"He's the boss," Rude teased.
Reno gave him a look, no THE look, before climbing in with Rennan giggling behind them. "Nah, I don't think you really would, you'd miss 'em too much." Reno, subtle? never. .
"Children," Rude said, glancing back at Rennan. Ah yes, his rather traditional upbringing was showing.
Reno didn't blush a bit as he caught Rennan smirking at them. ..
Rennan was already buckled in, another thing he'd learned from Papa Rude.
"What am I going to do with you two?" Rude asked, pulling away carefully from the curb to take them home.
"Love us?" Reno's words were teasing. ..but the tone as it faded off left serious heartfelt emotion in it's wake.
"Guess I got no choice." Rude's word would have been harsh coming from someone else, but his smile softened them into a good natured tease.
"Nope ya don't. .but that ya don't resent it makes it mean a lot."
Rude just shook his head with a tiny smile and kept driving. Within minutes they were back at the condo.
Rennan was immediatly out the door with Livewire, playing with him in the playground out front while Reno went into the rental office to make arrangements for the rental of the two bedroom which was across the hall from the one bedroom they were currently in.
Rude leaned against the doorway, keeping an eye on Rennan while he lit up a cigarette.
Rennan yelped, feeling arms sieze him as Livewire fell over onto his side. ..the cat toppled as if hit with a sleep spell. He then let out a sharp, ringing screech like he had with Shion to let his papas know he was in trouble.
Shion was quick to cover the boy's mouth, and even quicker to throw a blind-equipped dart into the bald Turk's side. He nodded to his accomplice as he pulled the child towards the dirty looking van.
Reno came out of the office at Rennan's shriek, noting the blind spell he cast a quick Esuna, gesturing to Rude to accompany him to follow the scream.
"You don't learn, do you?" Rennan's eyes said.
Shion quickly tied the boy up in the back of the van as Josh drove away, gas pedal to the floor.
Rude blinked, feeling the Esuna wash the darkness from his vision. It took him a moment to get his bearings again, but when he did, he found Josh driving away in a van.
"He took my fuckin' kid. ..THEY took my fuckin' kid." His voice was laced with utter fury.
"Calm down," Rude said, instantly dropping into Turk mode. "We'll never catch them on foot, and if we take time to get the car, we'll lose sight of them." He opened his phone, dialing Tseng's number. "We have to call Tseng."
"Yes?" Tseng's voice was crisp, instead of breathless as they'd expect. ..apparantly he was NOT balls deep inside his lover as one would think he would be.
"How did Shion escape? He's got Rennan, and Josh is with him." Rude's voice was clipped as he spoke.
Tseng is immediatly up, a soft curse is heard as he looks into the bedroom, the chains they'd used to restrain him empty. "I am not sure."
"Keep your eyes out," Rude said, closing the phone and stepping towards the door. "He won't hurt him until we get there," he said pointedly to Reno. "For the time being... he's relatively safe."
"Bastard. .he knew right where to strike to piss me off. . .but I promise, I ain't gonna get TOO reckless." The words spoken as the electric buzz began filling him, but he held it back. ...he'd save that limit for Josh when he saw him.
"We get prepared, then we go." Rude's words left no room for arguement.
"If he hurts my kid, there is gonna be Hell ta pay. . .he hurts you again. ..same thing." Those words also left no room for argument as he slipped inside, going into the small footlocker at the foot of their bed where he stored his weapons. .he slipped the twin throwing knives from it, sheathing each around his thighs where he could reach them no matter how he was positioned, his 9 mm service pistol and he removes three clips of ammo. .then his emr, checking to be sure everything was tight and in working order. ..finally, the master spell with an all linked, the master summon he'd worn during the fight with Shion, master command, and finally his item pouch, making sure it was completely full with everything one could possibly think they would need. HE was ready.
Rude, on the other hand, went for a slightly less balls to the wall arming. He chose his favourite pair of fighting gloves, the ones with the little metal reinforcements that made things like bones go crunch. He opted for just a few items in his pockets, mostly a pair of elixers, a pair of remedies, and a pair of phoenix downs. As for materia... he decided to forgo it, figuring Reno was carrying enough for, oh, the entire continent of Wutai. Twice over. The only other thing was his service pistol, something he'd grown to love rather quickly since it had saved his and Reno's lives. A few extra clips in the pockets, then putting on his favourite pair of sunglasses, he was set.
"Let's go before your ex gives me ample reason to kill him. ..well, more than he already has."
Rude decided it was best to keep his comment of 'let me take care of him' to himself. He wasn't about to go against a Reno armed to the teeth by himself.
Reno was out the door, he awakened Livewire on the way out, seeing the cuahl at the moment as yet another weapon, since he'd trained him how to cast the barrier spells at will now. He climbed intto the passenger seat after letting Livewire into the back, he'd do no good to his son if he wrecked on his way to the rescue.
Rude kept his head shaking to himself. Reno was going a little... out of his way, in Rude's opinion, to be prepared for anything. Either way, he just started the car, driving away towards the Wutan District.
Reno of course had learned long ago from his years on the street you prepared for everything. ..not preparing generally got one killed or got someone you cared about killed, there in his honest opinion was no such thing as being over prepared.
