Reno. "Slipped and fell" in the shower, oh, he was just sure of that. Certainly he wasn't doing anything stupid. Certainly not, he wasn't that kind of man, now was he? He wouldn't be hurt attempting to seduce his partner, or in the process of doing something unspeakable with his partner, now would he?
Of course not.
Rufus had to stop thinking in such sarcastic terms. It was starting to leak into his tone for the meeting.
If his partner hadn't been Rude, he'd have suspected the excuse as false, a reason to stay home and play around. However, as... besotted as Rude was, that was unlikely. He knew his duty, and he was always a Turk first and foremost. Had Rufus called him and instructed him to come to work, he would come.
Reno probably would as well. As... unconventional as he was, he was a loyal man. A good fighter. A good Turk.
He didn't begrudge either of them a day off. They'd both worked hard while Tseng and Elena had been incapacitated. However, this hadn't been a good way to get it.
I do have to wonder what happened. I'll ask Rude tomorrow. I know he'll tell me the whole thing. Most of it, if not all, anyway. He was certain that, if anything at all sexual had happened, Rude would gloss over those details.
That was, of course, if Rude had finally allowed something to happen. Rufus had known for some time that the stoic Turk had been fighting his feelings for his partner. Reno knew it too, obviously on some subconscious level, and that's what kept him poking at Rude, whittling down his defenses until there was something that Reno could work with.
And who knew? Maybe he had arranged it so he would fall and bash his head on something hard. It really wouldn't surprise Rufus. Reno would go to great measures to get something he wanted, if he wanted it badly enough.
The question was, as always, if it was good enough to break through Rude's admittedly thick skull. For some reason, the man simply was not responding to Reno's advances. Or, if he was, he'd managed to convince Reno not to show it.
Somehow, he doubted that. Reno could barely disguise his moods as it was. If he was getting sex on a regular basis, he wouldn't be able to hide it for very long, if at all. Rude would be able to hide it; Reno, definitely not.
So. Nothing had happened. Yet. Pity, he could've used something to brighten his day. Perhaps now, with this day off they'd been given, something would happen.
And then there was the other pair to consider. He dismissed the executives with a smirk and a nod, and blessed his ability to think about many things at once, while still paying attention to what the fools were talking about.
Tseng and Elena. What was he going to do about them? He'd known that Elena had had feelings for Tseng a few years ago, when she had first become a Turk. He'd been amused and pleased at first, when she'd apparently gotten over her crush on him, and matured, moving on.
Then, however, she'd never shown interest in anyone else. Rufus knew that she was still infatuated, or possibly even in love, with Tseng, even now.
It seemed that the events following the disastrous mission to retrieve Jenova's head had stirred something between them. Tseng had been glancing more often in Elena's direction. Elena had not been looking at Tseng except to speak to him. Something had happened.
Rufus bored easily; the job of the President of Shin-ra Corporation amused him much of the time, but at times, he needed something else. Matchmaking seemed entertaining. It would involve detective work, possible interviews...
And, best of all, he didn't have to go anywhere for it. He could simply sit back, and watch the drama as it unfolded. Better than a show.
Chuckling very quietly to himself, Rufus sat back, lacing his fingers together and resting his elbows on the desk. Well, the first order of business was closer observation than he'd done before. He simply had to find out what was going on behind the scenes, and what was going on in Tseng and Elena's heads. It shouldn't be too difficult. With Tseng, he would watch, observe, and then simply ask.
Tseng was the epitome of a Turk. He would answer without hemming and hawing, as Rude might. And he would leave out no details. Rufus' eyes half-closed. Failing at that, well, Tseng and Elena were partners. There was surely something he could do with that.
This could keep him amused from some time. Between Reno and Rude, and Tseng and Elena, he had plenty of tasks ahead of him to keep his mind busy. His hope was that this day off that he had permitted Rude to keep an eye on his concussed partner would be a catalyst for him. Rude was halfway to collapse as it was.
Tseng was going to be a challenge. Most likely, if he could get Elena to crack, or Tseng to proposition her, she would buckle instantly. That was his assumption, anyway. And he knew that assumptions were dangerous things. But Tseng...
Sometimes being a Turk was not a good thing. He denied himself too much, Rufus knew that. It was his duty, as his leader, to make certain that all his men were carefully balanced and content.
A healthy sex life would certainly help with that. And, just perhaps, he really cared for Elena. It would certainly explain his behavior recently. He was trying too hard to keep himself from betraying something about her, or about how he felt about her. Rufus wanted to know what that was.
He had to learn what it was. He would soon enough. He, too, could be extremely stubborn about something when he wanted to be. And unlike Reno, he was much, much more subtle about it.
After all, he had to repay the men and woman who served him so loyally and well with something. Why not each other? Especially if it was what they really wanted. As long as they remained his Turks, and served him with the same, unswerving loyalty they did this day, he wouldn't mind a damn bit what they were doing.
This would be more fun than he originally thought. Chuckling quietly to himself, he turned his attention fully on the paperwork on his desk.
All the time in the world, as well. All the time in the world.
