come waste your millions here
disclaimer: I do not own ffvii.
As an eight-year-old, Rufus would describe himself as smart, proud and powerful. With some bribery, he might add slightly pompous and arrogant. Further bribery would allow him to admit his deepest darkest secret: … chubby.
He would also like to add, as an addendum, that he was unforgiving. Ruthless.
Although this rule was easily broken, the minute Rufus Shinra's mother gave him his favourite sweetie and devoured him into a Great Big Bear Hug, capitals necessary.
He liked hugs.
He loved his mother's hug especially because with her, he felt safe, and he liked her ringlet hair and he liked the fact most of all was that he felt like the most important boy in the world. Which he already knew he was.
However, it still didn't deter him from leading his mother into an empty room…
… and saying "Hug me."
Afterwards, in his vulnerable state, while Rufus is "purring like a content kitty", his mother often requested things from him. Places he would rather not go. People he'd rather not see.
But… like a kitten who did not want their mother to stop 'stroking' him (or rather, his ego), he could not resist and therefore complied the often heavily regretted request.
Because, there is nothing like his mother's face warming into a grin, her arms tightening their hold before her hands let go and pulled on his (chubby-chubby) cheeks. When that phase passed, she laughed, ruffling his golden banana hair, and pulled out his favourite sweetie. (Although, he never knew where and how she obtained the small luxury.)
After all, while his mother lavished her attention on him, he got to memorize and inhale his mother's perfume and felt loved as well.
It's the least he can do, to keep her face smiling.
Although the same cannot be said to him.
He hated boats.
He hated the water.
He hated the sky.
But most of all…
He hated getting sick.
Cursed motion-sickness!
That day, he decided, he will remember to ask the head scientist of ShinRa for a cure that enabled him – Rufus Shinra! to remain calm and not have an 'upset stomach', whenever he is on a vehicle.
His mother, patting his back, was sympathetic, but didn't know what to do. "We'll be there soon." She smiles, hoping that this would reassure her adorable child with stormy eyes and pouty lips.
And 'soon' is so very far away.
When he woke up, chubby Rufus Shinra was no longer on the boat. That left a question in his mind.
"Where am I?"
"Costa Del Sol. But you're in my room." A voice replied, chirpy and giggly. "Mama says you shouldn't get up yet."
"… oh. I see…" The fair haired boy moaned, still not feeling too good. "And… who are you?" He turned his head to where the sound of the voice was coming from.
He saw a girl. A very pretty girl who had a ribbon in her flaxen hair. And eyes the colours of his favourite sweetie. He wondered if she's a gift from the Planet.
"Me? Oh, I'm Elena, but Mama calls me Ellie. What about you? What's your name, stranger? Mama says I shouldn't talk to strangers, but seeing as this is our holiday house and you and your Mama are going to be staying with us, does that really make us strangers? Or are you a robber?"
"Um…" Rufus Shinra blinked, startled by her chattiness and how she managed to talk without breathing. "… no. I don't think so. I'm Rufus. Rufus Shinra."
"Rufus, huh… kinda formal if you ask me… Rufus. Rufus-Rufus-Rufus-Rufus-Wufus-Rufus. Rufus." The girl—rather, Ellie, chanted, biting her lip. "We've got to do something about that name."
"Why?" Suddenly defensive, he sat up and met her, eye to eye, blue meeting brown. "What's wrong with my name?"
"Nothing, really." The girl shrugged, her cheeks becoming rosy, embarrassed. "It's just… it sounds so posh, and if you're posh—well, how can you have any fun when you're on holiday?"
"Um… well…" She did have a point. "I suppose…"
"Fact of life, that is." Elena nodded, certain of it, and Rufus was compelled to nod as well, just as vigorously, although it made his head spin.
"Tell me," Ellie moved her face closer to his, noses touching. "Do you like… kangaroos?"
"Uh, well…" Frustrated at how his lack of words and how he appeared to act like a fool, the chubby Shinra resolved to make a coherent sentence, although, it was really hard to do that while maintaining eye-contact with a girl who would not remove her face. It was, however, a very pretty face. With a freckle on her nose. "… they're tolerable. I guess…" He stepped back and looked away. "They're pretty cool…" But they weren't as nice as cats.
"Yay!" She clapped her hands – which earned his attention to look at her and she then proceeded to give him a blinding smile, enhanced by the wonders of toothpaste.
