A/N: I have to say something before anyone goes off and reads this. THIS STORY IS NOT SLASH!!! The Rude I write has a long and complicated back story with Rufus and I haven't finished writing it yet, and so please take this for what I mean it to be for - a close friendship. Salvatana is again used for their Christmas - for an explanation of Salvatana, I think you can find it on A Sprig of Mistletoe. Thanks!
Just getting through the door to the main Shinra headquarters before the wind blew him over, Rude breathed the warm air of the building deeply, taking in the familiar scent of coffee, pine, and copper of the building. Not even needing to look at the directory, he knew exactly where the office he needed was. Taking off his gloves and shoving them into his pockets, he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the 34th floor. The elevator hesitated.
Please enter security card level Alpha R-dash-oh-nine-two, it requested politely. Rude slipped a small red card into a slot it provided and it thought about that for a moment. Access confirmed. Thank you, Rude. You may remove your card at this time. Rude jerked out the key and pocketed it. The machine brought him up to the floor and opened a door, revealing a short hallway leading to a door. Three quick raps on the door gave anyone inside the signal that he was there. After a moment, a response came.
"Come in." The voice was tired, uncaring. Rude smirked and walked in, removing his sunglasses in the process.
"It's Salvatana Eve and you're still working? Isn't the President against having his son working on the holidays?" The blonde and half-asleep vice president raised his head from the desk to look at Rude with one open eye.
"You think my father cares where I am?" Rude took off his coat, hat, and scarf, threw them onto a chair, took a seat on the couch next to the desk, kicked off his shoes, and put one foot on the floor and one on the couch.
"Yes, but it doesn't surprise me at all that he doesn't mind that you're here." Rufus scoffed and sat up slowly, staring at the paperwork that he'd fallen asleep on angrily, as if it was their fault that he'd fallen asleep.
"My father doesn't give a shit about me. He cares about his Gil and his whores and that's about it." He looked back at Rude. "He never spends any time with Mom anymore. It's like she doesn't exist, until she's not where she's supposed to be. Then he treats her…well, like he treats me. Like, he can have whores but she can't even look at another guy and smile." Rude nodded as Rufus looked back down.
"Your mother is a fine woman." Rufus said nothing for a moment, but then leaned back, looking at Rude.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rude smirked.
"I've met your mother and I like her." Rufus gave Rude an odd look but that burst out laughing.
"Now I remember why I've kept you around for so long, Rude. You're hysterical."
"I'm glad I amuse you, sir." Rufus glared at Rude.
"Now it's just us in the entire building, Rude. What's the point in calling me sir? Please…after all these years, just call me Rufus." Rude nodded.
"It's just habit…living a dual life can do that." Rufus sighed and stood up, sitting down on the couch and leaning onto Rude's chest.
"Does it really feel like such a double life?" Rude nodded and shifted his arm so that Rufus' head was resting more comfortably on it.
"You didn't want any of the other Turks to know about the animosity between your father and you, and therefore if I said that I was your bodyguard, they'd ask who I was protecting you from." Rude looked at himself, with Rufus lying on him. "Of course, if Reno saw us or even thought of us in a bedroom simultaneously, he'd assume we were homosexual." Rufus smirked.
"Yeah…" Suddenly he sat up. "You don't care if I do this, do you? I just realized I've never asked you…"
"Rufus, you do everything you've ever done to make you comfortable. If you feel better lying on my chest, then so be it. My job is to make you feel better…no matter when that is." Rufus lay back down and didn't say anything for a moment.
"Are you gay?" Rude chuckled.
"No." There was a pause. "Does Dawn care that you spend so much time with another man?" Rufus laughed at the mention of his secret girlfriend – secret because his father didn't approve of her, and therefore couldn't know about her.
"No." There was another pause. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"The Turks aren't allowed to become attached to anyone."
"That doesn't answer the question, Rude." Rude chuckled again.
"No, I don't." Rufus looked up at Rude. "What?"
"You live in that big house all by yourself?" Rude shrugged best he could.
"I have a butler." Rufus laughed.
"You have a butler?"
"His name is Andrew, but everyone I know calls him James." Rufus set his head back down.
"James?"
