AN: Day six, just one more chapter left after this! Thank you for all the reviews, and for tolerating the bad spelling and mistakes!
Pairing: Rufus/Vincent
It was two more days before Vincent and Rufus returned to work. It had taken a day for Vincent to come around, all his injuries healed. The next day, Rufus had felt that the other man wasn't prepared for work again, needing to give his mind a time to heal. He had got Vincent to talk to him, going through both what had happened that day, and through the information held in the notes. Vincent had tried not to get upset, but occasionally he had seemed close to tears. Rufus had held him in those moments, murmuring the comforting words that Tseng had often told him. That it was alright, that the problems were over, and that he wouldn't need to suffer again.
During the course of the day, he had learnt what Vincent's life was really like, to live constantly with the demons. To never be able to think clearly, as you would always hear the monsters in your mind. To be constantly cursed, constantly reminded of every single mistake you had made. He pitied Vincent far more than he thought he could. The man suffered, and he hadn't ever understood how badly before.
Rufus had chosen to take the time off until his bodyguard recovered. The official reason was that he needed to be guarded constantly, but the real reason was that he felt Vincent was the one who needed to be guarded. He felt a tight feeling in his chest, which he thought might have been guilt. He was responsible for prolonging this man's agony. He sighed.
On the third day, Vincent opened his eyes to find himself staring into his boss's face. Rufus had fallen asleep there, and rather than move him, Vincent merely held out his arms and moved the other man closer to him. It felt quite nice, lying next to someone who slept. It reminded him of his time in AVALANCHE, moving around and keeping your friends within arm's reach. He reached out his metal fingers, ghosting them across the president's face, lips twitching upwards slightly as Rufus tilted his head to gain more contact. After a few seconds the man's eyes opened and he jerked away, a slight blush on his face. Any previous suspicions Vincent had had of being observed while he slept were entirely confirmed, but it didn't bother him as much as he had expected.
"Uh... Vincent…" Rufus stuttered, trying to construct a sentence after having his emotions so rapidly revealed. Vincent shrugged, sitting up and stretching slightly.
"We should go to work today." Vincent knew how badly paperwork would build up if it was left unattended for too long. Rufus nodded, taking that as a signal to get out of the room and prepare for the day ahead.
A little while later Vincent walked into the kitchen, dressed in his normal clothes but hair still dripping wet from the shower. Rufus glanced up at him before looking down firmly, focusing on eating his breakfast, refusing to allow his thoughts the path they wished to follow, or to allow himself to imagine Vincent greeting him like this every morning. Rather, Vincent could greet him like this, but it would merely be because they shared a house, and not because they shared a bed. He signaled for Vincent to sit and eat, ignoring the other man as he complied. It meant nothing; Vincent had no feelings for him.
The two of them headed out to the Shinra Headquarters, and Rufus went through another day of work. There were no assassination attempts, and the paperwork had built up rapidly during his absence. There was also an extremely boring meeting detailing the finer points of waste management in the rebuilt areas of Midgar. It was only Vincent's presence beside him that stopped him from attempting to jump out of the window, and only the constant kicks at his ankle that stopped him from falling asleep.
These were all signs of something Rufus was rapidly coming to realize. Whilst before work had always seemed tolerable, it now appeared to be almost unbearably difficult without Vincent beside him, to aid and assist, and just to be there. It was reassuring, in the middle of a board meeting with directors to whom you were just a method of earning money, to know that someone was there on your side.
Eventually the day was over, and Rufus took Vincent to his favorite restaurant. Far from the Golden Saucer and other such gaudy delights, the restaurant they headed to was extravagant beyond belief. Painted the same immaculate white as Rufus's outfits, the walls glistened with pristine purity, the lighting soft and the cutlery platinum. Vincent looked around in shock, stunned by the sheer beauty and power of the place.
The waiter nodded at Rufus's approach, leading him to the best table in the house, handing a menu to both men and then retreating to the shadows. The other patrons of the restaurant turned to look at the two men, total opposites of each other but still both breathtakingly beautiful. Rumors started running around, as people tried to calculate why two such stunning men would be dinning together.
Rufus ordered the wine for both of them, and slowly explained each course to Vincent, realizing that he was unsure of what they would taste like. Eventually Vincent settled on eating a steak, and Rufus chose a meal of truffles in white sauce. Vincent felt his face darkening when he realized how much the dinner cost. He was flattered that Rufus valued him enough to be willing to pay so much. The meal alone cost more than he would earn in a week as a Turk.
When the dishes arrived the beautiful aromas filled the air, making Vincent's mouth water. It was all he could do to prevent devouring the food, and yet he managed to exercise restraint. Rufus didn't manage as well, happily spooning up some of his food, holding it up for Vincent to eat. Vincent leant forwards to take the food into his mouth, smiling up at the man. It was delicious, and in return he fed Rufus a spoonful of his food. Rufus grinned at him, encouraged, and continued sharing his food with Vincent, wondering if the other man understood his feelings more than he was revealing.