"Then it's decided! From now on, your nickname is Roo!"
Taken in by her exuberance, certainly an attractive quality, Rufus joined in with her 'happy dance'.
Subconsciously, he wondered if it was a bad idea.
That is, until she realized something and promptly let go of his (chubby-chubby) hands.
They never knew that moments before, 'someone' had taken a picture of them… dancing.
Blink. Blink.
"Hey… aren't you supposed to be lying down?"
It's after dinner, which incidentally consisted of fish and both the offspring of the high class families made distasteful expressions as they tried to devour the wretched meal, that Rufus decided to introduce himself formally after the embarrassing debacle after the sea.
"Um… okay…" The girl blinked, before taking out her hand, figuring it was the proper conduct or something. "I'm Elena, but please, call me Ellie."
"I'm Rufus." The boy said, before adding (under the influence of staring eyes and mental forehead pokes), "… call me Roo."
And with that, he took her hand and shook it.
She gave him that blinding smile again, and he tried to dazzle her in return, with his own little perfect smile. Except, he thought later on, as she let go of his hand, it didn't really seem to work.
Well, if Shinras have a goal, then they certainly strive to achieve it!
He firmly made this resolution as he heard her breathing pattern on the opposite side of the bed, before closing his eyes to go to sleep.
He's unsure of whether he liked sharing the bed – especially with a girl that makes his heart speed up and especially as he had the pillow (while she has a fluffy pillow, he felt guilty) while they slept with the other person's feet beside them. Of course, they both wear socks, because otherwise their feet would smell. And they don't want that to happen.
It's not nice. Or hospitable.
Click.
Rufus Shinra, future lord and ruler of all of Shinra, did not like venturing to the outside world.
It's hot.
It's scorching.
He couldn't move.
And he's very thirsty.
He doesn't have the desire to be roasted because he mother wanted a shopping trip on Costa Del Sol.
Luckily, he has an umbrella (parasol, really, but he doesn't know that word), a flask of chilled water, and Elena.
The last 'item' might not be so lucky as much as unlucky.
Ellie's starting to affect him. And he hated that.
When he threw himself on the bed, he didn't expect Elena to follow suit and fall on top of him.
"Ellie," he sternly said, voice somewhat muffled by the pillow that he had planted his face on, "why did you do that?"
"It looked fun." The flaxen haired girl replied, with no intention of moving. "Junon's never as hot as this."
"Oh." And that, Rufus sighed, made sense. "So… you live in Junon?"
"Yep." She said, snuggling.
"Ellie…" Rufus began, abruptly changing the subject, voice carefully controlled, so to not make the impression that he was ignorant. "Why is this house, and all the shops, for that matter, cooler than the outside?"
"We have fans. Make the place colder." Elena said, poking him gently. "Fact of life, that."
That made sense.
But the next question did not.
"Roo… why are you pudgy?"
There was an ominous pause.
"Hug me and apologize."
In that order.
She began to avoid him. Sent evil glares. And poked him. Him! Not just poked him, but prodded him.
There's a severe difference between the two, Rufus discovered. Prodding was far more painful, but poking lasted longer.
He could handle it, he convinced himself, but could not deny that he missed her cheerful reports, or her 'superior' expression when she told him factual things that she thought he didn't know.
His resolve to say nothing until she apologized to him or rather, his pride was broken when she started to do blowfish impersonations by puffing out her cheeks. Cheeky girl. They were, no doubt, an imitation of him.
Rufus' mother found the whole ordeal adorable. And told him that while her arms were looped around him. She omitted the use of snapping photos in their direction whenever she had the chance.
"Roo, darling, you're growing up! That's wonderful – although you mustn't tell your father. He'll have another heart attack. All you have to do is admit that you have taken a liking to Ellie, and apologize. And she will instantly understand." She wouldn't, she's too young to realize what it meant, but still, pretty words of comfort are better than no words at all.
"But mother!" Rufus cried, wide blue eyes shimmering in dismay. "I haven't taking a liking to her; she's taken my heart!"
Rufus' mother smiled and hugged him one more time. "Tell her that in the future – girls might not like it if you are too forward."
"But mother…"
"Listen, our holiday week is running out, and if you want to reconcile… continue to have a relationship with Ellie – your Ellie—" And Rufus liked the sound of that. "—then you'd better make sure that you apologize before the vacation ends."
