The Promotion Party
Disclaimer: This is a purely fan-made piece that is using the world and characters from Squaresoft's (Square Enix) Final Fantasy VII and is made entirely for enjoyment. No financial gain has been made in the making of this piece
Summery: Rude is not upset about losing out on the promotion
Author's Note: Written for Cirrat. Possible out-of-characterness
Constructive Criticism is always welcomed
Published: 22 December 2008
Rating: T
Elena was furious when she heard that Reno got promoted to second-in-command over Rude. "How could he! YOU deserve that promotion!" She ranted at Rude as they walked towards their respective cars. "How could Tseng give it to—to—to that womaniser!"
Rude grunted slightly. Truth be told, he didn't really care all that much. He was going to miss the bump in pay, but other than that, it didn't matter too much to him.
He nearly smirked. This meant that Reno might actually have to button up his shirt once in a while.
"Something has to be done!" Elena slammed her fist into her hand. "Maybe if I start a rumour that Reno's sleeping his way up the food chain…"
He grunted again, this time letting his noise be coloured with disagreement. Reno was a skeeze, but he was a good Turk and a fun drinking buddy. He had gotten the promotion and frankly, Rude didn't care. He was glad for Reno.
Elena stared at him. "You mean you're okay with this?! How can you okay with this?!"
Rude shrugged slightly. "He's good at what he does."
"Well, yes but—but he can't even dress himself! What kind of image is that going to present?!"
"Tseng dresses sharp enough to cover all of us."
She sighed a little dreamily. "Doesn't he, though." She shook herself, forcing herself to grab her anger and return to the original issue. "That's still beside the point! I can't believe that I'll have to be—be taking orders from someone who can't even tie a tie properly!"
Rude grunted. The fastest way to shut Elena up was to make non-committal noises until she had burned out her rant. Until then, it was hard to make her listen to reason of any sorts. He pushed open the door to the bar that they went to celebrate things like promotions and held it for Elena.
"Thank you. I don't see why you're being so calm about this. This is your future we are discussing—Reno! I just heard! Congratulations!"
With amusement mixed with disgust, Rude watched as Elena fawned over Reno. He grunted out a congratulatory noise at Reno, and bought the redhead a shot of his favourite whiskey—the one that cost as much as prized racing chocobo did. Might as well get it before the man was drunk enough that he'd spill it and Rude wasn't going to have his money wasted that way.
An hour later, the only thing that had changed about the situation was now Elena loudly was verbalising her displeasure to Reeve, Reno had his hand up the bartender's shirt instead of the waitress's, and Tseng and Rude were the only remotely sober people in the room.
Being the only people who could still hold a semblance of a conversation with minimal amounts of slurring, it was natural that the two ended up at the same table talking to each other.
Well, they were talking to each other until Heidegger got thrown into their table by Scarlet. Apparently, the man had taken a drunken swipe at Scarlet's barely-covered breasts and while she didn't mind Reno coping a feel, she did take offence to Heidegger.
"Perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere?" Tseng asked a bit dryly as Heidegger decided to try his chances with Elena.
Rude watched as Elena tried to shove a beer bottle into her superior's eye socket and nodded.
Later, when he reflected back on things, if he had known that 'taking this conversation elsewhere' was Tseng code-speak for 'let's get out of the public eye and play some tonsil rugby', he would have paid Heidegger to grope Scarlet earlier that evening.
Tseng was thorough, all nips and slick licks. Precise, but not so much so that he felt like he was being explored; it more felt like Tseng was trying to experience him to the fullest possible extent.
As Rude tilted his superior's head to a better angle, he resolved if this was going to be a tipsy one-night stand, he was going to make the most of it. Elena had been trying for over a year to get into Tseng's pants and the fact that he had chosen Rude over the blonde was not an opportunity that the bald Turk was going to turn down.
Exactly how far things would have gone, Rude would never know because right after he got Tseng's shirt untucked, the wall to the left of them exploded. He jerked and automatically rolled Tseng out of the way. Training also called that he draw his gun and have his demi materia ready.
When all that floated through the door was Reno's loud declaration of 'No' DAS sum mateara!'
"Sometimes, I regret that promotion," Tseng muttered from underneath him. Rude simply made a noncommittal grunt before rolling to his feet. He offered the dark-haired man a hand up.
Tseng pulled himself up and let the momentum propel him back against Rude's chest.
"I do believe that we were interrupted," he all but purred. "Perhaps we should move to a more…private place."
Rude let the corner of his mouth twitch up. "Of course," he replied. After all, who was he to disobey his higher up's orders?
As they walked away and Rude let his hand possessively rest on Tseng's back, he decided that promotions were overrated; after all, if he got promote that Reno had gotten, he would never gotten a chance at Tseng.
x Fin x