A/N: Warnings for sexual content.
Surprisingly, things returned to normal. At least, normal concerning Reno and Rude. Their relationship was the easy camaraderie it had once been, only with the knowledge that what they felt for each other was more than friendship and kissing. The kissing part only happened outside of work—much to Reno's irritation (though not his surprise) Rude refused to so much as touch him in any way that could not be considered platonic when they were on the job. "It's unprofessional," the big Turk would grumble whenever Reno would try, slapping his hand away.
Two weeks had passed, and they were still guarding Rufus around the clock, even though there had barely been a peep from SOLDIER-X. Tseng was convinced they were still after Rufus, and the other Turks were inclined to agree. SOLDIERs had never been known to give up before. Rude and Reno had tortured Leventhal to the brink of insanity and he was either extraordinarily strong-willed (unlikely) or he didn't know where the group was hiding out. For the moment, they were dead in the water.
Reno was thinking about this as he was spending yet another night checking the exits of Rufus's safehouse, bored out of his mind. "You think we'll ever find these guys?" he asked Rude idly, making sure the upstairs windows were locked. Rufus was still in his study working, his face gray with exhaustion, so the Turks kept their voices down and stayed out of his way.
"Eventually," Rude grunted, hands in his pockets. They finished their round and went back downstairs quietly, settling on the couch. An all-clear text came in from Cissnei, who was part of the group guarding the outside perimeter.
"We can't keep this up for much longer," Reno pointed out. "Lookit everyone; we're all wiped. If we go up against someone with SOLDIER strength like this, we'll get slaughtered."
"Tseng's doing what he can. What other option is there?" Secretly, Rude thought Reno might be right. They were already stretched thin, and if SOLDIER-X figured out where Rufus was staying, there wouldn't be much they could do to stop them from killing the young president. Weeks of taking back roads and alternate routes to work and home had started to set his teeth on edge in a way he was unfamiliar with. Generally, Rude was slow to anger—it was part of what made him a successful Turk—but the last couple of weeks he'd been running on minimal sleep, as had all of them. Tseng had nearly lost it when he had heard of the physical fight Rude and Reno had gotten into when they were on duty, and only Elena's soothing had gotten him to calm down. Thankfully, they'd gotten away with only a reprimand and pay cuts. Something had to give soon.
Reno leaned back, closing his eyes briefly, and Rude let himself admire the way the redhead looked, even with dark circles under his ginger lashes. "What time is it?" Reno asked, eyes still closed.
Rude checked his watch. "Almost one."
Reno groaned. "I'm sick of the night shift. I'm nocturnal now. I'm a fucking bat."
"You're way sexier than a bat," Rude said, before he could stop himself, and Reno opened one eye, grinning at him.
"You think so?" he purred.
Rude grumbled to himself, sinking lower on the couch. "You don't need me to stroke your ego," he said grumpily.
"No, but you could stroke someth—"
"Stop," Rude groaned, covering his face with his hands. "We're on a job."
"We're always on a job now," Reno said peevishly. "I'm gettin' blue balls here, Rude, and it's all Tseng's fault. Ain't got energy enough to do nothing but eat and sleep when I get off work, even if Reno Junior here wants other stuff."
Rude rolled his eyes at his partner's crudeness, but again, felt as though there was plenty of truth in the redhead's words. It hadn't been as bad, depriving himself of sexual contact when he was just pining after Reno and didn't think there was any reciprocation. Now, his groin seemed to be letting him know that his life of celibacy was not going to be an option for much longer. "It can't last forever," he told Reno. "Tseng's been working around the clock. He'll find something soon."
"He better," Reno muttered.
By a stroke of luck, Tseng called as they were heading home.
"The group of seven Turks who were in Wutai the past month have returned, so we're easing back a little now that we have more manpower," the director was saying to Reno, who almost moaned in relief.
"Does that mean we get the day off?" he asked tentatively, still a little wary of Tseng's mood.
Tseng sighed through the line. "Take tomorrow off, and come into headquarters the next day."
"You got it, boss. Hey, you get some rest too, yeah?" Reno hung up. "We got tomorrow off," he told Rude as they wearily walked up the stairs in their building. "You mind if I crash in your bed?"
"Of course not." Rude thought it amusing how Reno was still so very careful to ask each time he spent the night—which had been nearly every night, lately—as though he was scared he was being too forward, which was fairly incongruous with Reno's personality.
They fell into bed, exhausted, the two weeks of tiredness catching up all at once. Reno curled into Rude's large body, and the big Turk put an arm around him before they were both snoring gently.
Rude woke with a gasp. He was unsure if a dream or something else had forced him from sleep, but before he could wrap his mind around anything, a wave of pleasure coursed through him, stealing his breath and making his toes curl.
