"Boss man says you've been workin' too late these past couple days. Wants you to go home."
Reno waits a few moments just to be sure he is actually being ignored before he reaches over and flicks the lights off.
In response, Rufus reaches over and pulls the chain of the lamp on his desk to continue reading.
Reno rolls his eyes and turns the main light back on to save the President's already poor eyesight before moving from his slouched position in the doorway. It really was late, or early considering it was after midnight. Rufus had been in that chair taking phone calls and reading intelligence reports since 8am yesterday. According to Tseng, this was his fourth day of marathon working on probably 5 hours of sleep total, and their leader was concerned.
Reno just got back to Healin' an hour ago from doing recon in Costa Del Sol and he's tired. He wanted to go straight from mission reporting to his studio apartment in Edge, but Tseng had that crease on his forehead and his shoulders tensed like he was fighting a migraine all day. A little pushing and boss man let slip what was bothering him most.
And what was bothering him was still stubbornly ignoring Reno as he splayed his fingers on the edge on the hardwood desk. Slipping on the charm was second nature for a him, his left hip dropping subtly, hair sliding against his shoulders as he cocks his head to the side with a small smile. Usually people start looking when he shows interest like this. In a bar he'd have two numbers by now with a third on the way. Rufus Shinra, Gaia dammit, was apparently immune. Though he should have known, "The Charm" hasn't worked in the 10 or so years hes worked for Shinra.
"That," Reno reaches out and slides the top page of the report around to look at it, as if he cant read flipped text. "Can wait for tommorow, yeah?"
Rufus finally looks up, and this close Reno can see the lack of sleep plainly under those steel blue eyes. The President looks annoyed, his eyes narrowing as he plucks the page from Reno's hands and returns it to the neat stack without breaking eye contact. He folds his hands on top of them defensively while he eyes up the redhead practically draped over his things. Reno's sultry smile turns into a tired grin.
"Reno," Rufus' voice come out in a low drawl. The redhead cocks an eyebrow questioningly. "Go home, it's late."
That makes him throw his head back and scoff. "Only if you're comin' with me." The grin turns deadly "promise I dont bite too hard," He pauses a moment and adds as an after thought "Sir."
Rufus blinks before the comment registers and he sighs, exasperated. "Get out, Reno. And tell Tseng his concern is unnecessary on your way past." Then he turns back to the work under his hands, confident he's made his dismissal very clear.
Frowning, Reno stands but doesnt say anything as he leaves. Rufus has time to wrap a hand around a cold mug of tea and frown at it disapprovingly before he returns, partner in tow. The redhead motions to their boss, firmly seated behind his desk, and says something to Rude, who is sans sunglasses. In fact, it looks like hes been sleeping if the creases in his dress shirt are any indication. Maybe it is late. The frown stays as he glances at the time on his laptop - 2:34 am.
Rude approaches in that silently disapproving way of his and Rufus feels a muscle twitch in his cheek. This is his company, if he feels it is justified to work late, he will. The Turks are not his babysitters, they are his subordinates.
"Boss," Rude's voice is softer than Reno's, more soothing.
"Come to lecture me as well?" He turns to the laptop and opens a new email, to a food supplier they've been working with to bring more supplies into Edge. "If you'd like to be useful you can warm my tea. If not you can leave, preferably with your partner before I ask Tseng to fire him." He pushes the cold mug to the edge of the desk and dismisses the two of them, focusing instead on trying to write an email as his vision wavers slightly.
Reno throws his hands in the air as Rude turns back to look at him, expression calm. They share a whole conversation without words. Rufus threatens to fire Reno at least once a month, so that's not surprising. The working to exhaustion thing is definitely newer; he hasn't worked like this since the death of his father.
Then Tseng stalks in. "Reno, Rude. You're dismissed." A soft 'tch' comes from Reno but Rude ushers him out quietly. Tseng crosses his arms as he stands in the middle of the room and surveys the blonde who stubbornly refuses to look away from the laptop. After a few moments he turns to the small bar in the corner of the room, fixes two lowballs of whiskey, and sits one next to the laptop. He sips at his own before he speaks. "Tell me what is wrong."
Ah, Rufus thinks. It seems his head hound is finally concerned enough to make it apparent. "You shouldn't be drinking at work." He says in lieu of an answer. He ignores the whiskey, he doesnt want to sleep.
The issue is that Tseng has always been a patient man. There was an old story that circulated back when he was first crowned vice president that he made a man crack once just by staring at him for three hours. He knows intimately how to play a long game, and appears to be prepared for it as he takes a seat across from the desk. Rufus ignores him the best he can, despite the hard stare of obsidian eyes. After ten minutes of silence he sends the email he was working on and leans back to read a few he's received from early morning risers. "You all seem to think I'm tired, yet I am not. I slept this afternoon a bit, your concern," the word sticks a little as he says it. "Is misplaced."
