He knew how the Turks ended the work week. The nature of their rambunctious celebrations was a poorly kept secret. Every Monday, it seemed at least one member of the tight-knit crew could not suppress a laugh at the sight of another. Private jokes lingered quietly around the office, often surviving half of the week, only to be reborn on the next Friday night. The grins and raised eyebrows served as a secret language, strengthening the bonds between the blue suits, and successfully leaving outsiders in the dark. He was tired of being an outsider.

Only two weeks earlier, his bodyguard had been replaced without his consent. His consent, he realized, was not needed for anything. The son of the most powerful man on the planet was without any power at all. The only Shinra employees to even notice the young man were the Turks: the people who had essentially raised him. If he had wanted to travel to his father's property in Costa del Sol, his only company came in a blue suit. If he wanted to go shopping, despite having assistants to do such work for the family, a Turk came along with him. As he aged, his relationship with his makeshift guardians changed. They each began distancing themselves, as though they sensed the major shift in power coming. When he entered a room, it quieted noticeably. They began referring to him as, "Sir," initially causing him to cringe.

His current closest friend, Penelope, had come in as his guard just as the change in treatment was underway. She always claimed not to notice. The day he confided in her that he did not feel he deserved to be called, "Sir," she dropped the title forever. He would realize later that she reverted to the title only in frustration, when she wanted to grind his nerves.

Developing the close relationship with Penelope brought him comfort and a sense of belonging among the Turks. She was popular among her co-workers, and as his guard, she never left his side during working hours. If he had an empty schedule, as he often did during the beginning of her time, she brought him around the Shinra complex, visiting her friends, and in turn, acquainting him with his future employees. They sat in the training facilities watching boxing matches, ate long lunches in the cafeteria, sat in on Tseng's briefings. She treated him as a friend in front of her co-workers, causing the rest of the organization to do the same. But now she was gone.

The shift happened almost instantly. Reno was not yet comfortable in Penelope's position. He struggled to keep up with his expected duties, leaving no room for creative ways to kill time with his charge. Rufus was stiff and surly with him, and resented the rest of the team for not asking his opinion on the replacement. This attitude, with the announcement that everyone saw coming, pushed them all away. Loneliness swept in quickly.

So he got clever. Telling Reno he was staying in for the night allowed both of them access to one of the more festive celebrations of the year: a birthday. Following the fiery red hair would be easy; staying out of sight would not.

Rufus stood in front of his massive closet, his cavernous apartment filled with loud music intended to build his confidence in what he was about to undertake. He reached far into the closet and pulled out an ensemble of black, black, black. After dressing hurriedly, he grabbed a hat: a low fedora that covered his eyes at the right angle; and a gray scarf. Snow fell heavily outside his bedroom window, causing him to reach for his white coat, but giving it a second thought. Instead, he pulled on a long black wool coat that Penelope had talked him into buying the winter before. A glance at the clock told him the office was closing soon, and he was off.

The sun had already disappeared behind the western skyline of Midgar when the bodies began pouring out of the front doors of Shinra Headquarters. Cool blue eyes watched for familiar faces from across the street. Ten minutes passed, and the stream of employees ended. He sighed heavily, frustrated with his wait in the frozen street. Finally, two glass doors burst open under the pressure of two well-polished black boots. One belonged to his new guard, the other, his former. She straightened her signature mirrored sunglasses, despite the setting sun. He could hear their laughter even at his distance, and for a split second, longed to be one of them, to be close enough to hear all of the punchlines. The feeling passed as he watched three more Turks exit after them. Rude, Cissnei, and an older man named Drake pulled their coats tighter against the wind. As the group rounded a corner, entering a block of upscale wine bars, Rufus took off after them.

They continued well past the wine bars, unknowingly leading Rufus through a darker section of the top plate. After what felt like an eternity of walking, Rude, Cissnei, and Drake entered a bar on a neon-lit street corner. Penelope carried Reno in on her back, laughing at another elusive joke.

