Gift for Shadowwaker
Recipient: Shadowwaker
writer: dark_squall
Title: Hidden Gifts
Series/Characters: Final Fantasy VII - Reno/Rufus.
Rating: NC17
Notes: Set sometime before the events of FF7, with brief mentions of CC and BC stuff. I think this is only the second time I've written Reno/Rufus, so hopefully you enjoy it, Shadowwaker :) Forgive the navy blue suits, I like them in those as much as the regular black. Since you asked for Humour, Drama or Romance, I tried to include a little of all three. The little scene at the end is a bonus, written while I waited for my lovely beta to check the fic.
With thanks to RaceUlfson for beta (in record time) and helping me with Reno's gift. More thanks of course to the organiser of the exchange, iki_teru for dealing with all these fics!
Warnings for Male/Male sex, drinking and an English person attempting to reference something American she's not tried yet.
He’d put a stop to the insipid pop
songs early on. If they absolutely had to celebrate, it would be on
his terms. Rufus Shinra walked through the lobby of the Junon branch
of his father’s corporation as a particularly elegant strings
version of a traditional Yule song played over the PA system.
A
few scattered employees noted his presence, bleary eyed and barely
conscious. He’d almost forgotten that the staff party had been the
previous evening until one particularly cheerful receptionist
chirruped “good morning sir!” and the employee standing beside
her, rifling through his mail very slowly, winced and shot her a look
that could curdle milk. Rufus gave her a brief, small smile and a nod
and stepped into the lift, scanning his card.
If the Yule
party had been the previous evening, that meant only one thing.
Turks. The Turks never missed a party. Tseng for security reasons,
Reno for alcoholic ones. Rude just seemed to tag along for the hell
of it.
Rufus’ hand hovered over the button for the security
floor and wondered if he should hear the doubtless legendary tales of
Reno’s drunken and off duty escapades first before the rumours had
a chance to escalate enough to reach him through the grapevine.
With a sigh, he decided against it and pressed the button for
his floor. It really wouldn’t do to encourage them after all.
Especially not Reno.
The lift rose slowly, providing a decent
view of the winter touched Junon Harbour. Although it was too far
south for any serious snow, a few brief flurries had fallen,
scattering pillows of white on the support beams and struts,
particularly on the higher reaches of the Shinra building. Fingers of
ice had spread on the outer glass, as though someone had cast an ice
spell on each pain individually. It would only last a few more days,
then a warm front from the west would bring milder weather and melt
it all again. Rufus would be sad to see it go; somehow it gave the
hard industrial town a softer, more pleasant edge.
The lift
dinged and halted all too soon and with a sigh, he stepped out into
the antechamber that had come to serve as his receptionist’s
office. Fortunately, she was already at her desk and looking much
more with it than most of the employees he’d seen
downstairs.
“Sir,” she stood, holding out the usual pile
of morning reports, more news from Midgar and Wutai, financial briefs
and outlines for meetings on the schedule for the day.
Humming
his thanks, Rufus was already reading the first incredibly boring
meeting agenda as he moved to his office door. It hissed open as soon
as his ID card was in close enough proximity to the door and he
slipped inside without a moment’s pause.
He only made it a
few steps into the already lit office before he caught a flash of red
out of the corner of his eye. Rufus paused, looking up to see Reno
and his main partner in his misadventures sitting on the couch at the
corner of his office. “Reno. Rude,” he stated both in greeting
and dismissal. Of course they caught only the first implication, and
Rufus continued to his desk regardless.
“You didn't show at the party last
night, boss,” Reno leant forward, his elbows resting on his knees
as he called Rufus by a name usually reserved for Tseng. He was
almost touched at the idea of being called by that name - perhaps
Reno was beginning to respect him after all. “We were waiting for
you.”
Rufus didn't dignify Reno's statement
with a response, settling his papers onto his desk and sliding into
his seat. There was already a cup of hot coffee waiting for him right
in the usual spot. Really, since he'd taken on Lyn as his secretary
he'd wondered how he'd ever done without her. She was a godsend, even
if she did let wandering Turks invade his office space before
breakfast.
There were few general employees who,
when faced with the navy blue suits, would stand their ground. Hell -
there weren’t many of the general army that would. SOLDIER may have
been his father's personal strike force, but when it came to the
dirty work, the Turks were in their element.
Reno sighed, running a hand through the
short spiky strands of his hair. The flash of red was enough to catch
Rufus' eye and he couldn't help looking up. “What do you want?”
he asked at last. Anything for a quiet life. The sooner he dealt with
them, the sooner they'd be gone and the sooner he could get on with
his work.
“We were gonna do the secret gifter
thing, but you never turned up so we had to go ahead without you,”
Reno gave Rufus one of his feral little smiles, one of those looks
that had the effect of making one's skin crawl with an emotion that
should never be examined too closely. Rufus was never entirely sure
how he was supposed to interpret that smile, or the way Reno's too
blue eyes narrowed on him just a little. SOLDIER blue eyes in fact -
he'd half wondered before whether Reno had been one of Tseng's
recruits from within the company rather than outside. He did have a
knack for finding very odd, but very effective talent.
Tseng was another one he had trouble
reading. Especially after the incident a few years before - and
their somewhat darker past - Tseng was too reserved, too quiet. Too
damn good at his job. Reno however, Reno was too wild, too odd. One
of those people who didn't fit in anywhere besides the blue suit of
his division.
At least he could read Rude, Rufus
supposed.
“I left my gift with Lyn to present
in my absence,” Rufus said, leaning back in the chair. He picked up
his coffee cup, sipping cautiously. Fortunately she could even make
good coffee. “Why was it so imperative I was there to receive
mine?”
Behind Reno, Rude pulled a small
glasses case from his inside pocket, retrieving a pair of sunglasses
from within the dark leather case and exchanging them for the ones he
was already wearing. At least his present had been well received.
With a long suffering sigh - Rufus
wondered if Reno were still drunk, he never could tell - Reno
slumped a little in place. “Well because this is from me,” he
said, jerking his head a little to beckon Rude over.
Rude stood, drawing himself to his full
height and picked up a gift from where it had been hidden beside the
couch. He bought it to the desk, set it in front of Rufus, right on
top of the papers he'd been trying to read, and headed for the door.
The gift was deceptively well wrapped,
for something Reno had had a hand in. White paper with season's
greetings written in metallic silver foil encased a reasonably sized
box, and was then wrapped in a silver ribbon, culminating in a large,
silver bow. Tseng wouldn't have assisted Reno, he wouldn't have
wanted anything to do with the gift, particularly after the previous
year when he himself had been the recipient of Reno's legendary bad
taste in the form of a neck tie proclaiming the owner's love for
beer. The end of the tie was even shaped like a beer mug, and it came
with a whistle attached for summoning the bar staff for another
drink.
Coupled with a personalised pint glass,
declaring him to be the best boss in the world - while drunk.
No, this definitely had to be Rude's
handy work. Rufus shot an accusing glance at the smirking man as he
paused at the doorway to check to make sure his partner was
following.
“Enjoy, Rufie,” Reno grinned at him
briefly before he turned and ambled after the large man, stuffing his
hands in his pockets as he slunk away.
Curiosity got the better of him
unfortunately. Rufus reached out slowly, pulling the gift closer, he
unfastened the bow with just his forefinger and thumb, as though it
were about to explode if he went any faster. Which was another
likelihood with Reno's sense of humour. The ribbon fell away with a
whisper and Rufus reached for his letter knife. It was easy to find
the seam between the flaps in the lid of the box hidden within the
paper and he ran the knife along it, opening the top.
From within the confines of the box,
Rufus drew the most ridiculous lamp he'd ever seen. The thing was an anatomically correct cartoon style male figure in white
ceramic with a light bulb for a head, wearing a lampshade as a hat.
It's penis was the on and off switch.
