I've told some people that Association would be the next multichip to get updated, but being terrified of losing readers over my delays again and knowing that I'm likely to have delays with everything: I decided to post this instead. You guys are so amazing, you have no idea. I was half expecting to cop some abuse for waiting so long between chapters 8 and 9, and what did you guys do instead? Offer love and support. Seriously, you brought me to tears, so I just wanted to thank each and every one of you. *hugs and love*
This chapter's for lady-yuna7, for being awesome. :3 Aussies FTW! Kidding, I love you all. Aussie or not.
Warnings: See previous chapters, and uh… Rufus is a naughty boy… hahaha.
Conflictions- Chapter 10
Part one of Rufus Shinra's birthday, and the bash is all set to be one of the largest to hit Midgar. Just about every member of Shinra Inc. is present, and everybody's dressed to impress. Rufus himself is no exception.
--
Sephiroth strode down the hallway, his cell phone ringing with a familiar custom ringtone in his pocket. It did so several times, each one being left unanswered as he resisted the urge to let out a small groan. Thankfully the furrowing of his brows had left him a wide berth as he walked down the halls, many steering clear of the glittering emerald eyes as he headed for his office. He faltered momentarily as four SOLDIERs walked towards him, a familiar head of blonde hair protruding from the side of the group. Sephiroth kept a firm demeanor as he past, his eyes slipping away from the halls despite his best efforts however. They met baby blues as the SOLDIERs passed, and stayed connected even as the blonde began to turn the corner. Sephiroth bit back on a frustrated sigh then, as eye contact was lost and he was left to carry on down the halls with that impressionable gaze still in his mind. Cloud had looked at him just then with a sense of guilty remorse, but there had been no further sign of affection; no need, no desire, no want within the blonde's eyes. The General had truly lost him.
"There you are!" A cheerful voice snorted as Zack practically bounded out from Sephiroth's office, just as the General approached it.
"What were you doing in my office?" Sephiroth asked suspiciously, as Zack offered a cheeky grin.
"Raiding your underwear drawer for the recruits, clearly," Zack wiggled his eyebrows, and Sephiroth managed a small rolling of his eyes.
"What was the real reason?"
"Oh, I was looking for you. Rufus has been trying to call you all morning," Zack explained, offering a knowing smirk, "And for some odd reason, he couldn't get into contact with you."
Sephiroth pulled his cell phone from his pocket and tossed it over to his Colonel, as Zack's eyes widened briefly, a snort of amusement passing through his lips.
"Wow, eighteen missed calls," Zack nodded, "That's certainly…"
"Entirely un-necessary?"
"I was going to say obsessive, but okay, un-necessary works," Zack shrugged, tossing the phone back to the General as they stepped into his office.
"Almost two hours, he's been calling. Every ten minutes or so," Sephiroth groaned slightly, as the cell phone rang once again. Zack held out a hand for the phone and offered a reassuring smile, leading Sephiroth to hand it over.
"Yellow?" Zack grinned as he answered, Sephiroth watching with amusement as Zack gave him a wink.
"Oh, Vice President Sir! Sorry, I didn't realise it was you. No, I'm in the General's office. He's apparently left his cell phone here," Zack nodded to himself, "I'll tell him as soon as he's in, yes sir."
Zack hung up with a simple click, and the General offered as much of a grateful smile as he could muster in the current situation.
"I know, you love me," Zack teased, patting the General's shoulder before falling back into a desk chair, "The reason he's been calling is that he wants us in a little earlier for a meeting. You know, before the party gets underway. Which reminds me, are you going to pick up your version of that suit we're meant to wear?"
Sephiroth gave a small nod, ruffling through his desk drawers for the pick up slip. Zack raised a brow incredulously and shook his head.
"Seph, who in their right mind is going to ask for authentication regarding your order? Honestly…" The Colonel questioned, also choosing to rifle the drawers, pulling out a chocolate bar and eagerly unwrapping it without so much as a 'please'.
"Just wave your sword around a bit and they'll give you whatever you want," Zack grinned, chewing languidly, "Besides, if not, just talk to your little stalker friend and I'm sure he'll clear it up for you."
"You're happier than usual today," Sephiroth offered a small scowl, as Zack shrugged slightly, kicking his boots up to rest on the General's desk, "And you're far too daring."