-
Tseng's accuracy with a pistol was absolute. He had trained for years to be as good as he was now. While he knew he was not at the same level as his boss, that was partially due to the experiments the man had been subjected to as a boy. He would never be able to fire what amounted to a sawed-off shotgun with one hand and be able to stand the recoil. Let alone while falling from a ten-story building.
Had Rufus jumped because he knew they were there, or had he simply wanted a more glorious obituary than "blown to bits by a Sephiroth remnant"? Tseng hadn't asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Practice was good. It distracted him, kept him from wondering. It kept his mind active, and away from his partner. The partner he should not have feelings for. He should be beyond that, why wasn't he?
Why was he suddenly seeing her differently? Why did he suddenly look at her... and realize how he felt, how he cared for her...
Desired her.
Bam. Bam. Bam.
Three shots off-center. Tseng cursed under his breath and lowered the pistol. No.
This was exactly what he'd feared would happen. She was distracting him, confusing him, dulling his edge.
How much of that is the fact that you're denying yourself what you want most? The voice in his head- which always sounded like Rufus to him- murmured. He shivered and unloaded the gun, sitting down to clean it.
I deny myself nothing, he told himself firmly. I don't need her. I don't want her.
You're lying. You know you are. You want her. You've wanted her for a while. Aeris is long gone, and you know that. You've known for some time, and it's only natural. She stood by you, she's been your partner for over two years... Things change. People change. The way you see people change.
Tseng rubbed a hand over his face. I don't see her that way. I've given up on women.
Like hell.
Tseng stood, shoving the empty gun into its holster. It's the truth.
No it's not.
"It's the truth." Tseng growled aloud.
"You know, arguing with yourself is a sign of mental illness..."
Tseng jerked a bit and turned, smoothing his expression to one of calm impassiveness. "Hello, Elena." I suppose telling her that I hear a voice like Rufus Shin-ra in my head wouldn't help...
"What were you doing in here?" Elena moved away from the door.
"Practicing." Tseng gestured a bit. "I'm a bit rusty in some areas."
"Could you spot for me?" Elena took out her own pistol. "My arm still isn't the same after North Crater."
Tseng shivered faintly, though it was barely noticeable. "Of course. Still need to hold two-handed?"
That sounds dirty.
Shut up, Tseng told the smug voice in his head. I meant it in a completely innocent way. Though now, of course, that it was mentioned, it did sound incredibly inappropriate. I wonder if she likes that kind of foreplay. Dammit!
Elena was taking off her jacket, oblivious to Tseng's well-hidden discomfort. She seemed to be taking the comment completely innocently. "Yes, unfortunately. I'm..." she sighed, glancing at him a little. "I'm not sure it'll ever be the same."
I know what you mean. Tseng's hand touched the pale scar along his left cheek. "That's fine. Stance doesn't matter. Accuracy does."
Elena nodded silently, giving him a faint smile. "All right, let's get started." She took out her pistol, pointed at the target, and started firing.
Tseng watched quietly, his eyes more on Elena than on her performance. Look at her. Beautiful. Strong.
Elena blew a stray lock of hair out of her face and sighed, lowering the gun. "I don't think I'm getting any better."
"Let me see." Tseng moved behind her, examining the target. One or two shots had hit quite close to dead center, but her accuracy was shot. "Here. I think you're holding it wrong for sustained shooting." He put his arms around her, unthinkingly, adjusting her grip and aim. "It's fine for one shot, but after that, it's all over the place. Here... Keep your good arm like this... try it now." Unconsciously, his voice had dropped a little, and he kept his hands on her arms.
Seemingly calm, Elena fired the gun, straining to keep her arms exactly as he'd instructed. "Better," Tseng murmured, keeping a hold of her for a moment longer. Gods. She's all but in my arms... His eyes closed, and he stood for a moment longer, just one more moment, before pulling away quickly. "Much better. Now try it again, without me."
She shifted her weight, looking away from him. "Right." She focused on the target, away from him, and started firing again. Her attention diverted, he backed up again. Gods. Gods, Gods, stop it, stop tormenting me.
Why are you bothering to fight it? Hmm? You want her... Just ask her!
Tseng watched Elena, who was cursing her arm and her gun and the target, and reloading. "Calm down. Getting angry won't help you at all." She blushed faintly and muttered something along the lines of "Yes, sir," and went back to practicing.
She won't agree. She'll say no. And that will affect our working relationship.
He just knew that. No matter how much he wanted her, he couldn't strain their partnership. She'd had a crush on him once, but that was gone. Gods, how ironic. Now I'm the one with the unrequited lust.
Yes, lust. That's all it was, of course. Lust and nothing but. Desire, left over from a near-death experience. If he was anyone else (oh, Reno came to mind...) he would go out, find a woman and get rid of the itch.
But you're not Reno, are you? You're a loyal, one-woman kind of guy. You've already got your eye on someone, don't you? Her. Why the hell are you still fighting this? She had a crush on you once, she'll do it again, soon enough...
Tseng shook his head sharply. As wonderful as that voice painted the world, it was wrong. Elena had no feelings for him whatsoever. And he wouldn't jeopardize what they had.
I am a Turk first. Always.
He continued to watch Elena with only an occasional comment about her performance. If you do care, Elena, show me. Tell me... do something.
She did nothing but shoot. He did nothing but watch.
I'm sorry, Elena.