Tseng continues to say nothing, just sips at his whiskey, legs crossed at the ankles. He knows it's a lie but doesnt say.
"Could always knock him out and drag him home, boss." He hears from the other side of the door. Rufus pays the redhead no mind, continuing to ignore the statue sitting a few feet away. His vision blurs again as he attempts to reread a paragraph, and he just barely refrains from rubbing his eyes. To do so would admit defeat. He is terribly tired, but he doesn't want to sleep. If he slept...
Better to work, really.
Tseng finishes his drink and takes a moment to consider the untouched glass on Rufus' desk. He supposes he could risk it, getting fired or killed. He has faced worse odds.
"Reno." He says it low, but its obviously a command. Rufus, assuming Tseng is finally giving up, pays him no mind when the redhead saunters into the room with his partner. Tseng sets his empty glass down on the arm of the chair and stands, unbuttoning his sleeves. "Get the car."
And now Rufus is paying attention. He glares up at Tseng but the lack of sleep has stolen the normal fire from his gaze. Reno's grin is deadly again as he trails back out of the room to do as he's told, and Tseng approaches the desk like hes prepared to do what he must. "Tseng," he says warningly, but the Turk continues to advance. Rufus considers the small revolver tucked in the top drawer for an instant, but has no time to act before the wutaiain man has hands gripped in the front of his shirt and is dragging him out of the chair. He's hoisted over a slim shoulder like he weighs nothing, protesting the whole time, but he goes unheard as Tseng bodily removes him from the room, pausing to turn the lights off.
"Put me down, Tseng, or I will have to promote Reno to your position and commit murder and corporate suicide at the same time." He's composed, even when threatening at least. He imagines that Tseng is a tiny bit concerned by the threat even though he feels the soft hum of ascent under his stomach. Reno laughs in the distance and turns to Rude.
"Told you I was next in line, buddy. Guess you're gonna have to suck up more for that promotion." Rude shrugs. "You do enough sucking for the both of us, Red." Rufus momentarily wishes he could see the look of outrage on Reno's face, but then he's tossed into the back of his car none too gently and the door is slammed in his face. He grits his teeth in annoyance and crosses his legs, never having been thrown out of his own office before, by the Turks no less. His Turks. Brats.
Tseng slides in beside him quickly, as Reno and Rude take the front seat. Reno adjusts the mirror to flash him a toothy smile before he starts the car and drives them down towards Edge.
"You're all demoted to regular infantry. I want your resignations from the Turks on my desk by 9 am tomorrow morning." He absentmindedly pats at his suit coat pocket for his phone and shifts to glare at Tseng when he realizes it is missing. He must have lifted it from him on their journey to the car.
"You know me an' paperwork boss." Reno groans but keeps his eyes on the road as they head into the city. He supposes he can work at his home office for a bit, once his men leave and go home themselves. It's not hard to play off the 'going to bed' act. A shower and some night clothes should be all he needs to placate their concerns, perhaps some painkillers. He bites back a yawn and instead stares at the empty morning streets, fighting off the urge to close his eyes for the remainder of ride.
Tseng reaches up to undo his hair, letting it fall with a sigh as some of the tension he's been holding onto bleeds out of his shoulders. He's not prone to drinking, but the whiskey helps and relaxing into bed soon should help get rid of the migraine pounding behind his temples. If Rufus is awake and working, Tseng must as well. The week has been...trying, to say the least. Elena is still out in the field and will need to be checked in on in 10 hours, but that is plenty of time to see Rufus to bed and get some rest himself. He can tell the blonde is trying not to pass out beside him, and it is concerning. The man usually understands his limits and does his best not to surpass them, especially with vicious competitors looking for any excuse to call him weak and unworthy of his position. He checks side streets as they roll by, out of habit more than anything. Edge has it's fair share of violence, but nothing on the magnitude that poses a risk to Rufus' life. He watches Rude do the same, despite being awoken from a dead sleep an hour ago. Reno still looks like hes about to pass out on his feet, but he can only tell from working with him for so long. Hes a good actor.
They pull into the underground garage of the penthouse building without complications, thank Shiva. He only hopes Rufus will cooperate and actually go to sleep. Reno cuts the engine and slides out to check the hallways while Rude takes the elevator ahead of them to asses the apartment. Tseng opens the door for Rufus and is glad he doesnt have to carry the man into his own house. Hes still glaring, albeit tiredly, but shuffles down the hallway without complaint. Reno is perched on the back of the couch, jacket off and shirt half undone when they enter and Tseng ignores him. Rufus clicks his tongue at him disapprovingly.