"I think it might be his middle name. Maybe they just think it sounds better than Andrew." Rufus smiled.
"The Turks are paid well enough to have butlers?"
"I am." That got another laugh. "Are you celebrating Salvatana with your family?" Rufus shrugged.
"I don't think so. Father is talking about going to Costa for Salvatana, so I think I'll offer to stay in Midgar and I'll just go stay with Dawn's family." Rufus looked up. "What about you?"
"The Turks are having Christmas at the house." The Turks' headquarters were not in the main Shinra building, but in a separate house that had been built for them when Tseng had begun to take his group over and above the call of duty. The rest of the Turks, the lower class fighters in the transitional phase between SOLDIER and Turk that many stayed in for their entire career, were several floors below Rufus.
"I know Reno's family is dead, and Elena's maybe…and Tseng's father at least…but what about yours? I know your family's still alive." Rude nodded.
"Father and I…never got back onto good terms after I got kicked out of SOLDIER, and then fell even more out of favor when the Turks asked me to leave for a while." Rufus nodded. "Do you think your parents will get you any presents?" Rufus shrugged again.
"They might. I don't know…it's kinda hard to tell with Father. Mother will have something for me, because she always does." Rude nodded.
"Well, it's a Turk tradition to open one present on Salvatana Eve, so here. As an honorary Turk…" Rude reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box. Rufus took it with wide eyes.
"Is this from you?"
"No, it's from Reno. He crocheted it. Of course it's from me." Rufus smiled and tore open the packaging and opened the box. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked at the pendant in the box. On a silver chain were a charm of the symbol of the Turks, a charm of the Shinra corporate logo, and an R in fancy script. Rufus reached around Rude to give him a one-armed hug.
"Thank you, Rude…is the R for Rufus or Rude?" Rude shrugged.
"Whichever you want it to be for for the matter at hand." Rufus grinned and set his head back down on Rude's chest.
"If you were a woman, I'd kiss you."
"If I were a woman, you wouldn't be dating Dawn." Rufus laughed.
"No, probably not." Rufus paused and put the pendant on. "Now I feel bad. I should have gotten something for you."
"I've already opened my one present. You have the rest of today to buy one and put it under the Turk tree." Rufus grinned and nodded.
"Yes I do…yes I do." He paused again. "What did you get?" Rude held out one hand to reveal a silver bracelet with something engraved on it. "What's it say and who gave it to you?"
"You're a nosy little bugger." Rufus grinned. "Elena gave it to me and it says 'Never give up, never surrender.' It's the unofficial motto of the Turks."
"That just means that Reno says it a lot." Rude actually laughed at that.
"Very true, but no, if that's all that makes it a motto, then the motto of the Turks is 'Damn it Rude, you're a fucking moron.'" Rufus laughed. "Or possibly 'Holy shit, hangovers are a bitch.'" That just made Rufus laugh harder. After he had finally calmed down, he grinned up at Rude. "What?"
"I knew I kept you around for a reason."
"What reason now?"
"I felt like shit before you walked in. Now I feel a thousand times better." Rude smiled.
"My work here is done." Rude looked at his watch. "I promised Reno I'd meet him in Sector 7 for lunch at noon."
"What time is it?"
"Eleven-thirty." Rufus sighed.
"The trains are slow…you should probably get going." Rufus got up to let Rude stand up and get his shoes, coat, hat, and scarf. "Cold out there?" Rude nodded.
"It's Salvatana Eve, Rufus." Rufus smiled and nodded. "Don't work too hard. If you get bored, I'm sure Tseng would appreciate some assistance in entertaining Elena, and Reno and I should be back from lunch some time between one and two. Maybe later if Reno gets distracted." Rufus chuckled. Rude pulled on his gloves and coat, and slung the scarf around his neck. "Are you okay?" Rufus nodded.
"Yeah, thanks Rude. Tell the others I said Happy Salvatana just in case I don't see them until after the holidays." Rude nodded.
"I'll see you later, Rufus. You know how to get me if you need me." Rufus nodded.
"Thanks for dropping by, Rude…I appreciate it." Rude just smiled and walked out and down the elevator, pulling his hat on before walking outside into the falling snow.