He only realised that he was staring at
the offending item when he heard Reno's laughter. “You should see
your face,” he grinned, pushing Rude out of the room even more
quickly when Rufus hefted the lamp. He was tempted to throw it at the
retreating Turk, just for the hell of it, but thought better of it as
his office door hissed shut.
Shoving the ridiculous lamp back into
its box, Rufus made a mental note to have a word with Tseng about his
hiring policies and tossed the box underneath his desk where Lyn
wouldn't see it. He'd finally found a decent secretary and he wasn't
going to have her thinking him a pervert thanks to Reno's efforts.
Sighing, Rufus picked up his coffee cup
again and decided there wasn't enough caffeine in the world to deal
with certain members of the company.
*******
Most of the employees of the Junon
branch of the Shinra Corporation had already left. The only ones
remaining were general security and army staff.
Not to mention Rufus Shinra.
He preferred it when the building was
as empty as it ever got, with the upper floors mostly in darkness
except for his office. It allowed him to complete work he hadn't
during the day thanks to the ever-present threat of meetings, phone
calls and conferences. With no interruptions - especially from
certain Turks who seemed to delight in teasing him and attempting
vainly to make him feel small - he could finish all those tasks the
day had not permitted him to.
Just as he was making himself a cup of
coffee in the receptionist’s office, he heard the lift ding to
announce its arrival. He turned, looking up at the door as it hissed
open softly to reveal Reno leaning against the side of the glass box.
“Boss,” he said in greeting. His
suit was as unkempt as always, his goggles pushed up to keep the long
bangs from falling into his blue eyes. His shirt collar was open,
showing off a lean neck and just a hint of collar bone. His eyes
strafed Rufus slowly, settling finally on the coffee mug in his hand.
“Isn't it a little late for that?”
“Isn't it a little late for you to be
here?” Rufus countered coolly, pouring himself a cup before he
turned and headed back towards his office. “I thought you'd have a
party to go to. Or if not that, you'd be heading back for Midgar.”
“Tseng wants to head back in the
morning, and I partied last night,” Reno's voice was somewhere
behind him, and Rufus didn't dignify him with a look to check where.
Why bother when in a moment he'd be in the office with him?
“You can't party two nights in a row
any more? Are you getting old, Reno?” Rufus set the cup on his
desk, adding creamer and sugar before turning to lean against the
dark wood, layered with years of polish and care. He'd dimmed the
lights in his office a little earlier on, allowing him to see the
glittering harbour lights below, and the vast blackness of the sea.
It was only when he moved closer to the edge of his office and the
vast expanse of darkness that he could see the lights below in fact,
too low to be obvious from the height of the building. In the
daylight he could see the sea and sky and where the two melted into
one vast expanse of blue. At night, only the faintest glitter of star
and moonlight gave a hint as to where the earth stopped and the sky
began.
There was movement in the other room.
Reno exploring no doubt. Trying to find where the secretary had
hidden the key to the drinks cabinet this time. It was one little
insubordination against the might of the Turks, her attempts to keep
Reno out of the spirits Rufus kept on hand for visitors should they
want something stronger than coffee or tea. It never took him long to
find it though. Rufus caught a brief reflection of his smug
expression in the window as he came into the room, carrying two
glasses and a particularly good bottle of brandy. There'd be little
left of it by dawn, knowing Reno.
“Never too old to party, Rufie,”
Reno smiled his wicked smile and collapsed into Rufus' desk chair
heavily. He set the two glasses on the desk, pulling the cork from
the bottle with his teeth. “It's Yule eve - I figured you'd be
hiding up here all alone,” he said, pouring the dark caramel
coloured liquid into the waiting vessels. “Shouldn't you be at home
with that kitten of yours?”
Dark Nation had been his father's gift
to him the previous year, the cub growing already into a strong and
eager protector. He was still training the beast and left it in his
apartment occasionally. If he'd remembered the party the previous
evening he would have bought the beast along with him, if only to
keep away certain members of the company who didn't quite know how to
keep their distance. “I was finishing some work before you
interrupted,” Rufus replied archly, keeping his gaze firmly on the
view from the window, ignoring the wiry man perched in the large
leather swivel chair in front of his desk. “What do you want?”
“Share a drink with me.”
It was such a simple offer, and yet
held with it so much potential for more. Rufus sighed his defeat and
looked down at Reno, whose smirk was still curling his lips. It was
just as animalistic as before, just as alarming and odd... and this
time, Rufus couldn't quite bring himself to look away. There were
many secrets to the Shinra Electric Power Company that he had yet to
learn, and sometimes - just sometimes - Rufus found himself
wondering if he really wanted to know them. “You have a drinking
problem, Reno.”
“Of course I do,” Reno held out one
of the glasses, the aroma of apple brandy already beginning to
assault Rufus' senses. “Two hands, one mouth. If that isn't a
drinking problem, I don't know what is.”
“I could always ask Hojo if he could
fix that for you,” Rufus took the glass and rolled it in his palm,
setting the cup of half finished coffee down, forgotten completely.
He could smell the heat of the brandy, the apples and the faintest
hint of autumnal glory. It was not a winter drink, but it was perhaps
the best, and strongest, drink in his cabinet. Reno was patently not
particular about his choices in alcohol, refusing very little.
Particularly after a few preparatory drinks. However, he knew quality
when he saw it.
Reno's eyes narrowed on Rufus again,
the corner of his mouth twitching in a smile again, “About time you
started getting a few digs in,” he said somewhat cryptically.
“C'mon.”
There was something hypnotic about
those too blue eyes and the too red hair. The glitter of mako, the
slash of the red tattoos on his cheekbones that made him look as
though he'd been wearing his goggles for entirely too long. Rufus
wasn't sure what exactly it was about Reno that made the air around
him so entirely electric, except for his mag rod, which didn't count.
He rounded the desk slowly, leaning against it again, closer to Reno
this time. “You missed the sunset,” he said absently, remembering
the glorious play of reds and violets and blues before the sun had
finally yielded to the night and bought with it the black velvet
skies of a clear and cold night in the harbour town.
“Boss wanted me for a briefing. Got a
job in Midgar tomorrow afternoon, so I can't stay late,” Reno
shrugged, swirling his drink in his glass before sipping, testing the
flavour. He knocked the rest back in one go, sighing contentedly
before he reached for the bottle and refilled his glass. “Probably
be a couple months before we wander back this way, you know how it
is.”
Rufus hummed softly to imply he did
know how it was. His picture was perhaps not as clear as Reno's, but
he understood the work. That meant he understood all too much, enough
to be dangerous. He lived with the knowledge every day that his
earlier betrayal would some day return to haunt him, even though his
relationship was perhaps closer to the remaining Turks than it had
been to the one with his father for years. Sipping the brandy
thoughtfully, he looked down at Reno.
One of those people that was cursed or
blessed to always appear younger than he was, Reno was all too
attractive, all too youthful. With his gaze diverted to the window,
his legs pulled up into a comfortable sprawl, he looked closer to a
teenager than anything else. Yet he'd been a part of Shinra longer
than Rufus could say. He was already a veteran in his field by the
time Rufus had started with the company some years earlier. Long
lashes framing battle hardened eyes, Reno was lost in his thoughts.
That ended too soon however as he finished the second glass of brandy
and reached out a hand to Rufus. “So?”
So? was Reno's way of asking what he
wanted. Reno provided a safe option, despite his efforts to appear to
the contrary. A way to scratch an itch. In the rare occasions that
the Turks visited, Rufus often found himself alone with Reno for a
while. Long enough to sate a more primitive desire and longing within
him. “So,” he answered, scooting along the desk to edge closer,
his fingers already reaching out to curl in those short, spiky
strands of Reno's hair.