Zack feigned hurt as he placed a hand over his chest and frowned.
"You don't like me happy?" The Colonel pouted, "I'm deeply hurt."
"You've been spending too much time with that Turk of yours," Sephiroth smirked, pushing Zack's boots to slide off of his desk, "I trust he's well."
Zack gave a cheeky, almost bashful smile, before offering Sephiroth a piece of his own chocolate, which the General took. Zack then offered a small frown, scratching the back of his head slightly as his gaze shifted from Sephiroth's.
"Heard much from Cloud lately?" The Colonel asked, as Sephiroth felt that uneasy wave wash over him once again. It must have shown, as Zack gave a panicked smile and waved his hands almost comically.
"Oh hey, don't worry too much about it, right? I was just wondering if everything was settled after that incident yesterday, you know? Did they let him off?" Zack smiled casually, seemingly making a subtle attempt at hiding his true intentions behind the statement. Sephiroth was no fool. Zack had initially asked if he'd heard from Cloud, not about him, but he let the moment slide.
"He's got some filing to do for Tuetsi as a punishment," Sephiroth nodded, "As I'm sure you aware, it's not so much of a punishment as a day out of regular duties."
Zack faltered slightly then, as a realisation seemingly hit him.
"Does that mean he won't be at the party?" The Colonel asked, as Sephiroth offered a nonchalant expression.
"I wouldn't know," The General replied, "That would depend on whether or not Tuetsi is in attendance."
"He'd have to be. It says that all of the executives are to be in attendance, on orders from the President himself," Zack nodded, offering a small smile, "We'll get to see him then, surely."
"You act as if this is a rare occurrence?" Sephiroth queried, as Zack gave a stiff shrug, standing and heading for the door.
"Well, lately it kind of has been," The Colonel murmured, before offering a devious smirk, "Let's go get your suit!"
Sephiroth gave a soft sigh of resignation, before standing and placing the piece of melting chocolate into his mouth.
…Gaia knows I need it…
--
Cloud frowned slightly, shifting slightly in his position on the floor as Reeve looked over his desk at him with a smile.
"Cheer up SOLDIER. We'll be out of here hopefully before the VP's little birthday bash starts," the man reassured, and Cloud plastered a half convincing smile on his face. The truth was that Cloud wasn't particularly bothered by that, so much as he was by the look he'd received earlier from Sephiroth whilst passing him in the halls. Emerald eyes had attempted to stare straight ahead, but Cloud had turned his own eyes when he felt Sephiroth's brushing along his skin. He'd held the General's gaze as he passed, offered an apologetic expression as green locked on to him with a sorrowed kind of longing that Cloud knew any one of his fellow SOLDIERs would love to have settled on them. Cloud couldn't understand it himself, how he'd suddenly felt so detached from the General. For longer than Cloud could even remember, he'd idolised Sephiroth. He'd always seen the General as being a God of sorts, in both skills, in power, in poise, and most definitely in beauty. Somewhere along the lines, he'd thought he maybe had a chance with him, when Cloud had made friends with Zack and saw Sephiroth on a more regular basis. He'd gone on missions with the First Class General, spent time with him in his office, gotten to know him as a person, and even managed to draw a few smiles from his otherwise stoic lips. But, Sephiroth hadn't really offered him anything in return. Cloud often felt as if Sephiroth was uncomfortable talking to him, as the General often seemed stuck for words, forcing conversations during the more quiet moments. In the end, Sephiroth had resorted to treating him exactly as he would any other SOLDIER of his rank and position. Cloud slipped a few of the papers he had held in his fingers into their designated folders, before biting back a sigh. He knew now, why Sephiroth had always acted as he did. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable, he was simply uncertain, if not a little bashful. Something about that thought was a little endearing, but it just wasn't enough. Cloud's thoughts strayed to Tseng, and any other doubts he had were obliterated.
