A short AC fic that I did a while back. I went back and fixed up a few things, but overall, I was really happy with what I had done then. This inspired me to write more. Yay!

There's not really a pairing, but if you want, it can be Reno/Rufus, but other than that, nothing.

No warnings. Maybe a little violence, but that's about it.

Enjoy!

Reno could have sword that he heard his boss right. Fired? Was that even possible? Well, his boss was an ass in his mind. Tifa was always an ass. She would never let him do anything on his own. That was one flaw at working at her bar. She was always in control. She never turned her back. She was like a schoolteacher with eyes in the back of her eyes. Reno hated her to death.

"What?" he whined at the girl standing in front of him.

"I said, 'you're fired'. I've gotten many complaints from customers saying that you do not give all of your attention to serving."

Reno groaned. This was horrible. He needed a job, but all he had now was a gun, and that couldn't help him get money.

"Why?"

"Because, I just explained to you."

Reno closed his eyes and sighed. "Oh, alright, I'm leaving."

"Good," Tifa said. Reno glared at her as he left the bar, putting his apron on the counter as he walked out the door. He heard Tifa say something as he left, but didn't catch all of it. Just "…Stubborn bastard…"

Reno ran a hand through his hair as he walked down the familiar road. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag and stopped as someone called his name from behind.

"What?" he complained as he recognized the voice as Vincent's. This was very odd to have Vincent calling for him, but Reno was just not in the mood for being surprised. The red cloak around Vincent's visage was fluttering in the wind. His headband still came over his eyes, preventing his hair to fall all the way.

"Tifa fired you?" he asked. Reno shrugged and just kept walking. "So now you're unemployed?"

'Oh shit,' Reno mentally thought. 'We had a bet. Shit.' They had made a bet. Vincent had bet that Reno would lose all of his jobs, including the one at ShinRa. And he had lost that one too. The prize for Vincent was that he got to keep Reno's gun. Now, Reno loved his gun. His gun was the only source of security.

Reno reached into his pocket and handed over his gun and walked faster. He could hear Vincent's chuckle as he went into another bar.

He ordered a beer and put his head in his hands. He could feel the music help the mood that he was in. It was a hard-metal song by some unknown band that was on stage right now. Reno bobbed his head up and down in time with the music. The lyrics didn't match his mood at all, but it was still really nice to listen to something like that.

"Hey you, Hey you,

Devil's little sister.

Listening to your

Twisted Transistor.

"Hold it between your legs,

Turn it up,

Turn it up,

The wind is coming through,

Can't get enough.

"A lonely life,

Where no one understands you,

But don't give up,

Because the music do…"

Reno took these lyrics in and just took another sip of the beer that had magically appeared in front of him.

"Because the music do,

And then it's raging,

Inside you,

Fore ever preaching,

For you, too,

Your screams are whispers,

Hang on you,

Twisted transistor."

Another sip. Then a loud burst came from the entrance of the Bar. The band was still playing, but everyone else had notice the bunch of men that came in with masks. No one screamed. They were all too drunk to notice that they were in immediate danger. Another song started playing. This song had a little more spunk then the one before. That was all Reno could care about. He didn't work for ShinRa, so he didn't have to stop whatever they were about to do.

"Hey!" one of the men in masks prodded his gun at Reno's back. "You, give us all your money!" Reno rolled his eyes before he got off his stool. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and his lighter. He lit the cigarette and but the lighter back into his pocket. The guy just stared with bewilderment. He soon shook out of it and pointed the gun at Reno's forehead. Reno put the cigarette in his mouth and quickly grabbed the guys gun with suck a fast movement that the attacker didn't have time to see it. Reno choked the guy with one hand and held the gun to the side of his head.

"You disrupted my drink, you life shit," Reno growled. The song that was now playing was a different band. Actually, it wasn't a band but the DJ was mixing a jam. It was club music. Reno didn't really like club music and the way it made you feel jumpy.