Reno set the glass down almost
reverently before he permitted himself to tip his head to get more
pressure from Rufus's hand like a cat. The curl of his smile was
still there and he reached out to grab one of the belt loops of
Rufus' pants, hooking a finger into it to pull him closer.
He shifted in the chair, sitting up
straight. Rufus set his glass down beside Reno’s, trailing his
hands through the deceptively soft short spikes of his hair to reach
the band that held the rest of it back, pulling It out slowly. Reno’s
fingers were already unfastening his waistcoat, moving onto his shirt
and pushing them both - as well as his suit jacket - off his
shoulders.
“Glad you keep this place warm, Rufie,” Reno
grinned briefly at him before he bowed his head to kiss Rufus’ flat
belly, unfastening his belt much more languidly. There was no real
rush after all, the security wouldn’t patrol high enough to disturb
them and there were very few people with the clearance to get into
his office. They were perfectly alone and Reno knew it.
“I
thought you’d come and see me,” he shrugged, closing his eyes as
Reno’s deft fingers unfastened his pants and let them fall away,
his kisses edging lower ever so slowly. It was only a small lie. He
knew it was rare that one of the Turks' visits would mean that he
didn't see Reno after hours, though he'd been almost sure the time of
year would keep him away for once.
One cool finger hooked under the
waistband of Rufus' white silk boxers and tugged them down just far
enough to expose his sex. “Next year, I'm buying you some holiday
themed boxers,” Reno decided aloud, wrapping his fingers around
Rufus' cock and stroking him slowly. Everything was so measured and
languid, lingering with every touch enough to drive Rufus to
distraction. Fortunately, Reno's patience never lasted for long, and
he was soon drawing his lips lower, brushing against the shaft of
Rufus' already hardening cock. “Maybe a matching tie. Could use it
on your hands.”
Rufus noted the comment about the
presence of his hand, still resting on Reno's head. He decided to use
it - pushing down to encourage Reno to do something more satisfying
with his mouth.
Taking the hint, Reno ran his tongue
over the head of Rufus' cock before taking it into his mouth. With
every light suck, every little shiver of need and lust that Reno's
mouth forced into his veins, Rufus grew a little harder, his head
falling back as he bit his lip in an effort to muffle the soft noises
of pleasure that he couldn't help but make with every stroke of
Reno's tongue. Just because he couldn't help it, didn't mean he
wouldn't fight making them at every step.
He became distantly aware of odd, soft
noises. The movement of material - clothing, he realised after a
moment's consideration - and the soft creak of leather as Reno
shifted in the large chair before him. Noises that he paid no mind to
until the heat of Reno's mouth pulled away from him and Rufus forced
himself not to whine at the loss.
Lifting his head again, he met Reno's
gaze as the deft fingers that had been touching him moments before
worked the buttons of his own shirt open. His pants were already open
and had been pushed down past his knees.
When Reno could finally shrug out of
the offending shirt and jacket, he beckoned Rufus down with one
finger.
All pretences forgotten, Rufus toed out
of his shoes and stepped out of the remainder of his clothing,
straddling Reno's lap in the chair. “Reno...,” he murmured, not
quite sure what he wanted to say, or even do besides touch and feel
the man. It was almost an offer of control, surrendering to Reno for
at least a little while.
Reno gave him a smile, pulling
something out of the pocket of his discarded jacket. “I know,” he
said softly, scooting the chair forward with his feet and turning it
so that the back rested against the desk in an effort to keep it
upright.
Rufus slid his hands over Reno's
shoulders. So lean, almost verging on skinny, Reno didn't seem as
though he should be strong enough to do the things he did - too
pale, too thin, too young. Particularly when he stood beside his
partner, he seemed too damn small to be able to handle the missions
the average Turk saw in their life. Yet, he did manage it. He did
achieve the impossible, the dirtiest of dirty work. “Kiss me.”
The faintest hint of surprise showed in
Reno's eyes, only for the briefest moment. Hiding it quickly, his
expression returned to the smug control that Rufus was more used to,
and he slid his hand into Rufus' hair again, forcing Rufus' mouth
closer to his own and regarding him for a moment before he kissed
Rufus deeply.
Since this had started, there had only
been one rule. No kissing, at least on the lips. That was too
personal, too much closeness with an employee for
Rufus to tolerate, but tonight, he made an exception. The time of
year, perhaps. Whatever it was, Rufus didn't care as Reno's lips slid
over his own, coaxing Rufus into responding more than demanding it
for once. His tongue slid along Rufus' lower lip and when a slick
finger slid along the cleft of his ass and pushed into him slowly to
make him gasp at the cold wetness, it darted into his mouth and
explored slowly.
Of course. The thing from his pocket
had been lubricant. He should have guessed that given their
positions.
The brief surprise at the coldness
faded as he realised that whatever it was, it tingled. Breaking the kiss to catch his breath, he was about to ask when
Reno interrupted him. “Peppermint,” he shrugged, pushing the
finger deep, effectively stealing away Rufus' breath and any protests
he was about to offer.
Words forgotten again, Rufus kissed
Reno hard. He was determined to wrest some control back at any cost,
but it was a losing battle and he knew it as a second finger pushed
into him alongside the first. At least the kiss could muffle the
whimpers of pleasure the fingers coaxed from his body already. He
sucked on the tongue that slid between his lips again, sliding his
own against it and growing deaf to the whimpers of pleasure and need
that he didn't quite realise were coming from him.
Reno tasted of apples, just like the
brandy. He hadn't had a drink before he'd turned up despite Rufus'
suspicions that Reno would spend the day in Junon haunting the usual
bars and dives for both information and to sate his desire for
alcohol. That was odd, but Rufus forgot all of it as a third finger
pushed into him and stole his breath away once more.
“Reno,” he ground out in warning,
wondering when he'd slid his arms around Reno's shoulders. He was
already breathing hard and wasn't sure if that was from the kisses or
the drive of Reno's fingers inside him. “Reno.”
Understanding the warning that Rufus
was running out of patience, Reno pulled his fingers out and slicked
his cock. His lips were kiss bruised, darkened with blood and he too
was breathing a little heavy. “Damn,” he murmured, “didn't
expect it to tingle that much.”
Still he shifted forward just a little
on the chair, sliding his hands over Rufus' ass and pulling him
forward until Rufus was positioned over his erect cock. One hand
holding himself to guide himself, he pushed down on Rufus' hip.
Getting the idea, Rufus pushed back
onto Reno's sex, utterly forgetting to muffle his moan of pleasure as
Reno slid into him slowly. Inch by inch, until he was sitting on
Reno's thighs with as much of Reno buried inside him as physically
possible. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he rested his forehead
to Reno's. “Peppermint,” he murmured with a chuckle. “I almost
expected eggnog.”
“I looked, couldn't find it,” Reno
grinned again, his fingers moving in small, slow circles on Rufus'
hip. It could have been a joke, but somehow Rufus doubted it. He'd
learned long ago never to underestimate Reno, or his wild ideas.
“Gonna move, boss?”
Swallowing thickly, Rufus gave the
slightest of nods. It took him another minute to rest his hands on
the back of the chair, gripping the leather as he shifted his legs
just enough in the small space between Reno's legs and the leather
covered arms of the chair to allow him to lift himself. He did so
slowly, testing his own reactions more than Reno's, then forced
himself back onto Reno's cock hard enough to make both of them moan a
little in pleasure.
Limits tested, Rufus began to ride
Reno. He was slow at first, cautious and all too aware of the tenuous
position on the chair. It would be just Reno's luck for it to break
or worse, but it seemed fine - and it didn't take all that long for
Rufus to forget the almost precarious position in favour of something
much more satisfying anyway. He moved faster, letting his arms take
his weight to find a better angle to ride Reno harder, every slide of
Reno's cock into his body almost making him ache with pleasure and
groan at the sensation.