As Rufus passed through the heavy wooden door, his attention was drawn to a far back corner, near one end of the long bar. Drake was dodging shouts of requests as he scanned through an old jukebox. Locals had cleared the corner and watched the dynamic group over turned shoulders. Cissnei sat across a small round table from Rude; Reno and Penelope leaned against the bar.

An open seat beckoned the spying blond, and he sat at a table in the corner opposite that of his Turks. A stout waitress took his order, and quickly brought him a Stinger, abandoning him to his corner. Music blared throughout the bar, drawing Cissnei to dance with Drake while Rude watched on. Penelope leaned across the bar, talking to the bartender with a sly smile on her face. Rufus felt his brow unconsciously furrow at the sight of Reno watching her leaning figure so closely.

As songs played on, he began wondering whose birthday the group was celebrating. There had been no toasts, no cheers, no dedications. Instead, they mingled with each other and the surrounding barflies. He thanked the gods for his corner seat, having been unaware of the Turks' tendencies to pull strangers into their celebrations.

"Here alone, Sugar?" a high voice asked. He jumped, startled by the intrusion. Looking up, he found a young blonde woman looking down at him. She wore a dangerously short leather skirt and a red halter top that left little to the imagination.

"Yes. -No," he corrected, unsure of how to push her away. Honesty seemed the best option. He did not get the chance before she went on.

"I could use a drink. Mind if join you for a minute?" she asked, pulling out the chair opposite his own.

"I do, actually," he answered, keeping his head down. "I'm alone. I'd like to keep it that way."

She pulled back. "You might be in the wrong place for that, Sugar," she replied before sauntering away. His employees' conversation drew his attention again.

"Alright, terrorists attack HQ. You have to sacrifice one to save someone else. Who do you kill, who do you save?" Drake asked in a slur of excitement. Rufus could not hear Rude's answer, but cringed when it made the entire group laugh. His imagination was not forgiving.

"I would kill you to save Tseng," Cissnei answered confidently, pointing at Drake. He laughed.

"I'd expect that from you. All the women in Shinra want to 'save' him. I don't see the draw, myself." Penelope laughed from her perch at the bar next to Reno. She nudged her replacement to answer.

"Gods...I don't know. I guess I'd kill you to save Rufus," he told Penelope. A collective groan filled the corner. Rufus perked up, leaning forward to listen.

"No, guys, don't discourage him. I'm flattered that he takes the job so seriously. Granted, you're edging me out awfully early, but that must mean you love the work. It's clearly consuming your every thought," she told him, handing him a full shot glass. "Let's fix that."

Drake laughed, raising his own glass as Reno tipped his head back and downed the brassy liquid.

"What about you?" Penelope asked Drake. He thought carefully about his answer.

"Let's see...I'd give up Reno for Marx."

"Not fair," Reno countered. "You've worked with her for far longer. How do you know you should kill me before you even know me?" he called persuasively.

"I just have a feeling. Don't be upset you wasted your turn!" the older man called back.

Rufus sipped his drink, beginning to regret this trip. He sensed more jokes at his expense to come, and doubted he could stand to hear his own employees mercilessly roast him.

"Alright, Marx, what do you say?" Cissnei asked, swaying her head to the music blasting from the overhead speakers.

Rufus leaned further, straining to tune in to her voice. She shook her head, refusing to answer.

"You don't want to hear mine," she protested.

"Oh, come on," Cissnei pleaded playfully. "We'll understand..." Her tone suggested knowledge of an answer. Reno turned to face Penelope, intrigued by her refusal.

She cleared her throat and showed her teeth in a devilish smile. Rufus shivered.

"I'd kill any of you bastards to save myself."

The corner erupted in laughter. Rufus watcher her stand and whisper into Reno's ear before walking away toward the restroom. The redhead's smile faded drastically with her words; another shiver spread down Rufus's back. Just then, Rude raised his hand into the air and the group collectively turned toward the door with a cheer. Following their gazes, Rufus watched as Tseng coolly slid through the now-crowded bar toward his co-workers.