"Don't strip in my living room. You have a room for that." He motions vaguely towards one of the side bedrooms the Turks are supposed to use when they're on guard duty as he trails into the kitchen for a drink. Reno leaves the jacket on the couch and undoes the last few buttons of his shirt to be an annoyance before tossing it to Rude, who gives him a pointed look and puts it in the laundry basket in the shared room. Rude takes a spot on the couch, leaning back to relax like it's his own place, before closing his eyes.
Tseng loves them. He loves that he doesnt have to explicitly order them around to get them to do what he wants. He knows they will not leave and it's perfect, because they understand that Rufus will do what he has to in order to get them to leave before promptly not going to bed like he is supposed to. Its apparent that they care for the man that gave them a home, that they understand how to be good people despite the horrors they've committed as a team. He couldnt ask for better friends.
Rufus wanders towards his bedroom and Tseng waits until he hears the shower running before getting a glass of water and some painkillers for himself. He absentmindedly checks the medication containers lined up on the shelf to ensure that Rufus has been at least keeping up with his morning routine before leaning against the counter, waiting. He hears the shower cut 10 minutes later and the shuffle of feet into the bedroom. Reno has turned on a show in the living room, but put the sound low enough to listen for Rufus as well. When he reappears in the doorway of the kitchen, he is barefoot, his hair is wet, and he is clutching a robe around himself. His eyes narrow as he takes in Tseng, still standing in his kitchen stubbornly, and cocks his head to the side to glare at Reno's hair splayed out over the back of the couch.
"You're all dismissed. I didnt say you could stay."
Tseng raises an eyebrow and motions to the bedroom. "We will stay for a little, you should get some rest," then his lips quirk at the corners in some semblance of a smile. "Unless you need help getting into bed, Sir?"
Rufus clenches his jaw, the muscles in his cheek flexing tellingly. "Remind me to get better dogs in the morning." He bites out, frustrated, before turning on his heel.
"I'll make a note of it for your actual secretary." Tseng replies smoothly, eyeing the man as he heads back towards the bedroom. To be safe, he wanders into the office and removes the power cord to the computer. He takes it to Reno, in the living room, who is much better at hiding things where no one will find them before taking a seat across from them on the recliner. Reno holds up his hand, all fingers splayed out to say '5 minutes' before giving him a cocky grin. Tseng returns it with a flat look. It would be 3 minutes, he knows.
Exactly 3 minutes later they both hear Rufus shift from the bedroom to his home office. Tseng sighs and rubs his temples as he motions for Reno to go fix the situation. His head still hurts too much to deal with it.
Apparently, sending Reno to fix situations is still a bad idea. As Rufus stalks down the hall angrily towards them, Reno intercepts him. With his body. Against the wall.
Tseng knows theres going to be paperwork on this for some reason and sighs internally.
But at least Rufus stills, anger still simmering on his face as he stares down at Reno, unable to form a sentence. Reno presses his hips tighter up against the man and shifts so his forearm is flush against the wall beside his head. "Come on Boss, its way too late to be up workin' still. I wanna go to bed, Tseng wants to go to bed, pretty sure Rude's already made your couch into a bed. Let's call it a night, yeah?"
"Reno..." Tseng murmurs, about to pull the younger turk off the President of the damn company, but Rufus cuts a look at him that makes him pause. Oh.
Rufus' look softens considerably and his hand wraps tentatively around Reno's hip, fingers following the curve of muscle. "Is that an offer, Reno?"
After 10 years of service, Tseng knows that very little truly surprises Reno. There is a split second hesitation before he charmingly purrs at Rufus, the only indication that he was taken off guard by the President's response. "You know I'd give you whatever you ask for, Boss. Practically in my contract. You askin'?" He leans in to brush his nose against the underside of Rufus' neck, eager. Rufus in turn leans his head back and looks at Reno from half-lidded eyes and hums thoughtfully. Then he looks at Tseng with the same gaze and the wutaian starts to think he should have left a while ago.
Rufus smirks at him, despite the fact that Reno is mouthing at his neck and offering to 'put him down' so to speak. He can feel the burn of embarrassment high on his cheeks but can't seem to turn away to give them privacy. He blames it on the exhaustion.
But Rufus is still looking at him, contemplating, so he pulls himself together enough to shrug at the situation. "Problem?" He mouths, willing to pull Reno into the hallway if necessary and free Rufus from the situation. The blonde digs his fingers harder into Reno's hip in response, then uses the other hand to crook his finger at Tseng. Tseng is pretty sure this isnt in his job description, but shifts closer anyway to lean against the wall next to the two of them.
"My problem-" his breath hitches as Reno sinks his teeth into the tender spot around a collarbone. " Is that I cant bear to be in that bed alone again." Reno pauses to listen. "There are... nightmares." His mouth cuts downward in a frown.