Reno's hand wrapped around Rufus' cock,
teasing touches forgotten. He stroked Rufus in counter point to the
thrusts, squeezing gently and coaxing a cry of his name from Rufus'
throat.
For a moment, Rufus forgot himself.
There was no odd and awkward connection between the two of them,
there was no Shinra, There was just Reno inside him, just the lust
an ecstasy that rushed in his veins, just the throb of his too
sensitive body, moving in a primal rhythm that he couldn't stop now
even if he wanted to. It was too much. His movements grew disjointed
all too soon, and Reno took over, fucking him in a quick, hard
counter point to what little movements Rufus could force himself into
making.
Then he came. Clutching at the chair,
at Reno, at anything he could grab, he bucked into Reno's hand
awkwardly as he came, crying out Reno's name in a husky voice and
throwing his head back.
The first few moments after his orgasm
were lost to a blur. He was only vaguely aware of an odd pain at the
side of his neck as Reno bucked into him all the harder. There was a
muffled cry of pleasure and then the movement stopped again, Reno's
arms winding around his waist and forcing him close. He'd come too.
Rufus rested his forehead on Reno's
shoulder, trying to catch his breath and gather his thoughts again.
Only now, in the after glow, did he begin to notice the little
annoyances of their position. The coolness of the air beside the
large windows, his knee being positioned right on Reno's hidden
nightstick in his crumpled suit jacket, and the buckle of Reno's belt
digging into his calf. Not to mention the ache of his lower back
after that exertion.
Reno's fingers slid into the short
locks of blond hair where they'd been cut and shaped into the back of
his neck, rubbing in small circles. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
he asked, more than a little breathless himself.
“Work,” Rufus replied, frowning at
the way his voice cracked. “What else?”
With a husky chuckle, Reno turned his
head just enough to nose against Rufus' ear, nipping at the lobe. He
kept his voice measured and soft, his hot breath a sharp contrast to
the cooler air on Rufus' back. “Shame I can't stay.”
Just when Rufus was about to grudgingly
agree that it was a shame, Reno's cellphone rang. Rufus lifted his
head, meeting Reno's blue eyed gaze. He almost ordered him not to
answer, but despite Reno's position in the company, Reno was not his
to order around. That was Tseng's job.
“You know I have to answer,” Reno
said, as though he'd read Rufus' mind. He fumbled in the suit jacket
and pulled out the offending phone, still warbling a version of a
Yule tune that Rufus couldn't place. “Reno.”
Rufus watched Reno's expression darken
and his eyes lower. With a sigh, he turned to pour another glass of
the brandy, adding a little more to Reno's glass as well. One last
drink for the year, since he probably wouldn't see any of the Turks
for a while. He picked up his glass, rolling it in his hand again and
wondered if he'd ever be able to drink it again at his desk without
thinking of Reno fucking him in his chair. It was probably a
deliberate action on Reno's part.
“Just having a drink,” Reno
shrugged a little, his smile still not back in place. “Tonight?
Sure boss. Gimme half an hour and I'll be there,” he snapped the
phone shut abruptly and sighed, taking his glass from the desk.
“Goin' back to Midgar early. Sorry Rufie.”
“It doesn't matter,” Rufus
shrugged. “You'd have been going back tomorrow anyway, and it's
already late.”
With a brief nod, Reno looked down into
the glass of brandy. “Drink a toast with me, at least.”
“What should we drink to?”
“A happy Yule,” Reno replied in a
tone that implied it was the only obvious choice. He chimed his glass
against Rufus', his grin firmly back in place. “Then I'd better
run.”
Rufus sighed, drinking the brandy in
one swallow. Reno might have been an old hand at drinking, but Rufus
was never one to back down from a challenge. Reno matched him,
chuckling at his determination or some inner joke, but quieted as
Rufus slowly eased himself off Reno's soft sex and stood slowly,
stretching awkwardly.
They dressed in silence. Rufus ignored
the gaze he could feel on him until he was clothed again, smoothing
his rumpled clothes. “I always wondered why your suits looked so
messy.”
“Nah, mostly it's because Tseng hates
it. Gotta test my limits, right boss?” Reno fastened the last
button of his shirt, dropped his phone in his inside pocket and held
his hands out. “How do I look?”
“Same as always.”
“That'll do. See you in a couple of
months Rufie,” he said, heading for the door already. Then, oddly,
he paused midstep, turning and jogging back to Rufus, leaning over
the desk and hauling him down to kiss him once more.
He never should have asked for the
first kiss, Rufus thought absently as he met the kiss with just as
much fervour and lust as Reno offered him. It had been a moment of
weakness that he never should have given voice to, but it felt so
good that he couldn't help himself anymore.
What did a few kisses matter anyway? “You'll piss Tseng off if you
don't go now,” Rufus said, pushing Reno away gently.
“So what's new?”
However, Reno turned away, heading for
the door. He'd already found another band for his hair, pulling the
longer strands at the back into the usual long ponytail as the door
hissed open and then closed again behind him. This time, he did not
look back. He did not return after a moment's thought like Rufus half
expected him to.
Rufus was almost disappointed when he
didn't.
Rufus looked back over his shoulder at
the velvet blackness of the sky and sea. It would take seven minutes
for Reno to reach the lift and the lift to reach the bottom floor. He
counted the seconds until he could be sure that Reno was gone, and
only then did he tuck the bottle of lubricant into his pocket,
cursing Reno for leaving it behind. It would only aid in reminding
him of this night and he certainly didn't need that.
He picked up the glasses and the bottle
of brandy, slipping into the secretary's office and returning them to
their rightful place. Then, just as he was about to approach the lift
himself, he noticed a small parcel on the floor in front of the lift
doors. It was wrapped in the same paper as his earlier 'gift' but not
quite as neatly.
He picked it up. The card read“Had to keep up appearances. Now you've got something to
hide the hickey - R.”
The memory of the sharp pain in his
neck came back to him suddenly and he straightened, parcel in hand to
look at himself in the mirror that ran along the wall of the waiting
area. There was indeed a red mark on his throat thanks to Reno. Damn
him. He really shouldn't have permitted Reno to kiss him, especially
if it was going to give him other ideas like that.
Rufus tore the paper open, revealing a
white cashmere scarf, and matching white leather gloves folded around
a single red and white striped peppermint candy cane.
His anger forgotten for a moment, Rufus
lifted the scarf out of the package first., noting the use of a
Shinra branded post it to leave a message on the material.
“Something to keep you
warm until I get back.”
*******
Reno stretched.
It had been a longcouple of days. Any other time, he would have simply headed straight
home and collapsed onto the couch and passed out for a few hours, but
it had been a hellish day and he didn't quite feel up to the journey
back in a bloodied suit.
He
peeled off the jacket and the shirt, tossing them into the waiting
laundry hamper before heading to his locker, trying and failing to
stifle a yawn. He'd snatched a little sleep here and there, but with
the latest job finally finished, he was looking forward to a good
night's sleep. Not to mention a nightcap or five. Maybe six, since he
wouldn't have to show his face until lunchtime the following morning
at least.
Reaching
his locker, he looked down at a bag sitting in front of it and
frowned. That hadn't been there when he'd left. Sitting on the bench
beside his locker, he picked the bag up, only remembering a moment
too late that it probably wasn't a good idea, but Shinra security
services had done their job and it didn't blow up in his face.
Inside
the glittery red bag, decorated with snowflakes, there was a pile of
shredded tissue paper and, judging by the weight of it, a bottle of
something.
Turning
the tag, he noted the familiar small and precise script of Rufus'
handwriting.
“Locker 629. Reno. Next
time, your desk. Make it last until then. R.”
Grinning to
himself, Reno indulged his curiosity and checked the bottle. He only
pulled it just far enough out of the bag to reassure himself that it
was an unopened bottle of the same apple brandy they'd shared in the
vice president's office a few nights before.
“I'll try my
best, Rufie,” he promised.