"The man of the hour!" Drake called, welcoming Tseng into the small party. Their leader gave a small smile and nodded to everyone who cheered for him.

"This was unnecessary. I don't celebrate my birthday," he told Drake.

"Let's be honest, Tseng," Drake started. His boss finished the thought.

"You don't really need a reason to be here."

They laughed and ordered the newest arrival a drink.

Moments later, Penelope returned, and pulled Tseng into a hug. The gesture positioned the man to face Rufus directly, causing the spying young man to quickly lower his head, hiding behind the brim of his hat. His face burned with the possibility of being identified. Suddenly, he was embarrassed at his intrusion. His legs itched to carry him back out onto the street. He did not belong, and he felt it. Standing now, however, meant drawing attention to himself. He swore under his breath, swallowed down a lump in his throat, and remained.

Drinks poured, vanished, and reappeared in a cyclical pattern in the hands of every Turk. Penelope forced Tseng into a dance, during which he removed her sunglasses to reveal a dark bruise around her left eye. The marking drew attention from all of her friends, including Rufus, who had not heard about the mission that earned her the injury. Reno inspected the bruise closely, going so far as to touch it. At the contact, Penelope's arm swung up and slapped Reno across the side of his head. Rufus laughed, drawing Reno's attention. Turquoise eyes narrowed at him, red hair falling over his shoulder as he lowered his head, trying to meet his charge's gaze. As Marx replaced her glasses, Reno turned back to the party.

Tseng stayed for an expectedly short period of time, and the whole group feigned disappointment when he bid his farewells. It seemed to Rufus that as soon as Tseng walked out the door, the music roared louder, pushing the remaining, original revellers into a heavy blaze of partying. The bar had become crowded with extroverts who did not mind watching Cissnei and Drake dance on the bar, or listen to Reno belt out decades-old rock anthems. Rufus remained on edge from his close encounter, and yet felt equally saddened that he had missed so many of these nights before. As more drinks vanished into the bloodstreams of the Turks, he seemed to sense the inevitable as it approached. By the time it happened, he was buzzed enough to prevent his cheeks from burning red.

The song blaring overhead was one of his favorites, though nobody but Penelope could have guessed, and she was too busy dancing with a tall, blond civilian to think about him. Reno had been left alone for a moment too long, and had begun to prowl the nearby tables. He landed his lax body in the seat directly opposite of Rufus.

"Come here often?" he asked, only slightly slurring the first two words. His eyes watched his own fingers grip his beer bottle instead of looking into the face of his current boss.

Rufus shook his head silently, hiding his eyes behind the hat he had pulled as low as possible. Reno's fingers released the tight grip on the bottle and spread out on the table before him.

"You meeting someone?" he asked. Rufus shook his head again, and braced for the moment of impact.

"You should come over to our side," the lanky man said, fluidly rising from the seat and sauntering back toward his co-workers. Over his shoulder he added, "We don't bite...hard."

"Yes we do! And in all the right places..." Penelope shouted in Rufus's direction, having only heard the tail end of Reno's beckon.

Rufus laughed at the words, guessing that the pair would be mortified if they knew the truth. His laugh was far too familiar for one pair of ears, though.

Penelope stopped dancing immediately, stepping coldly away from her disappointed partner, and stalking over to Rufus's corner. He stood no chance against her assault.

She tore the hat from his head, bending the brim in her fist. Her gasp pulled saliva into her throat, causing her to cough loudly. One by one, the rest of the Turks noticed the uninvited guest and fell silent, staring at the corner table like deer in headlights. Only Reno looked unsurprised.

"You...don't come out to these...types of...what the hell, Rufus?" Penelope demanded after catching her breath. She was angry, not for the risk that he had taken in coming out to the darker end of his city unprotected, but that his presence had extinguished the flame of the party.