"S-s-sorry…" the guy tried to stutter out. Reno just threw the guy to the ground and put the gun in his pocket. The guy scrambled up and ran out with the other guys following him. The bartender came to Reno and gave him another beer.

"So, you got a job?" he asked. The guy was big build and had a mustache but was bald. Reno shook his head. "You wanna a job?" he asked. Reno shrugged and took a sip of the beer. "Because I hear this club down the street needs a body guard. You look like the type to be guarding." Reno considered this and nodded his head.

"What club?" he asked. He did need a job, and this time he could rub into Vincent's face.

"De' La' Maise Shai." The guy said. Reno already liked the name. Reno decided to go and check it out. He reached into his pocket to pay up but the bartender stopped him. "No need. You saved us from an attack. It is the least I can do."

"Thanks," Reno said before finishing off his beer and left. Reno saw the club had a long line outside of it as most clubs did. Reno thought of it for a while and decided that he was too lazy to actually wait. Reno went behind the alley that led to a different street and sat down and got his cell phone out and called Rude. He was probably the only person he still kept in contacted ever since he was fired.

"Hello?" came a female's voice.

"Yo, Yuffie, is Rude there?"

"Nope, he went down to this club called 'De' La' Maise Shai'"

"Damn," Reno said into the receiver. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

"I guess… I don't really know. You might want to try to go there your self."

"I'm standing right out in front of it, and the line is reall-y long," Reno dragged out.

"Are you bored?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Then go see Cloud."

"No, he's with Tifa and Vincent." Reno had made up that last lie to cross out all three people. He really wanted to do something, but anything involving those three was just the same as death.

"Oh, then you want to come over?" she asked.

"No, I want to sleep, but Tifa kicked me out, so I don't have a place to sleep."

"Then hold on. I think I can find you a place to sleep for free for tonight."

"Thanks, Yuffie."

"No problem."

"Oh, and one more question, why do you have Rude's phone?"

"He left it here before he left, saying that if you called to just talk to you and try to help you out."

Reno sighed. The other end of the phone was hung up with a click. The dial tone rung in his ears. Reno hung up the phone. This day was already crappy enough. Reno sighed. He decided to go and see if the ShinRa building was still opened and beg for his job back. That seemed like a good thing to do.

As Reno walked down the streets towards his old job, he got the feeling that he was being watched. He opened the door and walked up to the counter.

"Yo," he said in greeting.

"Reno, why are you here?" the lady at the desk asked.

"I'm going to try to plead for my job, is Rufus in, Elena?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's in his office stressing himself out again."

"Yeah, I thought so."

Reno received the card from Elena that would get him through the building. He then rode the elevator to the floor that Rufus's office was on. When on the elevator, Reno tilted his head to listen to the elevator music that was now playing. He never really noticed that there was music in the elevator. Reno thought it was nice. He closed his eyes and just stood there to listen to the music. He heard the elevator bell ring, indicating that he had reached the destined floor. After opening his eyes he stepped out of the elevator.

Reno stepped into Rufus's office. He was a little nervous. His boss had just called him to the office for some reason.

"Reno," came Rufus's voice from behind the tall chair.

"Hai?" Reno perked up at the distress in his boss's voice.

"Reno, what do you think of your progress here?" The chair swung around and Reno lowered his eyes to the ground.

"I feel as if I have failed you."

"Why do you feel this?"

Reno squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He was frustrated.

"You sound like a fucking therapist!" Reno hissed through his teeth.

"Maybe that's what you need," Rufus boldly said. Tears stung Reno's eyes, but he didn't let them show. His hair covered his lowered face. "Maybe you just need to start something new. You know, you're the youngest one here; maybe you should get out a little more and get another job. This job," Rufus paused "I just don't think you should be here. If you stay here, you have no future."

Reno could only stand there and wait for the command to give up his card, ID, and leave. As Reno left, he ran a hand through his hair. He paused at the door and said something that Rufus couldn't quite hear. Then he quietly slipped out.