Rennan in the meanwhile watched the two, his eyes clearly saying what his gagged mouth couldn't. "My papas are going to kill you both, and I am going to enjoy watching it."
"They're seperated," Shion said carefully. He slid towards the building's shadows, preparing to leave. "I have other business to attend. I assume you'll be able to handle them when they arrive?"
"Of course...go on." Josh's smirk spoke volumes as he held up the blowgun that had a rather nasty surprise on the darts. "Thanks for the loan o' this thing."
"Just don't shoot yourself in the foot," Shion muttered, then melted into the shadows as he left.
"Looks like it's just you and me, kid," Josh said to Rennan, sitting down on a chair opposite the boy.
Rennan's glare spoke volumes, as did the waves of heat that came off his tiny body. Unlike his father he'd not yet learned full control of his limit break, and he was seriously furious.
Reno yelled and pointed "There, ya see the waves of heat flashin' against the window? That's Rennan's limit for sure."
"Don't worry. I'll let you go as soon as Rudy shows up," Josh said softly.
Again that glare said "You're going to die."
Rude stopped the car a block away from the heat source. Before he even left the vehicle, he turned to Reno. "Don't kill him. I don't care what happens. Don't. Kill. Him."
"And I ain't got the right. ..?" His question hung in the air as he softly, and extremely reluctantly, nods.
Rude again checked his firearm. "He's mine."
"Just as long as ya finish him. ..I don't want. ..well, THIS again."
Rude's look clearly told Reno that regardless of what Reno thought, Rude considered this whole thing his baby, and Reno was just there for backup.
Reno nodded, standing next to Rude as the bald Turk opened the door. .. only to hear Rude's shouted "look out!" at the hissing sound of the blowgun as second too late. The dart stung viciosuly as it dug into his upper arm, and he growled. ..
Rude charged forward, gun drawn as his vision honed in on the larger shock of red hair. He held up the gun as he ran, firing once into the concrete floor in front of Josh's feet. "Put it down!" he yelled.
Rennan yelled "papa!" as he finally managed to wiggle the gag free. ..his limit break blossoming full out and frying the ropes on him. ..
Josh dropped the weapon, dropping to his knees as he did so. "Rudy," he said almost reverently.
Rennan was suddenly in between Rude and Josh. ..Rude could tell Reno to stay out of it and he'd for the most part listen, but no one was going to tell Rennan that.
Reno meanwhile began to feel slightly dizzy, he wasn't quite sure what was on that dart, but the shakily cast Esuna didn't alieviate it.
"Rennan!" Rude yelled, his voice holding every ounce of authority in his being. "Get out of the way!" He levelled his pistol on Josh, but couldn't fire while there was a chance that little boy could get caught in the bullet's path.
Rennan before getting out of the way set his hand on Josh's legs.. .setting his pants ablaze. .."You'll never hurt my papas again." he says as he walks over to Reno who had begun almost noticeably swaying.
Josh didn't feel the flames, so high was he on some substance or another. "Don't tell me you're getting all paternal on me, Rudy. You never really were good with kids anyway..." Josh seemed to sway with every word as he spoke.
Rude kept his gun trained on Josh as he reached into his pocket, handing Rennan one of the remedies. "Use this on your Papa," he commanded. There were some things only a remedy could cure, and if he remembered Josh's style... the remedy would work just fine.
Rennan nodded. ..as Renno 's eyes suddenly went wide, then clenching shut as his nerves suddenly lit up, drawing a hissing gasp from him, as he drank the bottle Rennan gave him the burning pain began to fade off. .though the dizziness remained.
"Papa Rude's gonna be ok, right?"
Reno nodded before sitting.
"I never blamed you for that night," Josh said, his voice seeming to come from far away to his own ears. "Never ever."
Rude visably cringed. He still blamed himself for the events that transpired. He should have been more in control of himself.
Reno simply watched the events transpire, too dizzy to stay on his feet, he was glad the remedy had alleviated that pain that had torn down his nerve endings, but the dizziness was hard to contend with.
Renna narrowed his eyes as the shadows seemed to shift around them.
"I didn't want to press charges, but you wouldn't return my calls... You wouldn't let me talk to you... It was the only way I could think of to see you again..." Josh sing-songed.
"I'm a different person now, Joshy," Rude said, his voice wavering slightly.
Reno spoke softly "Yeah. ..he is. .he's the man I love more than life itself, I'd die for him if it came to that. ..but you wouldn't understand that would you?" He said he wouldn't kill Josh, but he could not resist the dig.
Rennan's eyes went hard as stone as the shifting shadows took on human shape. "You stay away from my papa, dickwad."
The shadow spoke a single word, and admonishment for Rennan's choice of words, before disappearing. The ninja boy had more important targets.
Josh completely ignored Reno, so focused was he on Rude. "Come on, Rudy. We can have it just like it used to be..."
Rude shook his head. "I'm better than that now. I... I can't"
Michael TW Kelley: Reno's eyes begged. ..pleaded. ..before beginning to grow heavy. ..whatever had been in that dart had packed a serious punch.