His eyes stared only at the drink wrapped tightly in his hand.

"I have just as much of a right to go out as you do," he said coolly. The smoothness of his response was forced.

And in an instant, he was reminded why he cared so much for his former guard. She burst into laughter and pulled him up from his chair.

"Well, gods, don't sit over here by yourself. You're bringin' us down!" she joked loudly, officially welcoming him to the gathering. The rest of the group cheered as he crossed the floor, stepping into their upbeat realm.

Penelope sat him down at the center of the tables, in the middle of the party, and handed him a shot glass much like the ones she'd been feeding to Reno. Within seconds, everyone was raising a similar glass and toasting the humorously titled, "Coming Out," of Rufus Shinra. He did not care for the joke, but knew he had to submit to their humor if he wanted to stay.

At some point in the evening, Reno had gotten a hold of Rufus's hat, and wore it well. Rufus was admiring the accessory when it's new owner asked him to dance.

"Excuse me?" Rufus called back up at Reno's questioning face. He was sure the loud bassline had distorted the question. It had not. The white lights went down in the bar, replaced spinning reds and blues. The atmosphere shifted into a much larger party.

"This is a great song. It should not be wasted!" Reno called back.

"It should not be wasted!" Penelope echoed, already on her way to the center of the bar behind Rude, and Rufus knew he was missing another inside joke.

Reno, finished asking permission, grabbed Rufus's wrist and pulled him up from his seat, pushing him out onto the dance floor that had formed in the middle of the bar as patrons had pushed tables away.

"Stop! The train is riding down to the station where you lived when we were school kids..." Penelope and Rude sang to each other just as Rufus came upon them in the closely dancing bodies of Midgar revellers. He watched her surrender to the music, her eyes closing as her now-bare arms raised above her head. Rude did the same, but in the opposite direction, lowering his face to enjoy how the bass felt in his body.

The multiple drinks of the night loosened Rufus's muscles just enough for him to sway his head to the equally intoxicating beat. Penelope pressed her back into his chest, forcing him to take a more assertive role in his dancing to avoid falling over.

"My body tells me no, but I won't quit, 'cause I want more!" she shouted along with the song, her fist swinging at the air above her head. Rude pulled her into a swing-style spin, and Rufus watched, surprised at how well they danced together. As he stood in the center of the dance floor, two hands planted lightly on his hips. His stomach turned to butterflies, but his head fell instinctively back, landing on Reno's bony shoulder. The Turk pushed and pulled his waist into motion, and met little resistance.

Thin hands moved upward, and blue-clad arms encircled Rufus's torso. His nose just grazed the crook of Reno's neck, catching the dizzyingly enticing scent of sweat and aftershave. Enticing?

Rufus's head shot up as he pulled away from Reno in surprise. He reverted again to the safety of watching his friend, who now had Rude's arms wrapped around her stomach in a similar way. What the hell was this song?

"What was that? Did you fall asleep?" Reno joked into his ear. He spun around and came face to face with his bodyguard, glistening with a good time. His playful smile bared perfectly straight teeth that Rufus had not noticed before. He fell victim to the entrancing teal eyes.

"I don't know," he replied far too quietly for Reno to hear.

A wild dancer lost her balance behind him, slamming into his back and propelling him into Reno's chest. Reno laughed at his charge's expression, and kept grinning after Rufus continued the contact, closing his eyes again to sway to the song.

"It's okay for you to relax, you know. Nobody knows who you are, other than the fact that you're with us," Reno said, dipping his head slightly to speak directly into Rufus's ear.

"I don't care what these people think," Rufus bluffed. Reno laughed.

"Now you're just lying through your teeth," Reno replied, calling him out. Rufus shrugged, keeping his head down, and swaying rather closely to Reno.

"You like Marx, huh?" Reno pressed.

"What?" he shot back loudly.

Reno grinned. "You watch her like a hawk, man!"

