever since they'd been yanked from the professional environment of Shin-Ra. And then Rufus went and initiated things, and now he figured, fuck it. For all he knew, he could be dead within the next ten minutes. So why the hell not?
Before Rufus had leaned forward all the way, Reno was already moving to meet him, catching him in a kiss that began slow until he tried to deepen it. One hand snaked upwards, fingers curling around Rufus's arm. It was almost an unconscious gesture, made without much thought.
He had no idea if they were still playing...whatever it was they'd been playing at, but he didn't give a damn. There were times when it was appropriate to analyze the situation, and then there were times when it was far better to just shut the hell up and make out with your boss.
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Rufus' kiss had been like himself, detached and functional. When Reno responded, everything that had been intelligent burnt away in a flash. This wasn't like the kisses he'd gotten from his paid nightly entertainment or those that had wanted his bank account. It felt different. His free hand had to hold tighter to Reno's chair, that sudden flush of heat leaving him a little unsteady.
And gods, he'd never be able to live with himself for getting a little weak in the knees. Then again, he'd deny that weakness tomorrow and claim it was all... something. He'd think of a good excuse when he could think clearly. The part of his mind that suggested this was an extremely bad idea was promptly ignored.
Rufus drew in a sharp breath, lips parting to Reno. His eyes had shut at some point, relying only on sensation. There was too much to feel with Reno's hair under his fingers, the press of damp heat against his lips. A tiny moan that couldn't have possibly come from someone like Rufus Shinra was hear distantly. Surely it hadn't been him making that desperate sound that had sounded like Reno's name.
At this rate, he was going to end up on Reno's lap.
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He hadn't been with that many men, despite his anything-goes attitude when it came to sex. Not out of any selectivity on his part; it was just way easier to find women willing to openly display their attraction to him than men who would do the same, and he was never willing to put that much effort into getting a one-night stand.
Of course, this was far from a one-night stand. More of a...something. He had no goddamn clue what. He wasn't even sure if, or when, Rufus would snap to his senses and back off.
But what the hell did it matter? Especially when Rufus was almost sitting in his lap.
Reno slipped his tongue between the parted lips, tasting what was so inherently Rufus, and pulling away just long enough to catch his breath. His eyes hadn't quite closed, but they almost had, fluttering between half-lidded and fully shut, and fuck, but when Rufus moaned his name like that, it was more than enough to make him throw inhibition all to hell.
As if he hadn't already.
A single nail, blunt and ragged from all his chewing, scratched lightly down the back of Rufus's neck. He snagged Rufus's wrist and tugged forward, dropping his leg back down to the floor to make more room, just in case Rufus did decide to climb into his lap - something he wouldn't mind at all. Kisses were all very well and good, but he wanted more contact than that.
Dammit, if he'd known this was going to happen, he would've sat on the bed or something instead.
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The hand that had been clutching onto the back of Reno's chair for dear life and the one that had been threaded through the Turk's hair dropped away, both sliding upwards to try to rest against the other's face. They splayed out there, attempting to hold Reno's head between them and try to stop any sort of retreat that he fully expected the man to make. There was the low hiss of those hated sweatsuits rasping against each other as he finally did slide onto Reno's lap and make himself comfortable.
His body made one small rocking motion before Rufus forced it to still, holding back as usual even when it would have been easier and better to simply give in. It wasn't his nature to lose control that badly no matter how much he wanted it.
"Reno..."
That time it was clearer, that single name spoken with heat and want no matter what he might say later or attempt to claim. There was pure desire and want in that word that wasn't in his usual cold speech before he took advantage fully of Reno's mouth on his own.
Oh yes, if anyone came through that door, he was shooting them. The idea that Schuldig might be on his way was very far from Rufus mind. All he could think of now, if one wanted to call it thought, was if those rumours about Reno and his prowess were true. Straining against the Turk's body again, he groaned deep in his throat, trying to drag the other man closer for more contact, more sensation, more anything he could get.
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He grunted softly as Rufus settled on him, shifting a bit to better support the weight. Rufus wasn't a big man, but neither was Reno. Still, he managed to get comfortable enough under the circumstances. He slid his leg over Rufus, trapping part of the President's body beneath it.
A low growl escaped him when Rufus spoke his name again. He dropped one hand lower, sliding down Rufus's chest until he reached the end. His fingers danced along the waistband of the pants and brushed that thin line of bare stomach, teasing. He finally pulled away from Rufus's lips, tracing kisses down the side of Rufus's throat instead, as his teeth nipped lightly at the skin.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, something prodded him and reminded him that that door was wide open, that Elena was still on her way, and that Landel's still had any number of monsters who could sneak up on them...but such higher thought processes were doomed from the start, what with Rufus rubbing and pressing against him like that.
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Head thrown back, Rufus tried to contain his gasp, eyes still slitted shut in pleasure. It was too much sensation for a man who was used to having ever single thing in his control and dictated according to his will. A sharp breath was drawn in as the Turk's fingertips slid along his stomache, leaving what felt like hot trails across bared skin. His own hand slid further down Reno's leg, tracing the lines of muscle beneath the cheap cloth of Landel's. Too many people thought Reno was just skin and bone but Rufus was discovering differently. His head tilted, exposing his throat fully to the other's lips.
"The door," he hissed, about all thought he could give to it. A vision of what Elena's face would be like flashed briefly across the mind's eye before that too was lost. All that his mind concentrated on after that was pulling Reno tighter against him, straining for that contact. He finally left off of Reno's hair, fingernails scoring across the back of the Turk's sweatshirt, wishing for once that the man was still wearing his usual loose uniform shirt. That would have been much easier to get past.
"Elena... is going to be... traumatized."
Maybe he would luck out and they would be late.
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