Right from the start, Tseng had let it show through. He'd approached Cloud on many occassions, simply from his own free will. He'd courted Cloud, spoilt Cloud with his affections, and made it no secret just what it was that the blonde meant to him. Then there were the other Turks. Unlike the treatment Cloud had gotten off of most of the SOLDIERs in Shinra, the Turks were welcoming him with open arms. Reno looked out for him like an over-protective guard dog. Whether or not that had something to do with Zack's influence over the redhead was yet to be determined, but the point was that the Turks cared. Cloud smiled slightly as he recalled waking up this morning from a kiss planted against his forehead, Tseng shifting slightly as the Commander tried to slip out of bed without waking the blonde.
"Good morning, Tseng," Cloud had murmured, as the Turk had offered a warm smile, brushing blonde strands of hair back from his eyes. Cloud had smiled back, albeit a little shyly, and this seemed to only encourage Tseng's affections more. Tseng had then popped a few slices of bread into the toaster for both he and Cloud, before preparing some coffee for the two of them. Cloud had taken a seat at the table, opposite Tseng, and offered a sleepy smile through his yawn. Tseng picked up his newspaper and smiled at the blonde, whilst waiting for the coffee machine. It was then that Cloud had cleared his throat slightly and informed Tseng that he wanted to be a Turk.
Tseng had faltered, midway through turning a page, as he set the paper down and offered a serious expression in Cloud's direction.
"You're certain that's what you want?" Tseng asked firmly, and Cloud nodded, offering a small smile. Tseng returned the gesture, before standing and walking over to Cloud's position at the table, taking the blonde's hand and pulling him to stand up. Cloud had felt his cheeks warm, as Tseng slid fingers across his skin and up into his hair. Chocolate brown eyes flashed slightly, as a devious smirk crept along Tseng's lips, before he tugged blonde hair back slightly and dipped his mouth to drink from Cloud's slightly parted lips. Cloud rested his hands against the Commander's chest, before Tseng allowed his other hand to loop around the blonde's waist, pulling Cloud against him. Cloud knew then, that it was Tseng once again reiterating his claim to the blonde. Cloud had surrendered himself over in the final frontier, and Tseng was celebrating, as well as reassuring his victory.
"Are you alright, Cloud?" Reeve's voice interrupted the blonde's recollection, as Cloud turned hazed eyes to his supervisor.
"Hmm?"
"You zoned out a little bit," Reeve explained, "Are you alright?"
Cloud blushed slightly at the heated images arising in his mind then, as his thoughts continued to stray to Tseng lifting him up to sit on the table and pressing himself against the blonde.
…That is the difference between Tseng and Sephiroth…
Cloud offered a small nod, willing his perverted little thoughts of that morning's encounter to the back of his mind. That was the difference indeed, he thought, that he was only ever attracted to Sephiroth. Whilst an encounter of that sort may very well have been possible, the moments leading up to it would not have been. And it was, simply, because he loved Tseng and Tseng loved him in return. Cloud's stomach fluttered slightly at the thought, and suddenly the paperwork seemed a lot less mundane.
--
"Look at meeee, I'm made of wonderful! It's terrible!"
"Reno…"
"I'm all easy come and easy go, as far as you know!"
"For the love of Gaia..."
"But underneath man, I'm just killing time! I guess I'm passed my prime… and now I'm o-ver-rated, o-ver dressed and o-ver stated! Uh-WAIT!"
"Reno!" Tseng snapped, as the redhead gave a teasing wink, taking one of his headphones from his ear.
"Yeah boss?" The Turk asked sweetly, as Rude rubbed his temple from across the room, Tseng offering a stern glare solely on the redhead.
"Must you?"
"I'm feeling good, yo," Reno shrugged, "If you don't like the song, I can change it?"
Tseng gave a defeated sigh and stared absent mindedly at the paperwork he'd been trying to fill out for the past half hour. Each time he went to fill in a detail, his mind would stray to better and certainly more tempting thoughts.
Name.
Cloud Strife. It had been exotic from the start, in Tseng's mind. Country towns had always had a way of creating fresh identities to reflect their citizens, and Cloud had certainly been one of those.
Age.
Young. Very young. Legal however, and innocent in such a teasing, sultry kind of way. Tseng doubted Cloud even knew just how tempting he was. There were also the standard questions of hair colour, eye colour, height, weight, build… everything that had threatened to capture Tseng's attention to begin with. As he looked down at the next question however, he tapped his pen against his desk and smirked a little to himself. Not only was Cloud on his mind, but the look that Sephiroth's face would undoubtedly hold when the paperwork was handed to him.