Rufie's new lamp, for the curious.
writer: dark_squall
Title: Hidden Gifts
Series/Characters: Final Fantasy VII - Reno/Rufus.
Rating: NC17
Notes: Set sometime before the events of FF7, with brief mentions of CC and BC stuff. I think this is only the second time I've written Reno/Rufus, so hopefully you enjoy it, Shadowwaker :) Forgive the navy blue suits, I like them in those as much as the regular black. Since you asked for Humour, Drama or Romance, I tried to include a little of all three. The little scene at the end is a bonus, written while I waited for my lovely beta to check the fic.
With thanks to RaceUlfson for beta (in record time) and helping me with Reno's gift. More thanks of course to the organiser of the exchange, iki_teru for dealing with all these fics!
Warnings for Male/Male sex, drinking and an English person attempting to reference something American she's not tried yet.
He’d put a stop to the insipid pop
songs early on. If they absolutely had to celebrate, it would be on
his terms. Rufus Shinra walked through the lobby of the Junon branch
of his father’s corporation as a particularly elegant strings
version of a traditional Yule song played over the PA system.
A
few scattered employees noted his presence, bleary eyed and barely
conscious. He’d almost forgotten that the staff party had been the
previous evening until one particularly cheerful receptionist
chirruped “good morning sir!” and the employee standing beside
her, rifling through his mail very slowly, winced and shot her a look
that could curdle milk. Rufus gave her a brief, small smile and a nod
and stepped into the lift, scanning his card.
If the Yule
party had been the previous evening, that meant only one thing.
Turks. The Turks never missed a party. Tseng for security reasons,
Reno for alcoholic ones. Rude just seemed to tag along for the hell
of it.
Rufus’ hand hovered over the button for the security
floor and wondered if he should hear the doubtless legendary tales of
Reno’s drunken and off duty escapades first before the rumours had
a chance to escalate enough to reach him through the grapevine.
With a sigh, he decided against it and pressed the button for
his floor. It really wouldn’t do to encourage them after all.
Especially not Reno.
The lift rose slowly, providing a decent
view of the winter touched Junon Harbour. Although it was too far
south for any serious snow, a few brief flurries had fallen,
scattering pillows of white on the support beams and struts,
particularly on the higher reaches of the Shinra building. Fingers of
ice had spread on the outer glass, as though someone had cast an ice
spell on each pain individually. It would only last a few more days,
then a warm front from the west would bring milder weather and melt
it all again. Rufus would be sad to see it go; somehow it gave the
hard industrial town a softer, more pleasant edge.
The lift
dinged and halted all too soon and with a sigh, he stepped out into
the antechamber that had come to serve as his receptionist’s
office. Fortunately, she was already at her desk and looking much
more with it than most of the employees he’d seen
downstairs.
“Sir,” she stood, holding out the usual pile
of morning reports, more news from Midgar and Wutai, financial briefs
and outlines for meetings on the schedule for the day.
Humming
his thanks, Rufus was already reading the first incredibly boring
meeting agenda as he moved to his office door. It hissed open as soon
as his ID card was in close enough proximity to the door and he
slipped inside without a moment’s pause.
He only made it a
few steps into the already lit office before he caught a flash of red
out of the corner of his eye. Rufus paused, looking up to see Reno
and his main partner in his misadventures sitting on the couch at the
corner of his office. “Reno. Rude,” he stated both in greeting
and dismissal. Of course they caught only the first implication, and
Rufus continued to his desk regardless.
“You didn't show at the party last
night, boss,” Reno leant forward, his elbows resting on his knees
as he called Rufus by a name usually reserved for Tseng. He was
almost touched at the idea of being called by that name - perhaps
Reno was beginning to respect him after all. “We were waiting for
you.”
Rufus didn't dignify Reno's statement
with a response, settling his papers onto his desk and sliding into
his seat. There was already a cup of hot coffee waiting for him right
in the usual spot. Really, since he'd taken on Lyn as his secretary
he'd wondered how he'd ever done without her. She was a godsend, even
if she did let wandering Turks invade his office space before
breakfast.
There were few general employees who,
when faced with the navy blue suits, would stand their ground. Hell -
there weren’t many of the general army that would. SOLDIER may have
been his father's personal strike force, but when it came to the
dirty work, the Turks were in their element.
Reno sighed, running a hand through the
short spiky strands of his hair. The flash of red was enough to catch
Rufus' eye and he couldn't help looking up. “What do you want?”
he asked at last. Anything for a quiet life. The sooner he dealt with
them, the sooner they'd be gone and the sooner he could get on with
his work.
“We were gonna do the secret gifter
thing, but you never turned up so we had to go ahead without you,”
Reno gave Rufus one of his feral little smiles, one of those looks
that had the effect of making one's skin crawl with an emotion that
should never be examined too closely. Rufus was never entirely sure
how he was supposed to interpret that smile, or the way Reno's too
blue eyes narrowed on him just a little. SOLDIER blue eyes in fact -
he'd half wondered before whether Reno had been one of Tseng's
recruits from within the company rather than outside. He did have a
knack for finding very odd, but very effective talent.
Tseng was another one he had trouble
reading. Especially after the incident a few years before - and
their somewhat darker past - Tseng was too reserved, too quiet. Too
damn good at his job. Reno however, Reno was too wild, too odd. One
of those people who didn't fit in anywhere besides the blue suit of
his division.
At least he could read Rude, Rufus
supposed.
“I left my gift with Lyn to present
in my absence,” Rufus said, leaning back in the chair. He picked up
his coffee cup, sipping cautiously. Fortunately she could even make
good coffee. “Why was it so imperative I was there to receive
mine?”
Behind Reno, Rude pulled a small
glasses case from his inside pocket, retrieving a pair of sunglasses
from within the dark leather case and exchanging them for the ones he
was already wearing. At least his present had been well received.
With a long suffering sigh - Rufus
wondered if Reno were still drunk, he never could tell - Reno
slumped a little in place. “Well because this is from me,” he
said, jerking his head a little to beckon Rude over.
Rude stood, drawing himself to his full
height and picked up a gift from where it had been hidden beside the
couch. He bought it to the desk, set it in front of Rufus, right on
top of the papers he'd been trying to read, and headed for the door.
The gift was deceptively well wrapped,
for something Reno had had a hand in. White paper with season's
greetings written in metallic silver foil encased a reasonably sized
box, and was then wrapped in a silver ribbon, culminating in a large,
silver bow. Tseng wouldn't have assisted Reno, he wouldn't have
wanted anything to do with the gift, particularly after the previous
year when he himself had been the recipient of Reno's legendary bad
taste in the form of a neck tie proclaiming the owner's love for
beer. The end of the tie was even shaped like a beer mug, and it came
with a whistle attached for summoning the bar staff for another
drink.
Coupled with a personalised pint glass,
declaring him to be the best boss in the world - while drunk.
No, this definitely had to be Rude's
handy work. Rufus shot an accusing glance at the smirking man as he
paused at the doorway to check to make sure his partner was
following.
“Enjoy, Rufie,” Reno grinned at him
briefly before he turned and ambled after the large man, stuffing his
hands in his pockets as he slunk away.
Curiosity got the better of him
unfortunately. Rufus reached out slowly, pulling the gift closer, he
unfastened the bow with just his forefinger and thumb, as though it
were about to explode if he went any faster. Which was another
likelihood with Reno's sense of humour. The ribbon fell away with a
whisper and Rufus reached for his letter knife. It was easy to find
the seam between the flaps in the lid of the box hidden within the
paper and he ran the knife along it, opening the top.
From within the confines of the box,
Rufus drew the most ridiculous lamp he'd ever seen. The thing was an anatomically correct cartoon style male figure in white
ceramic with a light bulb for a head, wearing a lampshade as a hat.
It's penis was the on and off switch.