"So do you," Rufus shot back, surprising himself with the observation he hadn't realized he'd made. Reno's eyes widened.

"Wow. Yeah, maybe I do. She's charismatic, I'll give her that. I stay close 'cause she's really my only friend so far, you know?"

Rufus flashed a smile at the coincidence, and leaned in to Reno's ear for the first time.

"Would you believe me if I said the same?"

The redhead pulled back and looked into the icy blue eyes for a moment. Then, he nodded.

"Yep, I believe it."

They both laughed and leaned closer into each other, happy to have dropped their female subject.

Reno turned his back on Rufus, initially causing a swell of sadness in the newcomer, until he realized the intent of the move. Cautiously, Rufus reached out, forcing himself to make the first contact. His hands gracelessly slid around Reno's waist, mimicking the older man's earlier moves. He pulled the slender body into his chest, and upon inhaling the trademark scent of Reno, felt immediately possessive. His arms wrapped slightly tighter, and Reno leaned into him in return. Red hair draped over his black shirt as Reno laid his head back on his shoulder, lowly singing the powerful song into his boss's neck.

"Is it my fault that the fallen embers burn down in a spiral...'round your crown of thieves?"

His hot breath sent a shiver down Rufus's spine. Shivers seemed to be the trend of the evening. He had no idea these people could have such an effect on him.

Penelope shouted out the song from atop the bar, stomping her boot. Reno and Rufus watched together as a bartender yanked her off of the bar, and laughed together as she fought her way back up, the crowd cheering at her success. As Rufus watched her jump back into the crowd, Reno gently sank his teeth into the base of his neck. The Turk was braced for a fight that did not come. Rufus had completely given in to the wildness of the night, and closed his eyes, enjoying the electricity now running through his veins.

Reno twisted back around to face him, the pair now the only two standing still in the middle of the wild crowd. Their equally cool eyes met, Rufus's hooded and hazy, Reno's intensely energetic. He did not waste his time.

Rufus could taste the spirits in the kiss, but did not mind. Thin fingers grabbed at his hair, lightly scratching his scalp as they pulled him in closer. He inhaled through his nose just as Reno exhaled, making him dizzy with lack of oxygen, among other things. His leg instinctively stepped back for balance, making Reno tower over him. It was not a familiar feeling, being at the mercy of another for air and stability. He prayed his knees would stop trembling as Reno pulled Rufus's lower lip in between his own, a smooth tongue dancing along its edge. Bodies bumped into each of them, and neither noticed.

When they finally separated, Rufus rested his head on Reno's chest, eliciting a chuckle. He breathed heavily through his nose as the room spun around him, the Turk's white shirt crumpled tightly in his fist. He turned his head back toward the bar and found a pair of knowing violet eyes just looking away from him. She nodded in agreement to Rude, and threw her head back in a laugh. They tipped dark green bottles toward one another just before Rufus looked back at Reno.

"So, how did you know where we were tonight?"

The question was unexpected. Rufus stiffened under the scrutiny, but said nothing.

"Follow us? An intricate plan of diversion, telling me you were staying home. Telling me to take off early so you could follow us? Some detective work, Sir."

Rufus became immediately defensive and stepped backward with a roll of his eyes. Reno sensed the irritation and closed the gap between them, smiling.

"Don't be embarrassed. I think it's pretty awesome. I mean, as long as you weren't planning on using your findings against us."

The corners of Rufus's lips curled upward.

"Never."

"Nah, I didn't think so."

Just then, a long arm wrapped around each of their shoulders. Penelope leaned against them lazily, her eyes watching the floor between their feet.

"So, I was thinking. This place is getting a little crowded, and I know of a really nice apartment that would be great for continuing the celebration...It's in Mid-Town, not far from the office, actually. But Shiva's nipples, it's cold outside. Do either of you know where we could get a vehicle large enough to take us all together? It was a long haul here," her eyes slid slowly up to meet Rufus's own, "remember?"