Reason of transfer from Department of SOLDIER to Department of Administrative Research.
Tseng resisted the temptation to put down his first answer.
…Because he is mine…
Instead, he opted for a more fitting option of 'Chosen by Turk Commander as suitable candidate.'
He looked up as a shadow fell across his desk, and was met with a pale faced Reno, who snatched at the papers with wide eyes.
"Cloud?" The redhead frowned, eyebrows furrowing.
"Yes," Tseng replied shortly, snatching the papers back, as cyan eyes flashed, seemingly with panic.
"Shit man… Zack's gonna have a fucking fit, you know that right? He's gonna turn that right around and it's somehow gonna be my fault," The redhead murmured, running a hand through his hair as his frown deepened. Tseng gave a small frown of his own, well aware that both Sephiroth and Zack would not be entirely happy. However, it had been Cloud's decision that the blonde had reached on his own. Nobody had been more surprised than Tseng.
"It was Cloud's decision, as I'm sure he'll tell the Colonel and General also," Tseng nodded shortly, as Rude looked on in curiosity at Reno's sudden silence.
"So… he came over to the dark side after all, huh?" The redhead finally asked, shifting slightly on his feet. Tseng simply nodded, as Reno retired back to his desk and fell into his chair, slumping slightly as he shoved his earphones back in.
"That little blonde shit is gonna be the death of me…" He murmured, before turning his music up full blast.
--
A smirk crept along thin lips as a caterer popped a salmon biscuit into his waiting mouth. He chewed languidly, as his hair dresser trimmed the front of his bangs and clucked his tongue in an approving manner, brushing the last stray hairs off of the hair catching robe.
"Are we done?" Rufus asked dryly, seemingly horribly bored with the entire ordeal. The hairdresser gave a nod, before stepping back and allowing the Vice President to stand. Rufus brushed a few stray hairs from his shoulders, before the hairdresser held up a mirror, and Rufus ran his hands through the damp hair on his head.
"It looks great Vice President! Don't you think so?" The hairdresser cooed, seemingly very impressed with his own work.
"Are the biscuits to your liking, sir?" The caterer asked, as Rufus' secretary burst through the room waving around a final confirmation document for the bar tab set.
"Are you sure you wan to approve this, sir?!" She asked breathlessly, pushing her falling glasses back up the bridge of her nose, as Rufus let out a frustrated sigh.
"The hair looks fine, the food is fine, the bar tab is fine," The Vice President snapped, "Would it be possible to have fifteen minutes to myself for today, please?"
They all nodded hurriedly, murmuring apologies, as they headed for the door, closing it behind them. Rufus clicked the lock and raised a hand to his forehead. In all honesty, he didn't want anything to do with this party. The idea of having everyone fawning over him was far from his idea of enjoyment. The only real reason he had agreed to it was his father's suggestion to get Sephiroth involved. Rufus had gone from loathing over the idea to fawning over it himself. He let out a small smirk and moved to sit at his desk, pulling open his drawer and withdrawing the General's file. His eyes locked onto Sephiroth's photo, slightly damaged around the edges from where Rufus had constantly been pulling it from the folder, and hastily shoving it back when company unexpectedly arrived.
Blue eyes locked on to Emerald green, and the Vice President felt a stirring in his blood almost immediately.
…Teenage hormones…
Rufus quickly made himself believe otherwise, however, well aware of how many people would quite literally kill to have the opportunity to spend even a single night with the General. Yes, he was an outstandingly attractive man, and if Rufus was ever going to try and deny that, he may very well have lost his mind.