He only realised that he was staring at
the offending item when he heard Reno's laughter. “You should see
your face,” he grinned, pushing Rude out of the room even more
quickly when Rufus hefted the lamp. He was tempted to throw it at the
retreating Turk, just for the hell of it, but thought better of it as
his office door hissed shut.
Shoving the ridiculous lamp back into
its box, Rufus made a mental note to have a word with Tseng about his
hiring policies and tossed the box underneath his desk where Lyn
wouldn't see it. He'd finally found a decent secretary and he wasn't
going to have her thinking him a pervert thanks to Reno's efforts.
Sighing, Rufus picked up his coffee cup
again and decided there wasn't enough caffeine in the world to deal
with certain members of the company.
*******
Most of the employees of the Junon
branch of the Shinra Corporation had already left. The only ones
remaining were general security and army staff.
Not to mention Rufus Shinra.
He preferred it when the building was
as empty as it ever got, with the upper floors mostly in darkness
except for his office. It allowed him to complete work he hadn't
during the day thanks to the ever-present threat of meetings, phone
calls and conferences. With no interruptions - especially from
certain Turks who seemed to delight in teasing him and attempting
vainly to make him feel small - he could finish all those tasks the
day had not permitted him to.
Just as he was making himself a cup of
coffee in the receptionist’s office, he heard the lift ding to
announce its arrival. He turned, looking up at the door as it hissed
open softly to reveal Reno leaning against the side of the glass box.
“Boss,” he said in greeting. His
suit was as unkempt as always, his goggles pushed up to keep the long
bangs from falling into his blue eyes. His shirt collar was open,
showing off a lean neck and just a hint of collar bone. His eyes
strafed Rufus slowly, settling finally on the coffee mug in his hand.
“Isn't it a little late for that?”
“Isn't it a little late for you to be
here?” Rufus countered coolly, pouring himself a cup before he
turned and headed back towards his office. “I thought you'd have a
party to go to. Or if not that, you'd be heading back for Midgar.”
“Tseng wants to head back in the
morning, and I partied last night,” Reno's voice was somewhere
behind him, and Rufus didn't dignify him with a look to check where.
Why bother when in a moment he'd be in the office with him?
“You can't party two nights in a row
any more? Are you getting old, Reno?” Rufus set the cup on his
desk, adding creamer and sugar before turning to lean against the
dark wood, layered with years of polish and care. He'd dimmed the
lights in his office a little earlier on, allowing him to see the
glittering harbour lights below, and the vast blackness of the sea.
It was only when he moved closer to the edge of his office and the
vast expanse of darkness that he could see the lights below in fact,
too low to be obvious from the height of the building. In the
daylight he could see the sea and sky and where the two melted into
one vast expanse of blue. At night, only the faintest glitter of star
and moonlight gave a hint as to where the earth stopped and the sky
began.
There was movement in the other room.
Reno exploring no doubt. Trying to find where the secretary had
hidden the key to the drinks cabinet this time. It was one little
insubordination against the might of the Turks, her attempts to keep
Reno out of the spirits Rufus kept on hand for visitors should they
want something stronger than coffee or tea. It never took him long to
find it though. Rufus caught a brief reflection of his smug
expression in the window as he came into the room, carrying two
glasses and a particularly good bottle of brandy. There'd be little
left of it by dawn, knowing Reno.
“Never too old to party, Rufie,”
Reno smiled his wicked smile and collapsed into Rufus' desk chair
heavily. He set the two glasses on the desk, pulling the cork from
the bottle with his teeth. “It's Yule eve - I figured you'd be
hiding up here all alone,” he said, pouring the dark caramel
coloured liquid into the waiting vessels. “Shouldn't you be at home
with that kitten of yours?”
Dark Nation had been his father's gift
to him the previous year, the cub growing already into a strong and
eager protector. He was still training the beast and left it in his
apartment occasionally. If he'd remembered the party the previous
evening he would have bought the beast along with him, if only to
keep away certain members of the company who didn't quite know how to
keep their distance. “I was finishing some work before you
interrupted,” Rufus replied archly, keeping his gaze firmly on the
view from the window, ignoring the wiry man perched in the large
leather swivel chair in front of his desk. “What do you want?”
“Share a drink with me.”
It was such a simple offer, and yet
held with it so much potential for more. Rufus sighed his defeat and
looked down at Reno, whose smirk was still curling his lips. It was
just as animalistic as before, just as alarming and odd... and this
time, Rufus couldn't quite bring himself to look away. There were
many secrets to the Shinra Electric Power Company that he had yet to
learn, and sometimes - just sometimes - Rufus found himself
wondering if he really wanted to know them. “You have a drinking
problem, Reno.”
“Of course I do,” Reno held out one
of the glasses, the aroma of apple brandy already beginning to
assault Rufus' senses. “Two hands, one mouth. If that isn't a
drinking problem, I don't know what is.”
“I could always ask Hojo if he could
fix that for you,” Rufus took the glass and rolled it in his palm,
setting the cup of half finished coffee down, forgotten completely.
He could smell the heat of the brandy, the apples and the faintest
hint of autumnal glory. It was not a winter drink, but it was perhaps
the best, and strongest, drink in his cabinet. Reno was patently not
particular about his choices in alcohol, refusing very little.
Particularly after a few preparatory drinks. However, he knew quality
when he saw it.
Reno's eyes narrowed on Rufus again,
the corner of his mouth twitching in a smile again, “About time you
started getting a few digs in,” he said somewhat cryptically.
“C'mon.”
There was something hypnotic about
those too blue eyes and the too red hair. The glitter of mako, the
slash of the red tattoos on his cheekbones that made him look as
though he'd been wearing his goggles for entirely too long. Rufus
wasn't sure what exactly it was about Reno that made the air around
him so entirely electric, except for his mag rod, which didn't count.
He rounded the desk slowly, leaning against it again, closer to Reno
this time. “You missed the sunset,” he said absently, remembering
the glorious play of reds and violets and blues before the sun had
finally yielded to the night and bought with it the black velvet
skies of a clear and cold night in the harbour town.
“Boss wanted me for a briefing. Got a
job in Midgar tomorrow afternoon, so I can't stay late,” Reno
shrugged, swirling his drink in his glass before sipping, testing the
flavour. He knocked the rest back in one go, sighing contentedly
before he reached for the bottle and refilled his glass. “Probably
be a couple months before we wander back this way, you know how it
is.”
Rufus hummed softly to imply he did
know how it was. His picture was perhaps not as clear as Reno's, but
he understood the work. That meant he understood all too much, enough
to be dangerous. He lived with the knowledge every day that his
earlier betrayal would some day return to haunt him, even though his
relationship was perhaps closer to the remaining Turks than it had
been to the one with his father for years. Sipping the brandy
thoughtfully, he looked down at Reno.
One of those people that was cursed or
blessed to always appear younger than he was, Reno was all too
attractive, all too youthful. With his gaze diverted to the window,
his legs pulled up into a comfortable sprawl, he looked closer to a
teenager than anything else. Yet he'd been a part of Shinra longer
than Rufus could say. He was already a veteran in his field by the
time Rufus had started with the company some years earlier. Long
lashes framing battle hardened eyes, Reno was lost in his thoughts.
That ended too soon however as he finished the second glass of brandy
and reached out a hand to Rufus. “So?”
So? was Reno's way of asking what he
wanted. Reno provided a safe option, despite his efforts to appear to
the contrary. A way to scratch an itch. In the rare occasions that
the Turks visited, Rufus often found himself alone with Reno for a
while. Long enough to sate a more primitive desire and longing within
him. “So,” he answered, scooting along the desk to edge closer,
his fingers already reaching out to curl in those short, spiky
strands of Reno's hair.
Reno set the glass down almost
reverently before he permitted himself to tip his head to get more
pressure from Rufus's hand like a cat. The curl of his smile was
still there and he reached out to grab one of the belt loops of
Rufus' pants, hooking a finger into it to pull him closer.
