"Sir…"

Rufus knew what was coming even before anything was said. He was honestly surprised it had taken this long to get around to it. "Yes, Tseng?" he replied calmly. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror and he could see the disapproval in the dark gaze.

"Was any of that a wise idea?"

He didn't say anything immediately, mostly because he had the same misgivings that his Turks had. Reno, who was currently smashed against his right side in the back seat, had had a hard time keeping his voice down and he'd not shut up during the entire drive down to the Sector 7 slums. Rude, on Rufus' left as they acted like a buffer zone, didn't have to say anything. His disapproving silence was quite clear.

"Possibly not," he acknowledged.

"Are you really going to let Hojo die?" Elena asked after a minute from her position in the front passenger seat. As always, she sounded nervous when she spoke to him.

Rufus grimaced just a little. "I'd rather not, truth be told. As I said, he is an exceptionally gifted scientist even if he lacks morals of any kind and finding a replacement will not be easy. I'm not even sure if there is someone that is up to his caliber."

"Then why did you agree, sir?"

"Should I say no and lose the cooperation of those I need to complete my goals?" He shifted a little, uncomfortable being trapped between Rude and Reno, but there was little room to move to. "Besides, I have no doubt that Hojo has a limited life expectancy even if I didn't agree, so it's best to wholeheartedly embrace it and gain trust than to ignore it. And is this really necessary, Tseng?"

Tseng gave him a look, just a glance, in the rearview mirror again and while no expression crossed his face, Rufus couldn't help but think that his current seating arrangements were on purpose. He wouldn't put it past the Wutaian to pull some passive-aggressive revenge for doing something that he considered monumentally risky. "What are you referring to, sir?"

"Why am I sitting between Reno and Rude like this? The windows are bulletproof."

Was that the ghost of a smirk, or his eyes playing tricks on him? Must be his eyes because Tseng never smirked. "The windows may be bulletproof, but if someone wanted to, they could attempt to crash into the car with another vehicle. If that happens, then it would be Reno or Rude injured or killed instead of you. Preferably Reno."

"Hey!" the redhead protested, but there was a curl of his lip that said he wasn't really angry or annoyed at the slight tease. Even Rude snorted a little in amusement.

"You know, I can always have you killed," he muttered, crossing his arms.

"Of course, sir," was the calm reply, not seeming at all bothered because he knew that Rufus wouldn't do that no matter how he might threaten. "It would be an honor to die at your order. However, that does not change the fact that you did something very reckless by going to the slums to confront Valentine and Highwind, not to mention entering when Sephiroth, Strife, and Fair were in the church. Sir."

"Might I point out that all of you were there with me the entire time?" he argued with a frown.

"Only because I insisted on it when you said you were going. Just bringing Reno with you would not be enough, not in that kind of situation." Rufus watched as, just a little, Tseng's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "On top of that, despite the fact that there were four of us there, you left our protection to walk right into their midst. At the distance between us, and with so many there, had they decided to attack, you would be dead right now."

"I knew they wouldn't."

"What made you so sure, sir?"

His gaze turned to Elena at her hesitant question. "Because they're not idiots, particularly Sephiroth. If their story is true, and at this point I have little reason to doubt it, they can't do what they want to do without me. Not only can I allow greater freedom for them, I can help them in other ways. I'm sure there will be situations in the future when something other than brute force will be required."

"You mean the Turks?"

"Exactly. Without me on their side, the Turks will do absolutely nothing to help, but worse than that is that without siding with me, every Turk is actually a potential threat. Anything overheard or seen being reported to people who shouldn't hear about it. He knew that it was in his best interests to become allies." Rufus tapped his chin as he thought. "There is also the matter of Cloud Strife."

"You mean about their relationship?" Reno asked, shifting his hips and bracing his elbow against the closed window of the door. This had the effect of pressing his thigh against Rufus' and he shot him an unhappy look. It was hot enough back there with the two of them as it was without adding to it, particularly since Tseng had forbidden them from lowering the windows even a little. More passive-aggressive revenge?