"Sephiroth," The Vice President let out a soft sigh, smirk growing along his lips, "You're so horribly reluctant to cave in to me…"
Rufus' mind strayed to the General's seemingly mortified expression at the suggestion of wearing a matching suit to Rufus'. He'd been careful though, and he'd made sure to give the request to all of the executives, and had even gone as far to include Zack in that group. In all honesty, it had been specifically to see Sephiroth in something other than that leather outfit he donned almost religiously. Whilst Rufus had no qualms about tight, clinging, revealing leather that left little to the imagination, something about the idea of Sephiroth in a suit left him near breathless. What the others weren't expecting, however, was that Rufus would not be coming dressed in his usual outfit. He'd opted instead for a different suit, this time in shades of silver and… black. He'd now be complimenting Sephiroth's appearance, whilst… complimenting Sephiroth's appearance. Rufus reclined in his chair and allowed his eyes to rove over Sephiroth's picture, emerald eyes gazing out as that slight smirk licked at perfectly kissable lips. His mind then trailed to how Sephiroth's voice rumbled slightly on the 'R' in his name, and how the Vice President had subtly coaxed it from him on many occassions, just to hear that sound roll across Sephiroth's tongue and through the General's chest. Rufus held his eyes on the photo, his eyes burning holes into the page, imagining that the almost sultry gaze coming from the General was directed solely at him.
Rufus flicked his gaze to the clock on his desk. Forty minutes until he had to leave for that Gaia forsaken party; it was more than enough time. He held down the button for his secretary, and spoke into the speaker as she answered with a "yes sir?"
"Don't let anybody in, and I'm not taking any calls," The Vice President said curtly, as she complied with the demand. Rufus let his eyes settle on the eyes smoldering at him through the photograph as his hand snaked its way down his over-sensitized body. The blonde let out a smirk, parting his lips slightly as his fingers reached their goal. His mind strayed to the day where he wouldn't need a picture to do this. He'd have the real thing soon enough. For now, he'd settle with his teasing strokes, that burning gaze through a photograph, and a heated whisper on his lips.
--
Zack smirked deviously as the redhead approached from the opposite direction and offered him a teasing wink. Reno's gaze lingered on him, as Zack's did on the redhead's, Zack dressed in a crisp white suit, and Reno in full Turk uniform, fully buttoned and tidied. As they passed each other, however, the only bodily contact was a brief brushing of their arms together. It was all Zack needed to send a spark of electricity through his body, but he disregarded it as he continued walking by with the Vice President.
"You two are surprisingly compatible," Rufus noted, as Zack gave a polite nod.
"Thank you, sir," Zack grinned charmingly, as Rufus offered a slight smile.
"I often wonder how it is that someone so… positive… worked their way into Shinra, Colonel," Rufus mused, and Zack faltered slightly, before continuing his steady pace.
"Uh, luck, I guess," The Colonel shrugged, as Rufus gave a knowing smirk. Zack gave a small frown, always a little uncomfortable with Rufus' simple yet intense statements. He couldn't help but eye off Rufus a little as they walked however, impressed with the birthday boy's outfit. He'd chosen black against his usual white, and it was bringing out those crystal blues incredibly well. The clothes had been tailored, as everything of Rufus' was, and it fit him quite snugly, showing off the lean frame of the blonde. Black slacks, a silver grey shirt, and a black tie were complimented nicely by a black suit jacket, complete with silver pinstripes. His hair was styled to spike up a little, but frayed out at the sides, and the blonde was seemingly eager and full of life, compared to his usually dull and somewhat bored gaze. Then Rufus was smiling softly to top it all off, and Zack had realised for the first time in his time spent with the man, that if Rufus Shinra put in the effort, he was quite the handsome man.
"Let's hope you're not the only one admiring me tonight, Colonel," Rufus' eyes lit up slightly with cunning amusement, as Zack scratched the back of his head awkwardly at being caught gazing.
As they passed an open door, Zack stilled slightly, as Tseng joined the Vice President's other side, rattling off instructions for the night ahead, as well as security procedures should anything go wrong. Zack offered a warm smile as Tseng finally acknowledged the Colonel, once Rufus had given a small nod of understanding.
"Colonel Fair," Tseng said smoothly, as Zack gave a nod.
"Commander. How are you?"
"Well thank you, and yourself? The new promotion not terribly difficult, I assume?" There was a teasing hint in Tseng's tone, and the Colonel laughed slightly.
"Not terribly," Zack grinned cheekily, "But it's certainly not any easier."
"And Reno?"
"Difficult as always," Zack teased, as Tseng gave a dry smirk. Zack let his gaze linger momentarily on the Commander, a white suit matching Zack's own clinging quite nicely to the Commander's form. Zack had never denied Tseng was quite charming, but he too was handsome in a whole different light tonight.