He shifted in the chair, sitting up
straight. Rufus set his glass down beside Reno’s, trailing his
hands through the deceptively soft short spikes of his hair to reach
the band that held the rest of it back, pulling It out slowly. Reno’s
fingers were already unfastening his waistcoat, moving onto his shirt
and pushing them both - as well as his suit jacket - off his
shoulders.
“Glad you keep this place warm, Rufie,” Reno
grinned briefly at him before he bowed his head to kiss Rufus’ flat
belly, unfastening his belt much more languidly. There was no real
rush after all, the security wouldn’t patrol high enough to disturb
them and there were very few people with the clearance to get into
his office. They were perfectly alone and Reno knew it.
“I
thought you’d come and see me,” he shrugged, closing his eyes as
Reno’s deft fingers unfastened his pants and let them fall away,
his kisses edging lower ever so slowly. It was only a small lie. He
knew it was rare that one of the Turks' visits would mean that he
didn't see Reno after hours, though he'd been almost sure the time of
year would keep him away for once.
One cool finger hooked under the
waistband of Rufus' white silk boxers and tugged them down just far
enough to expose his sex. “Next year, I'm buying you some holiday
themed boxers,” Reno decided aloud, wrapping his fingers around
Rufus' cock and stroking him slowly. Everything was so measured and
languid, lingering with every touch enough to drive Rufus to
distraction. Fortunately, Reno's patience never lasted for long, and
he was soon drawing his lips lower, brushing against the shaft of
Rufus' already hardening cock. “Maybe a matching tie. Could use it
on your hands.”
Rufus noted the comment about the
presence of his hand, still resting on Reno's head. He decided to use
it - pushing down to encourage Reno to do something more satisfying
with his mouth.
Taking the hint, Reno ran his tongue
over the head of Rufus' cock before taking it into his mouth. With
every light suck, every little shiver of need and lust that Reno's
mouth forced into his veins, Rufus grew a little harder, his head
falling back as he bit his lip in an effort to muffle the soft noises
of pleasure that he couldn't help but make with every stroke of
Reno's tongue. Just because he couldn't help it, didn't mean he
wouldn't fight making them at every step.
He became distantly aware of odd, soft
noises. The movement of material - clothing, he realised after a
moment's consideration - and the soft creak of leather as Reno
shifted in the large chair before him. Noises that he paid no mind to
until the heat of Reno's mouth pulled away from him and Rufus forced
himself not to whine at the loss.
Lifting his head again, he met Reno's
gaze as the deft fingers that had been touching him moments before
worked the buttons of his own shirt open. His pants were already open
and had been pushed down past his knees.
When Reno could finally shrug out of
the offending shirt and jacket, he beckoned Rufus down with one
finger.
All pretences forgotten, Rufus toed out
of his shoes and stepped out of the remainder of his clothing,
straddling Reno's lap in the chair. “Reno...,” he murmured, not
quite sure what he wanted to say, or even do besides touch and feel
the man. It was almost an offer of control, surrendering to Reno for
at least a little while.
Reno gave him a smile, pulling
something out of the pocket of his discarded jacket. “I know,” he
said softly, scooting the chair forward with his feet and turning it
so that the back rested against the desk in an effort to keep it
upright.
Rufus slid his hands over Reno's
shoulders. So lean, almost verging on skinny, Reno didn't seem as
though he should be strong enough to do the things he did - too
pale, too thin, too young. Particularly when he stood beside his
partner, he seemed too damn small to be able to handle the missions
the average Turk saw in their life. Yet, he did manage it. He did
achieve the impossible, the dirtiest of dirty work. “Kiss me.”
The faintest hint of surprise showed in
Reno's eyes, only for the briefest moment. Hiding it quickly, his
expression returned to the smug control that Rufus was more used to,
and he slid his hand into Rufus' hair again, forcing Rufus' mouth
closer to his own and regarding him for a moment before he kissed
Rufus deeply.
Since this had started, there had only
been one rule. No kissing, at least on the lips. That was too
personal, too much closeness with an employee for
Rufus to tolerate, but tonight, he made an exception. The time of
year, perhaps. Whatever it was, Rufus didn't care as Reno's lips slid
over his own, coaxing Rufus into responding more than demanding it
for once. His tongue slid along Rufus' lower lip and when a slick
finger slid along the cleft of his ass and pushed into him slowly to
make him gasp at the cold wetness, it darted into his mouth and
explored slowly.
Of course. The thing from his pocket
had been lubricant. He should have guessed that given their
positions.
The brief surprise at the coldness
faded as he realised that whatever it was, it tingled. Breaking the kiss to catch his breath, he was about to ask when
Reno interrupted him. “Peppermint,” he shrugged, pushing the
finger deep, effectively stealing away Rufus' breath and any protests
he was about to offer.
Words forgotten again, Rufus kissed
Reno hard. He was determined to wrest some control back at any cost,
but it was a losing battle and he knew it as a second finger pushed
into him alongside the first. At least the kiss could muffle the
whimpers of pleasure the fingers coaxed from his body already. He
sucked on the tongue that slid between his lips again, sliding his
own against it and growing deaf to the whimpers of pleasure and need
that he didn't quite realise were coming from him.
Reno tasted of apples, just like the
brandy. He hadn't had a drink before he'd turned up despite Rufus'
suspicions that Reno would spend the day in Junon haunting the usual
bars and dives for both information and to sate his desire for
alcohol. That was odd, but Rufus forgot all of it as a third finger
pushed into him and stole his breath away once more.
“Reno,” he ground out in warning,
wondering when he'd slid his arms around Reno's shoulders. He was
already breathing hard and wasn't sure if that was from the kisses or
the drive of Reno's fingers inside him. “Reno.”
Understanding the warning that Rufus
was running out of patience, Reno pulled his fingers out and slicked
his cock. His lips were kiss bruised, darkened with blood and he too
was breathing a little heavy. “Damn,” he murmured, “didn't
expect it to tingle that much.”
Still he shifted forward just a little
on the chair, sliding his hands over Rufus' ass and pulling him
forward until Rufus was positioned over his erect cock. One hand
holding himself to guide himself, he pushed down on Rufus' hip.
Getting the idea, Rufus pushed back
onto Reno's sex, utterly forgetting to muffle his moan of pleasure as
Reno slid into him slowly. Inch by inch, until he was sitting on
Reno's thighs with as much of Reno buried inside him as physically
possible. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he rested his forehead
to Reno's. “Peppermint,” he murmured with a chuckle. “I almost
expected eggnog.”
“I looked, couldn't find it,” Reno
grinned again, his fingers moving in small, slow circles on Rufus'
hip. It could have been a joke, but somehow Rufus doubted it. He'd
learned long ago never to underestimate Reno, or his wild ideas.
“Gonna move, boss?”
Swallowing thickly, Rufus gave the
slightest of nods. It took him another minute to rest his hands on
the back of the chair, gripping the leather as he shifted his legs
just enough in the small space between Reno's legs and the leather
covered arms of the chair to allow him to lift himself. He did so
slowly, testing his own reactions more than Reno's, then forced
himself back onto Reno's cock hard enough to make both of them moan a
little in pleasure.
Limits tested, Rufus began to ride
Reno. He was slow at first, cautious and all too aware of the tenuous
position on the chair. It would be just Reno's luck for it to break
or worse, but it seemed fine - and it didn't take all that long for
Rufus to forget the almost precarious position in favour of something
much more satisfying anyway. He moved faster, letting his arms take
his weight to find a better angle to ride Reno harder, every slide of
Reno's cock into his body almost making him ache with pleasure and
groan at the sensation.
Reno's hand wrapped around Rufus' cock,
teasing touches forgotten. He stroked Rufus in counter point to the
thrusts, squeezing gently and coaxing a cry of his name from Rufus'
throat.