"Yes. Sephiroth is lucky that it was Tseng who noticed and brought the video footage to me instead of my father. Even to keep him happy, he won't allow that sort of thing. He relented to Sephiroth's threatening over Zack Fair's 'liberties', but do you honestly see him accepting Sephiroth having a lover? That would mean allowing someone an even greater amount of influence over the dear General. He'd either have Strife disposed of or, perhaps worse, give him to Hojo. Sephiroth is smart enough to know that, by now, after all this time, someone had to have noticed given all the security cameras and that someone is keeping that secret. Then there is also the matter of that fantastical tale of his."

Rufus smirked at his Turks, still feeling pleased over the outcome of the discussion in the church. "I find it hard to believe that Strife's information regarding myself in this alternate future didn't play a part. Several near-death experiences or not," There was a faint hitch in the smooth ride of the car, just a twitch, showed what Tseng's thoughts about that were, "my actions in this supposed crisis clearly show that I am far less heartless than my father."

"You really thought all that through, huh?" Reno commented lazily.

"Of course," Rufus replied, a tad annoyed that Reno assumed he was going down there without a plan. "I had intended to at least bring up the video evidence of their relationship to convince Sephiroth to ally with me at some point, but it was a pleasant surprise instead to see him in the slums instead. I have a lot of information that would be of a great detriment to him if he became my enemy."

"What made you think he just wouldn't kill you if you're that much ahead?"

"Because, Reno, I allowed him to have a weakness of mine. I'm just as much at risk to him since I know that all he would have to do is go to my father and state that I am conspiring against him, and I will be killed. By allowing this amount of control in return, it makes it seem as if we are equal."

"Damn am I glad that I'm on your side."

He laughed at Reno's almost-awed statement. "Yes, you should be."

They pulled into the parking lot reserved for high ranking officials and Rufus sighed when Rude exited, allowing the cool breeze to flow into the cramped car. The taller, silent man helped him out despite the fact that he didn't really need it. It was just something that they did, these Turks, helping him when he didn't really need it. They were a tight-knit group, even though they had to take great pains to not seem so when it could get back to his father. Anything that could be considered a weakness the old man would exploit, and Rufus didn't want to give him any advantage. The last thing he wanted was to lose one of these Turks, particularly Tseng, to a war between father and son.

"One of these days, I'm gonna live in that building," Reno commented, gesturing to the expensive and high tech building that housed the most important people, including himself and the General.

"If you want to live there, then you should work on your ass-kissing," Rufus told him with a smirk.

"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" Reno replied with a grin and dropped down on one knee, seeming to eye Rufus' ass. Before anyone could say anything, Rufus had definitely not meant it like that, Rude bopped him on the head lightly with a fist and yanked him back up. Trust Reno to take a joke too far.

"You know, Reno," Rufus commented, trying to suppress a laugh, "sometimes I wonder how you managed to live this long."

The red-haired Turk laughed. "You and the rest world! Night, Boss!"

He waved at them in dismissal, turning to head inside the building when he noticed that Tseng had yet to leave. "Something else, Tseng?"

Those beautiful features were marred with a frown. "Yes there is, but I would rather not speak of it in an open area like this, sir."

Rufus shrugged and allowed the Turk to follow him all the way up to the highest floor. Only Sephiroth's quarters rivaled his own, or so he was told. He'd never actually been in the General's rooms. Inside was a marvel of technology, kept clean thanks to a maid service. There was a fully stocked bar, soft carpeting, a luscious bedroom, and a lot more that would make most people drool at. One of his favorite places to be was the expansive balcony.

It was just as he was shrugging off his white coat that strong hands grabbed him and all but threw him against the wall. "Tseng?" he asked, taken by surprise but not afraid.

"Permission to speak freely, sir." It was not exactly a question or a request, Rufus noted, looking down at the grip Tseng had on him.

"Fine, say your peace."

"Sir, that was the most ridiculous thing you have ever done." Tseng's voice was angry, fervent, and low. The Wutaian never yelled; he never had to. The intensity there was more than enough to get his point across. "Once the situation changed, once you saw the General and his SOLDIERs enter, you should have reevaluated your plan. Going into that church jeopardized not only your goals, but your very life!"