Which Rufus took very seriously until his mother walked into the transparent glass door.
Elena glared. (Tap, tap.)
Elena stared. (Tap, tap.)
Elena frowned. (Tap, tap.)
Rufus drowned…?
"Are you trying to write a poem?" Rufus asked, sitting down and staring idly at her curly and bubbly writing. He looked at his own hands. They seemed chubbier, somehow, than hers, but he said nothing. Except unknowingly insult her.
"Yes. Now," Elena sat up straight, before standing up, hastily scrunching the paper into a ball. "I'm avoiding you. I'm mad at you. So I'm not talking you! Goodbye!"
"Wait."
Elena, although upset and angry by his behaviour, sighed and decided to listen.
Another reason might be that he was suffocating her wrist with no intention of letting go.
"What is it, Shinra?" The name didn't sound right coming from her.
"I'd… um… like to apologize." Because that's what gentlemen do – they follow their mother's advice.
She turned and faced him, teeth clamped on her mouth to stop the smile from rising. "What?"
She looked like a goldfish with sparkling eyes.
"I said… I'm sorry." He hung his head, in shame.
And Elena, being the kind-hearted and forgetful person she was, hugged him, murmuring a 'sorry' as well.
She didn't know why she was mad at him. It was just fun to tease him. And make funny faces.
From then on, Rufus suspected that he liked her hugs better.
"Roo… I'm sorry, but I can't fit my arms around you."
Until she said that.
The penultimate day.
Ellie had come up with the marvellous idea of going to the beach.
Rufus would have protested – should have, he berated himself later – except for the fact that Ellie's face looked radiantly alive and it was the chance to prove to his flaxen haired girl, that even though he was naked, save the swimming trunks – manly hot pink and floral ones – that he was not chubby.
Poke.
"Okay…" Ellie said, blinking and poking at the same time. "… you're not chubby, but you've definitely got some sort of pudge there."
That made it sound worse.
Elena never did know how to use tact correctly.
"…" It would be better to hold his thoughts.
"So, what do you want to do?"
Splashing.
Building sandcastles.
Destroying sandcastles.
Collecting shells.
Throwing stones into the sea.
Watching the clouds.
Everything was perfect…
… until Elena noticed that her best friend was a little… red. And that was an understatement.
"Hey, Roo… did you, you know, ever put sun cream on?"
Rufus bristled. "No."
Of course not – Shinras were all-powerful creatures, made of indestructible stuff! They were not ruled, they were not destroyed and nothing could tarnish their image.
Therefore, the sun was useless.
And could not touch them.
It was a fact: Shinras do not burn.
Elena shook her head.
"Oh Roo… you're gonna have one hell of a souvenir."
That… did not sound good.
He was in pain.
The agony.
The suffering!
The – the burnt skin!
"You know… I like the fact that you're trying to impress me and all, Roo, I really do, but you don't have to get stupid or let yourself become a fool, okay?"
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Ellie."
"S'okay." She gave him a brilliant smile. "Besides, we're best friends, aren't we?"
"Yeah…" Rufus gave her a small smile of his own. "Yeah, we're best friends!"
"Forever and ever, right?"
"That's right!"
"Good. 'Cause I've got my eye on you." She gave him a wink, and would have given him a nudge, had she not suffered the same thing in an earlier part of her life and realized how painful it was. "So, just remember: the next time you come – you'd better not be…" She hesitated on the last word.
"… chubby." Rufus finished, blue eyes blazing, striving to make that goal possible.
"Okie-dokie. Here's my sign of good luck." Ellie murmured, pressing her lips against Rufus' cheek. "Just for you."
It hurt – painfully.
But it was totally worth it.
Roo waved to Ellie, pretty in her blue sundress, and she waved back, her arms big and wide.
"Bye…!"
"See you soon!"
It was only until that the girl who had an eternal place in Rufus' heart disappeared from view did the said Shinra boy begin to feel sea-sick.
After that had happened, and Rufus was feeling moderately better, did his mother, looking at her son's sunburnt skin and rather fair hair and blue eyes, turn semi-serious.
"I just wonder how your father is going to take it…"
And that, Rufus sourly thought, as the sun shone on brightly, completely ruined his day.