For a moment, Rufus forgot himself.
There was no odd and awkward connection between the two of them,
there was no Shinra, There was just Reno inside him, just the lust
an ecstasy that rushed in his veins, just the throb of his too
sensitive body, moving in a primal rhythm that he couldn't stop now
even if he wanted to. It was too much. His movements grew disjointed
all too soon, and Reno took over, fucking him in a quick, hard
counter point to what little movements Rufus could force himself into
making.
Then he came. Clutching at the chair,
at Reno, at anything he could grab, he bucked into Reno's hand
awkwardly as he came, crying out Reno's name in a husky voice and
throwing his head back.
The first few moments after his orgasm
were lost to a blur. He was only vaguely aware of an odd pain at the
side of his neck as Reno bucked into him all the harder. There was a
muffled cry of pleasure and then the movement stopped again, Reno's
arms winding around his waist and forcing him close. He'd come too.
Rufus rested his forehead on Reno's
shoulder, trying to catch his breath and gather his thoughts again.
Only now, in the after glow, did he begin to notice the little
annoyances of their position. The coolness of the air beside the
large windows, his knee being positioned right on Reno's hidden
nightstick in his crumpled suit jacket, and the buckle of Reno's belt
digging into his calf. Not to mention the ache of his lower back
after that exertion.
Reno's fingers slid into the short
locks of blond hair where they'd been cut and shaped into the back of
his neck, rubbing in small circles. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
he asked, more than a little breathless himself.
“Work,” Rufus replied, frowning at
the way his voice cracked. “What else?”
With a husky chuckle, Reno turned his
head just enough to nose against Rufus' ear, nipping at the lobe. He
kept his voice measured and soft, his hot breath a sharp contrast to
the cooler air on Rufus' back. “Shame I can't stay.”
Just when Rufus was about to grudgingly
agree that it was a shame, Reno's cellphone rang. Rufus lifted his
head, meeting Reno's blue eyed gaze. He almost ordered him not to
answer, but despite Reno's position in the company, Reno was not his
to order around. That was Tseng's job.
“You know I have to answer,” Reno
said, as though he'd read Rufus' mind. He fumbled in the suit jacket
and pulled out the offending phone, still warbling a version of a
Yule tune that Rufus couldn't place. “Reno.”
Rufus watched Reno's expression darken
and his eyes lower. With a sigh, he turned to pour another glass of
the brandy, adding a little more to Reno's glass as well. One last
drink for the year, since he probably wouldn't see any of the Turks
for a while. He picked up his glass, rolling it in his hand again and
wondered if he'd ever be able to drink it again at his desk without
thinking of Reno fucking him in his chair. It was probably a
deliberate action on Reno's part.
“Just having a drink,” Reno
shrugged a little, his smile still not back in place. “Tonight?
Sure boss. Gimme half an hour and I'll be there,” he snapped the
phone shut abruptly and sighed, taking his glass from the desk.
“Goin' back to Midgar early. Sorry Rufie.”
“It doesn't matter,” Rufus
shrugged. “You'd have been going back tomorrow anyway, and it's
already late.”
With a brief nod, Reno looked down into
the glass of brandy. “Drink a toast with me, at least.”
“What should we drink to?”
“A happy Yule,” Reno replied in a
tone that implied it was the only obvious choice. He chimed his glass
against Rufus', his grin firmly back in place. “Then I'd better
run.”
Rufus sighed, drinking the brandy in
one swallow. Reno might have been an old hand at drinking, but Rufus
was never one to back down from a challenge. Reno matched him,
chuckling at his determination or some inner joke, but quieted as
Rufus slowly eased himself off Reno's soft sex and stood slowly,
stretching awkwardly.
They dressed in silence. Rufus ignored
the gaze he could feel on him until he was clothed again, smoothing
his rumpled clothes. “I always wondered why your suits looked so
messy.”
“Nah, mostly it's because Tseng hates
it. Gotta test my limits, right boss?” Reno fastened the last
button of his shirt, dropped his phone in his inside pocket and held
his hands out. “How do I look?”
“Same as always.”
“That'll do. See you in a couple of
months Rufie,” he said, heading for the door already. Then, oddly,
he paused midstep, turning and jogging back to Rufus, leaning over
the desk and hauling him down to kiss him once more.
He never should have asked for the
first kiss, Rufus thought absently as he met the kiss with just as
much fervour and lust as Reno offered him. It had been a moment of
weakness that he never should have given voice to, but it felt so
good that he couldn't help himself anymore.
What did a few kisses matter anyway? “You'll piss Tseng off if you
don't go now,” Rufus said, pushing Reno away gently.
“So what's new?”
However, Reno turned away, heading for
the door. He'd already found another band for his hair, pulling the
longer strands at the back into the usual long ponytail as the door
hissed open and then closed again behind him. This time, he did not
look back. He did not return after a moment's thought like Rufus half
expected him to.
Rufus was almost disappointed when he
didn't.
Rufus looked back over his shoulder at
the velvet blackness of the sky and sea. It would take seven minutes
for Reno to reach the lift and the lift to reach the bottom floor. He
counted the seconds until he could be sure that Reno was gone, and
only then did he tuck the bottle of lubricant into his pocket,
cursing Reno for leaving it behind. It would only aid in reminding
him of this night and he certainly didn't need that.
He picked up the glasses and the bottle
of brandy, slipping into the secretary's office and returning them to
their rightful place. Then, just as he was about to approach the lift
himself, he noticed a small parcel on the floor in front of the lift
doors. It was wrapped in the same paper as his earlier 'gift' but not
quite as neatly.
He picked it up. The card read“Had to keep up appearances. Now you've got something to
hide the hickey - R.”
The memory of the sharp pain in his
neck came back to him suddenly and he straightened, parcel in hand to
look at himself in the mirror that ran along the wall of the waiting
area. There was indeed a red mark on his throat thanks to Reno. Damn
him. He really shouldn't have permitted Reno to kiss him, especially
if it was going to give him other ideas like that.
Rufus tore the paper open, revealing a
white cashmere scarf, and matching white leather gloves folded around
a single red and white striped peppermint candy cane.
His anger forgotten for a moment, Rufus
lifted the scarf out of the package first., noting the use of a
Shinra branded post it to leave a message on the material.
“Something to keep you
warm until I get back.”
*******
Reno stretched.
It had been a longcouple of days. Any other time, he would have simply headed straight
home and collapsed onto the couch and passed out for a few hours, but
it had been a hellish day and he didn't quite feel up to the journey
back in a bloodied suit.
He
peeled off the jacket and the shirt, tossing them into the waiting
laundry hamper before heading to his locker, trying and failing to
stifle a yawn. He'd snatched a little sleep here and there, but with
the latest job finally finished, he was looking forward to a good
night's sleep. Not to mention a nightcap or five. Maybe six, since he
wouldn't have to show his face until lunchtime the following morning
at least.
Reaching
his locker, he looked down at a bag sitting in front of it and
frowned. That hadn't been there when he'd left. Sitting on the bench
beside his locker, he picked the bag up, only remembering a moment
too late that it probably wasn't a good idea, but Shinra security
services had done their job and it didn't blow up in his face.
Inside
the glittery red bag, decorated with snowflakes, there was a pile of
shredded tissue paper and, judging by the weight of it, a bottle of
something.
Turning
the tag, he noted the familiar small and precise script of Rufus'
handwriting.
“Locker 629. Reno. Next
time, your desk. Make it last until then. R.”
Grinning to
himself, Reno indulged his curiosity and checked the bottle. He only
pulled it just far enough out of the bag to reassure himself that it
was an unopened bottle of the same apple brandy they'd shared in the
vice president's office a few nights before.
“I'll try my
best, Rufie,” he promised.
Rufie's new lamp, for the curious.