"That suit kinda suits you, Commander," Zack grinned, and Tseng almost blushed.
"Thank you for the flattery, Colonel," Tseng smiled, "You're looking quite handsome yourself. I'm sure Reno would be impressed."
"He was," Rufus drawled slightly, a smirk toying along his lips, "They were practically eye-fucking each other in the hall."
Tseng's jaw dropped open slightly at the vulgarities from the Vice President, whilst Zack's cheeks flared, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. That was certainly not what he'd expected.
"Vice President," Tseng chided slightly, as Rufus waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh please Tseng," The blonde snorted, "I'm not a child any more."
"Have you been drinking, sir?" Tseng frowned slightly, as a smirk crept along the blonde's lips, the Vice President bursting through the doors of the ballroom, a cheer rising up from those gathered there specifically for him. Zack gave a small smile to himself.
…The kid always knows how to make an entrance…
Zack's attention was then caught by the very same thing that had caught Rufus'. As another first for the night, Zack saw Rufus momentarily lose his cool, his cheeks flushing slightly, and his lips parting barely, before the Vice President seemingly swallowed down his emotions. Zack couldn't blame him. When his own eyes settled on Sephiroth, he was almost floored himself. The General was standing amongst a throng of admirers, all discussing different matters of business, as he stood at least a head taller than all of them, looking blatantly bored by the topics at hand. Sephiroth's hair was cascading like some kind of fluid silk down his back, a few bangs falling forward to frame pale skin, his lips darkened slightly by the red wine he was slowly sipping from his glass. The suit was tailored magnificently, clinging to his muscular frame and highlighting broad shoulders in a manner that couldn't help but draw attention to him. The creamy white jacket and dark black shirt, complimented with blood red tie was doing wonders for bringing out just about every desirable feature Sephiroth had on him. Zack almost felt guilty for settling his eyes on so many attractive males so early on, but he knew that Reno would be just short of dry-humping Sephiroth's leg later in he evening, if Sephiroth remained looking as he was now. Zack was then almost startled, as Sephiroth locked his eyes onto him and gave a small nod. The Colonel gave a grin and a wave, before Sephiroth's eyes turned to lock on Rufus, his eyes widening just fractionally as they settled on the Vice President, glittering with apparent interest over the rim of his glass. It seemed as if the General was having just as much trouble keeping his eyes off the Shinra heir as the rest of the room was.
…I swear to Gaia he just has a thing for blondes… Although… Sephy and Shinra?
Zack let out a small snort, and Tseng walked past him, smirking all the while.
"Hey Tseng?" Zack stopped the Commander, grabbing his arm as he passed.
"Mmm?"
"Is Cloud coming tonight?"
Tseng seemed momentarily surprised at the question, before giving a small nod.
"He'll arrive whenever Tuetsi does," Tseng paused, his eyes scanning the room briefly, "If they haven't arrived already."
Zack's own eyes scanned the room, before a blonde head of spikey hair bounded over to them, right on cue. Zack let out a laugh as his eyes settled on the over-excited expression of the blonde. Once again, Cloud was another dressed to impress, in black slacks, a white dress shirt, and a sky blue suit jacket. Tseng smiled warmly at him as he approached, and the blonde returned the favour, causing a momentary pause in Zack's chest.
…Gaia, they're both smitten…
He wondered briefly why he'd never seen just how deeply they were falling for each other, before Tseng took Cloud's elbow and gently steered him to mingle with the party guests, the blonde giving a warm smile and brief wave at Zack over his shoulder as he left. The Colonel let out a soft sigh, before he felt an arm abruptly loop around his waist and a hot breath against his ear.
"Feeling left out?" Reno smirked, as Zack pried himself from the redhead's grip, a smirk toying along his own lips. He wasn't as openly affectionate as the Turk was, who practically walked around his feet like a cat.
"Nah, just watching Cloud grow up a bit, I guess," Zack smiled softly, as the redhead frowned briefly. Zack gave a questioning gaze, but Reno shook his head, before his jaw basically dropped.