"Wha—" The last of the sleep finally cleared from his brain and he opened his eyes, making out a river of red hair draped across his lower belly, attached to Reno's head, which was bobbing between his legs. "Oh, Shiva," Rude choked out, his abdominal muscles tensing sharply in pleasure. Reno's clever tongue was stroking along the underside of his cock playfully, making him squirm and thrust up, and Reno's strong hand was resting on his hip, holding him down. Rude was already embarrassingly close to the edge, and the sight of Reno's pretty lips around him didn't help any. His partner shot him a wicked glance with one aqua eye, and the hand not on Rude's hip came up to tease him, feathering a light touch over his balls before pressing in slightly on the area just behind them, still sucking hard with his mouth. Rude felt his back arching, moans tearing from his mouth as his hands shot to Reno's head, fisting hard in his red hair, and like a barreling freight train, the first orgasm he'd had with another person in over ten years crashed over him. His vision flashed white, and Rude, gasping with the intensity of the pleasure pulled from him, relaxed his grip on his lover's hair in favor of the boneless calm that followed.
Reno sucked him dry, licking him one last time as Rude winced from the overstimulation. The redhead crawled his way up his body to nuzzle Rude's cheek like a cat. Still panting, Rude tangled his fingers in Reno's hair, stroking until his partner was nearly purring. It was all the motion he could manage at the moment, and Reno seemed pleased with it, but Rude could feel him hot and hard through his boxers against his side.
"That was unexpected," Rude murmured when he was able to talk.
Reno hummed a little, nibbling at his ear. "Good unexpected?"
"Obviously."
Reno grinned at him. "I woke up first for once and you were still snorin' away, big guy. Thought I'd fix it."
Rather than talk, Rude turned on his side to face Reno. The kiss started out gentle and sweet, and Rude ran a hand over the redhead's scarred chest, thumbing his nipples and drawing designs on his muscled stomach. Reno moaned into his mouth, pressing his groin closer, his kisses growing more frantic. Rude dipped two fingers beneath his waistband, his mouth curving in a smirk when Reno made a frustrated noise.
"Never…oh gods…pegged you for a tease, partner," he gasped out, throwing his head back as Rude's calloused hand wrapped around his aching length. The bigger Turk took advantage of the white neck exposed to him and leaned in to lick it. He was careful to listen for any signs of a panic attack, mindful as always of how sensitive Reno was about his neck, but there were only good sounds now though as his hand slowly started to move in long, smooth strokes over Reno's erection. Rude's teeth found a spot between Reno's ear and jaw that had the redhead jerking against him, his hands clutching at Rude's muscled arms as curses spilled from his mouth. "Fuck," Reno moaned as Rude's hand started moving faster, and one of the redhead's legs curled around Rude's, pressing them tighter together and making it difficult for Rude to continue stroking him. Rude rolled him on his back to gain better access, maneuvering his larger body over Reno's and continuing his assault on his partner's neck.
Reno's hands were scrabbling at Rude's back and the sheets, his body arching and twisting, writhing under his lover. Rude silently marveled at his sensitivity, rubbing his thumb over the head of his erection, spreading the fluid that gathered there.
"Son of a bitch," Reno cursed, his fingers digging into Rude's biceps. "Fuck, Rude, I'm so close," he whimpered, his hips moving jerkily in time with Rude's steady hand, and Rude kissed him full on the lips, muffling his cries with his tongue as Reno came hard, soaking his boxers and Rude's hand.
Rude tugged his hand free from Reno's wet boxers and wiped it on the sheets, staring down at Reno's blissed out expression. The redhead's head was leaned back with his eyes closed, lips slightly parted as he tried to regain his breath. Rude rolled back on his side and started to finger-comb Reno's hair with his clean hand again.
"What time is it?" Reno asked lazily, eyes still closed, leaning into his lover's touch.
"About four in the afternoon," Rude replied.
Reno groaned. "Tseng says we gotta go in tomorrow at the regular time. I could sleep for another two days though, man."
Rude stretched, sitting up. "We should at least eat something." He ran a hand over Reno's lean torso, feeling his sharp ribs under his skin. "You especially."
"Aww, ya worried about my health, partner?" Reno crooned in a falsetto, fluttering his eyelashes, and Rude hit him lightly over the head.
"Not anymore," he muttered, pulling on a new pair of boxers and his pants. He looked over at Reno, who was squirming out of his wet boxers.
"Gross," the redhead muttered. "Gimme a pair of boxers, partner."
"They'll just fall off your skinny ass," Rude objected, but he tossed him a pair anyways.
"Damn," Reno sighed as Rude was proven right. "I'll just go commando." He pulled on his pants from the day before and tied back his long hair.
They relocated to Rude's couch and ordered food, as per their usual routine when they had time off, which hadn't been often lately. Reno was taking up most of the couch space, his head in Rude's lap as they watched the news.
"It's weird not seeing reports of people dying," Reno commented, and Rude grunted in agreement, running his fingers through his partner's hair.
"We don't stop the ex-SOLDIERs and that might change," Rude pointed out, and Reno sighed.
"I can't fuckin' get used to bein' a good guy."
"We'll never be like Strife, that's for sure."
"Well, yeah. He's a real hero. Ain't like us." Reno shifted to stare up at the ceiling. "Wouldn't care so much about being good if the fucking guilt would lift."
Rude nodded. He knew about guilt. "Bet the president feels it pretty hard, even if he doesn't show it," he said.
Reno sighed again. "Rufus is tougher than all his Turks combined," he said with a grin. "He ain't our president for nothing."