Rufus knew that this was nowhere near over, so he merely stood there without struggling, staring into those dark eyes as the Wutaian continued. It was so easy for him to get lost in that gaze and that hadn't changed over the years that he'd known the Turk, as far back as when Tseng had just joined and he'd been a child. Thinking back on it now, he could remember that just around the time he'd turned fifteen, things had changed between them. There'd always a silent understanding regarding their mutual attraction that had, at first, been entirely physical. They had never dared touch casually too much because neither wanted to tempt the control it took to reign in those feelings.

"Do you understand, sir?" Tseng finished in a murmur, leaning in closer as if he couldn't help but be drawn like a moth to a flame.

To be honest, Rufus couldn't really reply when those lips were inches from his own. That stalemate, the unstated understanding of why they could not touch, had been broken all those months ago. He didn't honestly remember what he had said to set the Turk off, but whatever it was must have been bad because in an instant, he had found himself being thrown into a supply closet and pinned. Even then, he hadn't felt fear as a gloved hand had dove into his pants. The touch had been expert, enough that he'd not had that powerful an orgasm for such a long while.

And it only happened once. He wasn't sure if it was because they had been caught near the end by the startled, sapphire eyes of Cloud Strife, or if Tseng realized he'd lost control and was determined to not do it again. In the end, it didn't matter, Rufus decided as suddenly they were so close they were breathing each other's air. Once they had touched in that way, it was impossible to go back to the way it was.

"Tseng," he murmured, reaching up and grabbing that tie.

"Yes, sir?"

"You'd better fucking kiss me right now or I swear to Gaia—"

He never got to finish that sentence because his order was followed through. It was barely controlled, as if Tseng was doing everything he could to prevent the passion from exploding and yet it wasn't enough. Well, he couldn't have that! Rufus stepped forward, making Tseng step back, and he threw out his foot to unbalance the Turk. They landed harshly on the floor and the blue-eyed man claimed that lap as his own. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, almost conversationally.

"What—"

"Who said you could hold back?"

"Sir, we really shouldn't—"

This time it was Rufus who shut Tseng up. When his tongue tempted the Wutaian's, Tseng's hands grabbed his hips in a death grip. Damn the man had some incredible control. As Rufus' hands ran along those arms and chest, he could feel the muscles coiled, as if it was doing everything he could to not dominate him. There was something about knowing this, about knowing that Tseng was nowhere near as subservient as people thought he was, that turned Rufus on. He knew very well that the Wutaian, despite being a Turk, came to heel only because he wanted to. He had a stubborn streak, and an even larger pride. He knew, right at that moment, that if he took Tseng as his lover, they would be equals outside of work.

Oddly enough, he was all right with that. Rufus respected Tseng more than anyone else he'd ever met. There was power inside him, both physical and mental. He was shrewd, unbelievably smart, and loyal. What Sephiroth was for SOLDIER, Tseng was for the Turks. Tseng neither bowed nor scraped to him like other people, but nor was he disrespectful either.

"Sir," Tseng gasped at the end of the kiss, eyes half-lidded with desire.

"Yes?" he murmured, pressing their hips together.

The effect the action had was not something he expected. Instead of groaning and the situation progressing, Tseng almost threw him off and stood. He fixed his tie and seemed as if nothing had happened, but Rufus could see his fingers were shaking. "Tseng?"

"No, sir."

"What?" he stuttered, a little stunned that he was being denied. No one had ever told him no before in this situation, particularly when it was very clear that the desire was mutual.

"It's too risky right now. When you become president, then—"

"Are you fucking serious?" Rufus demanded bluntly, blaming Reno for having a very bad influence on his language.

"Yes, I am. I will not put you further at risk just to satisfy our physical desires. We've waited this long, we can wait a little longer.

So Tseng was aware of all that was unsaid. "If you think I'm waiting until I'm president, you're dead wrong. I'll get you in bed long before then."

Rufus blinked when Tseng turned to him and a smirk touched those stoic lips. So Tseng did know how to smirk, the bastard! "I'm looking forward to your seduction then. Let's see if you succeed. Good night, sir."

The vice-president could only sit there on the floor and as the door closed behind an infuriating Turk.