"Nightmares?" Tseng asks. "Like before?" When the geostigma had still been an issue, Rufus was often plagued by connected nightmares about death. At the later stages of the disease, his body had been too exhausted to handle continual waking up, so the doctors had prescribed him sleeping medication for the worst nights. The medication, however, had been absent in the kitchen for a long time. Tseng had assumed Rufus threw it out because the side effects often left him groggy the next day and unable to work efficiently, but perhaps he had continued to take them. But Rufus shakes his head to say that they're not the same type of nightmares.
Reno shifts, to lay his head against the shoulder opposite of Tseng and murmurs into the soft skin of Rufus' neck. "Lookin' for some company to help you sleep?" Tseng considers the fact then that perhaps Rufus is simply tired of being in his bed alone. "Could always try dating again, Sir."
Rufus looks away from Tseng as he leans his head back towards the ceiling. "I considered it." Considered and veto'd it, is what Tseng hears. His past attempts at finding companionship have been very short-lived, he recalls. The longest had been a fellow business-woman from Midgar, but that relationship didn't make it past three months. Dating has always been difficult for both Rufus and the Turks, mainly because Rufus as CEO finds it difficult to find someone who wont use him for money or power, and the Turks are essentially married to their job. Too many secrets in a relationship often leads to unhealthy communication between partners, which eventually drives them apart from interested parties. He doesnt delve much into his men's sex lives, but he knows that Reno, Rude, and Elena find temporary partners for short term arrangements and it suits them perfectly fine. Tseng himself has no desire to engage in those type of acts, but instead gets what he needs by spending time with them, over a drink or a smoke when he feels particularly lonely.
He feels like he needs a cigarette right about now. Reno is still pressed against Rufus like he isnt about to fall over into a dead sleep and Rufus looks comfortable with the situation. He trusts Reno to not take advantage if the two of them make it into the bedroom, but for that Rufus would have to say no. Reno's free hand has wandered in between the folds of the robe to trace over the skin of Rufus' ribs. The president doesn't seem bothered with Reno's touch, and Tseng would rather not be party to the two of them having sex in the hallway. Really, not his thing. But then Reno moves in to sink his teeth into a patch of skin under the corner of Rufus' jaw and the man clicks his tongue disapprovingly, fisting his hand into the ends of Reno's soft red hair to tug sharply.
"Stop that," Reno grins but backs off. He goes to move away, but Rufus digs his fingers into his hip tight enough to bruise and tangles his fingers into his hair further, getting a better hold. Reno's lips dip into a pouting frown, like hes unsure what exactly Rufus wants before it clicks and he presses back against him, hands moving to safer territory.
"Come on then Boss, I'm fuckin' exhausted. Your bed's nicer anyway." Reno goes to lift the blonde to carry him but Rufus rolls his eyes and tugs his hair hard enough to cock Reno's head back so he can look him in the eye.
"Get moving." He says in that low, commanding tone which brokers no arguments before he releases Reno and turns back to Tseng. "Staying or going?" It's said lazily, tiredly, and Tseng's not sure exactly what the invitation means but finds himself nodding towards the Turk's shared bedroom as an indication that he will stay. Rufus scoffs, displeased, before fisting a hand into Tsengs white dress shirt and tugging hard towards his own bedroom. He stands firm, still as a statue at first, caught off guard. Reno has already no doubt made himself comfortable in the president's bed, why ask him to join them?
"I'm not particularly inclined towards," and he motions to the marks Reno left on Rufus' neck like that will explain his hesitation. But Rufus is smart and knows his Turks. "He's not my type. I'm not his either, or he'd have been in my bed before, I'm sure. Reno has a terrible habit of getting what he wants. I'm exhausted, and it appears you are too. Come to bed." Tseng caves.
He finds himself standing at the edge of the bed as Rufus strips out of his robe, staring at Reno who is already burrowed under the comforter sleeping. He casts a glance at Rufus, unsure, but the President waves a hand at him as if to say 'whatever is fine' before he climbs in and presses his body tight against Reno's. The redhead stirs slightly, his eyebrows creasing, before he sighs and slips back to sleep easily. Tseng considers his options before saying 'fuck it' and sliding out of his clothes, down to his boxers. Rufus stares, he knows, but honestly hes too tired to care. He lifts the covers and adjusts so he's sandwiching Rufus between them and let's out a tense breath he wasnt aware he was holding. Rufus shifts to hook one leg backward, curving it around Tseng's calf before he finally falls asleep.
Tseng blinks at the two of them, yawns and decides he's comfortable enough to sleep before following suit. They can discuss it more in the morning, after he checks in with Elena.