"Well fuck me, look at General tight-ass," Reno let out a low whistle, as Zack rolled his eyes and dragged the redhead by the wrist to the snacks table, cyan eyes leering at the General the entire way, just as Zack had predicted. He momentarily considered getting a leash for the redhead, before he remembered having done that once before, and his blood boiled. Reno turned his gaze to Zack's as the Colonel's skin physically heated, and he offered a flirtatious smile in the SOLDIER's direction. Zack almost cursed under his breath, but instead shoved a plate of snacks in the Turk's direction and started taking advantage of the free alcohol. He'd need it if he was going to make it through the night.
--
Cloud had stepped outside, smiling softly to himself as he looked out across the city from the balcony. Sure, he was a country boy at heart, but he really could appreciate the subtle beauty of the lights blinking and flashing at him from just about every direction. There were coloured clouds billowing from the reactor towers, all of which were working hard to provide the city with the power it needed for the night time light system. He'd often told himself he'd write home about these kinds of things, but by the time he got around to writing letters, such simplistic pleasures had often been washed away by bigger and seemingly more important things. Cloud took in a deep breath and leant against the railing, not bothering too much about dirtying his suit. The party was still going strong, but he was already growing tired, having spent most of his day listening to Reeve discuss trivial matters with him. When he let out his breath with a big sigh, there was a light laugh from behind him, as a hand rested on his waist, Tseng standing beside his with a gentle smile.
"That was a big one," He smirked a little teasingly, and the blonde blushed.
"Just thinking too much I guess," Cloud shrugged slightly, as Tseng finished his glass of chardonnay and set it down on the ledge.
"It's nice out tonight. Quite a sight, aren't they?" The Commander gestured, and Cloud gave a small nod.
"I was thinking something similar," The blonde admitted, before hesitantly resting his head against the Turk's shoulder. He wasn't sure how Tseng would react to public displays of affection at such events, but he was pleasantly surprised when Tseng's other arm wrapped around him and pulled him to rest against the Commander's chest, the man's smell intoxicating Cloud more than the slight quantity of alcohol he had ever could. He placed his arms around Tseng's waist and smiled slightly.
He felt Tseng's fingers slide up his back and neck to thread through his hair as the Turk's lips frowned against the top of his head.
…Frowned?
"Tseng?" Cloud hesitated, and the Turk let out a soft sigh.
"We won't be able to do this when you work for me," He murmured, and Cloud snorted slightly, seemingly catching the Commander off guard.
"I knew that," Cloud explained softly, "But that's okay. I think I can be a heck of a lot tougher than you think I can."
"Is that so?" Tseng teased, and the blonde snorted incredulously.
"Yes. I might play cute, but it's not always how I am," The blonde teased back, daringly sliding his hands down the Commander's back to caress lightly at Tseng's backside. The Turk smirked against the top of Cloud's head, and the blonde snorted as Tseng placed a kiss where his mouth rested.
"I know. You can be quite mischievous when you want to be," The Turk agreed, "You may not want to hear this, but you remind me a lot of Reno when he first started."
"Really?" Cloud asked, raising his eyes to meet Tseng's who was smiling softly.
"He was very quiet due to a quite distressing childhood, and if it wasn't for Zack, he may very well have stayed in his shell," Tseng nodded, and Cloud rested his head against Tseng's chest once again. The blonde turned to gaze across the city and offered a somewhat shy smile as he listened to Tseng's heart thrumming in his chest. The sound had become somewhat familiar to him, as he'd suffered through a variety of personal anguishes, and he realised that the very sound of Tseng's heartbeat had become like a sedative to him. He swayed slightly, as the music inside turned a little softer, and he let out an amused sigh.
"Maybe you could do the same for me," Cloud teased, as Tseng's grip tightened slightly.
Had Cloud raised his head from Tseng's chest, he may very well have seen the Commander's eyes drift close as he spoke his next words.
"I hope so, Cloud. I really do."
--
A/N: Ah the FLUFF.Rufus' birthday continues next chapter. xD The song Reno's singing to piss off Tseng is "Wonderful" by Rob Thomas. Any time I hear it, I think of Reno. I consider it his 'theme song'. Hahaha. Also, think of the executive's white suits as kinda like the Night Class uniform from Vampire Knight. I swear you'll fangasm. Hot.
Only like, three chapters left now. Shit, hey? Another multi-chap nearly slaughtered. No sequel for this, I'll tell you right now. Sorry. Kisses and love!