Reno stood in front of the door and shuddered as a chill went through his back. He didn't really want to plead for his job, but he did want his job back. He was pleased with his job. The fact that he could just watch over someone, to feel that someone needed him, that someone needed to lean on him.

Reno shook his head and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came a tired voice that Reno knew belonged to his former boss.

Rufus

As Reno left his office, he heard him muttered something that he couldn't hear. Rufus decided that he wanted to find out. The next day was pretty lonely. There was no humor whatsoever in the ShinRa headquarters. Rufus asked Rude to send him the video of the camera that was outside his office door yesterday. Rude sent it to him with no hesitation. As Rufus watched the exact part where Reno had left and turned up the volume.

"Maybe I'm not here because of the job, maybe it's something else."

Rufus still didn't know what that meant, and he intended to find out.

A knock came at the door.

Rufus sat at his desk with a bunch of papers on his desk. He wanted to find out what Reno had meant. And this was the perfect time. Reno had just knocked on the door. He knew it was him because he had given specific orders to everyone who worked there to not disturb him. Of course, unless it was Reno. He thought he sounded a little obsessed. But if it would get Reno to explain what he had said, he didn't mind. He had a hunch on what Reno meant, but didn't want to get it wrong in fear of getting rejected.

"Who is it?" he asked, a little surprised at how tired his voice sounded. The door silently opened to let in Reno. His hair was a little ruffled, his usually bright eyes dull, and his posture was horrible. Rufus contemplated on this. He thought it was probably an effect of not having a job to look forward to.

"Reno?" he couldn't help but sound a little surprised.

"Yo," Reno tried to smile, but failed horribly.

"Let me guess, you want your job back?"

Reno nodded his head. Rufus sighed.

"Okay, but only under one condition, you tell me what your last words before you left."

"Why?" Reno asked, a little mystified.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Reno," he simply said.

"But I don't see how that has anything to do with me and my job."

Rufus shrugged.

"Fine, I said 'Maybe I'm not here because of the job, maybe it's something else.'" Rufus saw the slight blush adorning Reno's cheek.

"And what exactly does that mean?" Rufus was going to find out, because he was confused, and had been for the whole week.

"It just means that there may be something else to this job that I like…" he trailed off.

"Is it Elena?"

"No!" Reno looked shocked. It was a disgrace to hear his boss say that.

"Then tell me."

"See, it's just the fact that I have a job to watch over someone else, to protect someone else."

"But there has to be more," Rufus pestered. Reno slowly nodded. He was now standing right in front of the desk. He saw all the paper that Rufus was doing. It was a lot of work.

"It's because that person that I have to watch over is very important," Reno said. Rufus knew there was more to come, so he just kept quiet. "He's very important, at least, to me he is." Rufus sighed a sigh that could have meant anything. It could have meant that Reno was annoying, or that he was really tired, or that he was relieved to hear that. Ant it meant the last one.

"Reno, when you are older, you'll regret having a job here," Rufus said. Reno shook his head.

"I'll never regret working here, so you don't have to worry about having to get rid of me."

Rufus got up from his chair and walked over to Reno.

"Who said I'll ever need to get rid of you?" he asked. He put a hand on Reno's shoulder and whispered into his ear. "And I don't think I can handle being here without your clumsy protection any longer."

Reno felt a chill go down his spine, but he tried not to move, he was enjoying this a little too much. Rufus wrapped the hand that was on Reno's shoulder around his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. Reno didn't mind the thought of being molested by his boss, it actually sounded very nice. Rufus pressed his lips lightly onto his and slipped his tongue inside Reno's mouth as he sighed. Both tongues fought for dominance, but Reno, had won because the other was too tired from all the work.

Reno slid an arm around his boss's waist and pulled him tighter. They pulled apart for air.

"Is this a good enough explanation?"

I hoped you liked it! Loves within reviews, please!