He met her sly smile with a smirk of his own. "I suppose something could be arranged. Don't get used to it. You're hardly worthy of this treatment on a regular basis."

"Understood," she said. She turned to Reno and raised her eyebrows once before slipping away just as smoothly as she had arrived.

"You shouldn't indulge them," Reno joked. "Give them an inch, they'll take a mile, and drag you on your ass the whole way."

Rufus couldn't help but laugh a bit as he typed a message into his phone. "Sounds like you've been hazed." Reno nodded with a grin and went on.

"I don't how they can take advantage of people so easily. Silver-tongued devils, all of them," he criticized fondly.

"You sound like you set yourself apart. You're not so different, Reno...Or you wouldn't be wearing that suit. Or, what is left of it," Rufus said, disapprovingly looking up and down the jacketless, wrinkled, half-unbuttoned shirt. "What a disgrace." The redhead laughed.


"Sooo nice of you to give us a ride, Sir," Cissnei slurred as she stepped in the black limousine behind Drake. Rufus feigned a smile from the rear-facing seat as Rude settled in a side bench seat. Reno slid quickly into the far back seat at Penelope's shoving. She snapped the door closed behind her and stumbled to the open place right next to Reno.

"Can we drive the city?" Cissnei asked excitedly. Drake gently slapped her leg with the back of his hand, as if to say, Time to be a professional...

Rufus raised his eyebrow and looked directly at Reno and Penelope. Reno turned to his seatmate, who simply raised her eyebrows in question at Rufus.

"Of course. Sure," he answered with acute uncertainty. "Take a scenic route to Mid-Town," he quickly commanded his chauffeur before closing the partition. When he looked back to the group, he found Rude adjusting the radio while Drake and Cissnei nuzzled one another's necks. Reno was listening to Penelope as she whispered lowly in his ear. Suddenly, even with the Turks enjoying his company vehicle, he felt out of the loop again. He sank back against his seat and chewed on his bottom lip. Reno belted out a laugh at some quiet punchline and crawled across the seats to grab one of the two bottles Drake held by their necks. The car filled with Rude's choice, and Penelope cheered.

"You never told us what happened to that punk that socked you," Cissnei called back to Penelope.

A notably dark smile spread across the other woman's lips as her eyes batted the question away innocently. Rufus felt a surge of new energy flow through him watching this response. He was surrounded and warmly embraced by a diverse team of trained killers. This knowledge was nothing new, but something about her obvious silence sent a thrill through the young man at knowing that these people would someday work for him and him alone. He felt drunk with power just knowing these people.

"What's behind the Cheshire Cat grin?" Drake asked Rufus, snapping him out of his thoughtful fog. His eyes widened; his head shook.

"Just enjoying the evening, I suppose."

"Lookin' awfully lonely up there on your throne," Penelope called, beckoning him to the back of the limousine. He smirked and shook his head. The music caught hold of the drunken backseaters, and they began slithering up to toward the front. Rufus could not suppress his grin at their dramatic approach. They literally had to crawl over each other to get to him.

Reno reached the front seat first, and sat down needlessly close to Rufus, their hips touching despite the width of the seat. Penelope settled for a place in the floor at Rufus's feet, and rested her head in his lap, facing away from him. He thoughtlessly wound his fingers through her hair.

Drake and Cissnei occupied one another toward the back of the car, and Rude seemed asleep behind his sunglasses, his head resting backward on the seat back. Reno sighed and leaned lazily against the thick leather seat, stretching his arms out to the sides, and coincidentally wrapping his left one around Rufus's shoulder in the process. The blond rolled his eyes and shook his head at the gesture, but his reaction was stopped short when Reno's fingernails drug lightly across the nape of his neck, sending a chill down his spine. He closed his eyes against the welcome sensation. The cushion shifting weight beneath him was his only warning of the coming nips at his neck.

Reno nibbled gently on Rufus's pulse point, rolling the smooth skin between his teeth, running his tongue across in feather-light lines. Rufus slid down the seat slightly, as though he were melting under Reno. The shift of his weight gave Penelope all the signal she needed to slide down into the long floor of the vehicle, swinging her arm over her eyes as her body lengthened. As she pulled away, Reno came closer, weaving his fingers into Rufus's thick blond hair. Rufus turned his head toward his attacker and looked up through hooded eyes.

"You're trouble," he breathed.

"That's why you came. You wanted trouble," Reno asserted, more than asked.

"Perhaps."

Reno nuzzled into the crook of his neck, his long fingers exploring his torso for the remainder of the drive.


"Are we partying here, or what?" Cissnei called, relying solely on Drake for her balance. Penelope spoke up as Rufus frowned up at his own apartment building.

"Si, you're a champ, but you better call it. You'll have a headache until Tuesday. Drake, I assume you'll get her home safely..."

The only answer was a nod, and the pair took off down the sidewalk, Cissnei chattering away in slurred disapproval. A black sports car pulled up to the curb and shut off its lights twenty feet away.

"I'm wiped. Well done, as usual," Rude said quietly, slapping Penelope on the back before disappearing around the corner.

"So, you're off, too, I assume?" Rufus asked his old guard.

"Well, you're home. And it's not my job to get you to your door. Hope you enjoyed yourself...Sir," she saluted coolly before turning on her heels and heading down the sidewalk. Reno led him to the entrance of the skyscraper and opened a large glass door. Instead of walking straight in, Rufus stopped short, watching over Reno's shoulder as Penelope slid into the black car. His eyes narrowed as it pulled away quickly, speeding down the empty streets, as he stepped inside.

Rufus struggled to fit his key into the keyhole of his penthouse. His hands were not responding sharply to his mental commands, thanks in part to the multiple spirits he had consumed, but mostly to the pair of teal eyes watching his every move. Long fingers closed around his hand as Reno pulled the key away, opening the door himself.

"There. I've done my job...even though you gave me the night off."

Rufus breathed deeply through his nose, catching a hint of Reno's aftershave that sent sparks through his spine. His eyes closed for longer than a blink, and when they reopened, Reno was inches from his face, a red eyebrow raised mischievously. Rufus pulled back in surprise, swiping his key from the other man's hand.

"You...could stay. On the couch, of course," Rufus offered quietly, his gaze suddenly shifted to his own hands. Reno grunted a laugh.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, crowding Rufus closer to the wall. "Are you sure you want this kind of trouble..." his lanky body pressed in against Rufus, and the younger man felt the heat radiating through his disheveled suit, "...prowling around your apartment..." his head dipped down into the crook of Rufus's neck, his words hot against Rufus's neck, "...so late at night? 'Cause rumor has it," his thigh pressed forward with just the right amount of pressure to confirm his suspicions, causing the breath to flee Rufus's lungs and blood to rush to his cheeks, "...your bodyguard is off duty."

"I can take care of myself," Rufus countered, his breath hitching as Reno put all of his weight into holding him against the wall.

"Well, in that case..." Reno pulled back, a devilish smile on his lips, "don't let me get in your way." A quick wink topped off the clever remark, and Reno turned toward the elevator.

Rufus extended his arm after Reno, watching regretfully as he walked away. Adrenaline flooded his senses as he made a last stitch effort to get the man to stay.

"I'll let you take care of me," he called after Reno, immediately chastising himself for the desperation of the remark. He shook his head, his cheeks now burning fiercely.

"Nah, I couldn't. I need my sleep. I'm working tomorrow." He stepped into the elevator and turned back toward Rufus, allowing a moment for his words to sink in. They did so quickly as Rufus recalled Reno's scheduled time off for the next day. If he was working, he was with Rufus...

Icy blue eyes looked back in surprise just in time to catch Reno flash a loaded arch of the eyebrow as the metal doors came to a close.