Rennan," Rude tossed back, getting the child's attention. "Take your father to the hospital. Call Uncle Tseng on his phone and tell him what happened." His voice softened as he spoke to Reno. "Let me handle him," he asked.
"I'm stayin'. .sorry. .but I need ta see this through. .I won't interfere. ..but I gotta see how it ends."
Renna called Tseng, though, who had just parked the car.
"Take your son and GO," Rude commanded.
Josh just smirked at the lover's spat happening right before his eyes. See? Rudy and that whore weren't right for each other at all.
Reno finally nodded, simply because he didn't have the strength to fight him. ..just as Tseng stepped through the door, Elena behind him.
A single shadow noted that the blonde ShinRa wasn't there, nor did he seem to be guarded by any of the Turks. It was time. He slid through the shadows, undetected by even his father, heading towards the ShinRa's last known whereabouts.
Rude called back to Tseng and Elena. "Take Reno and Rennan and get them out of here. I've got it under control."
Which of course Rufus had been released from the hospital the previous day, but it was possible Shion wouldn't know that.
"Turks look out for one another, Rude, you know this. .no Turk goes solo, you are partnered for a reason." He gestures Elena to take Reno and the child out.
"This is personal, sir," Rude said. "Not Turk business."
Josh internally squealed in delight. Rudy wanted alone time with him! Hooray!
Tseng finally sighed, defeated. . and perhaps a little concerned when Renolet Elena escort him out without even the slightest bit of fight.
"The President," Rude warned, watching Tseng leave with the others. He turned back to Josh. "Spit it out, Joshy. What's it going to take to get you to realize I'm with someone else now?"
Josh laughed darkly. "That someone else won't be a problem much longer, Rudy dear. .."
"Hurting him will not make me come back to you," Rude said, his gun arm wavering. You could only hold someone at gunpoint for so long before your arm started getting tired.
"Oh, it's more than hurt. ..though I am sure he'll feel more than a bit of THAT before all is said and done. You see, if the wutains are good at one thing, it's concocting poisons. ..Shion has intentions of using the same one on your president."
"Where is the antidote?" Rude demanded.
"There is none. ..it's his own will. ..as long as he doesn't give in to the pain. ..he'll be fine in 24 hours. ..if he gives in and loses consciousness. ..it's lights out. ..for good. .it's what they use to test new ninja."
Rude had to finish the confrontation, or at least find a way to get the message to Tseng. That's it. "Will Tseng recognize it?"
"Quite likely."
"Then it's just you and me."
Josh looks up at him a slight smirk crossing those features so much like Reno's. ..he'd even over the past month tattooed his cheeks like Reno's. "How long do you think he can hold out, hmm? How long do you think he will be able to stand up to the amount of pain he will be in before succumbing? I did my homework, you know. Your little lover has a low pain tolerance for some things. And painkillers will do him no good, they increase the pain."
"What EXACTLY do you want, Josh," Rude demanded. He didn't have the time or the patience to play games.
"You. ..but then you knew that all along, didn't you? Maybe we should take this to the hospital, hmm? You can watch while dies in unbelievable agony. .thrashing, cursing, screaming and sweating. .like you left me."
"You're insane," Rude said, and he was torn between shooting Josh right then and there and leaving him to rush to Reno's side.
"Maybe I am. ..but you did it to me, you know. .just like you almost drove him insane. ..but it seems he's stronger than I am. .. lucky man."
A low growl bubbled up from Rude's throat. "Just... Just stop talking, Josh. I... I have to go to him. But I can't leave you here. And I can't trust you to stay, or to leave us alone, or anything. What do I have to do to get you to stay away?"
"Nothing you can do. . .I don't stop until I get what I want. ..and what I want is you. ..so I guess. ..the only way to settle this is a death match."
Rude looked to the heavens as if for guidance. "You can't fight me, Josh."
Josh smirked. ..another dart lay in his palm. ..this one with a sedative in it that would weaken the target and slow their reaction times. he pressed a hand to Rude's shoulder, as if to pat it in a friendly manner, piercing his skin with the dart as he did so.
Rude frowned at the prick he felt in his shoulder, and as he reached up to touch the injury, his hand seemed to be moving slower than usual. "What...?" he asked, blinking quickly as his vision blurred slightly.
"To even the playing field. "
Reno meanwhile was almost frantic as the effects of the remedy left his body and his nerves bagan firing at random again. he bit his lip at first, his face breaking out in sweat, his entire body felt as if it was being burned alive. . he let out a loud screech as a wave of more intense pain shot through his nerves.
Rude swung at Josh, seeing his punch miss the redhead entirely. He shook his head, his vision again going blurry as he did so. He growled in frustration.
Josh laughed, raising his size 10 boot to Rude's chin.
Rude's head snapped back as he felt himself falling backwards. He managed to barely catch himself before his head cracked on the floor, the wind poofing out of him.
Reno let out another shriek, body thrown into convulsions from the fire along his nerves.. .he had no idea he could ever feel that amount of pain.
Josh stood over him. "Maybe I should just kill you." the effect, he knew, was only temporary. .it would burn of about. ..well now.
Rude gasped air into his lungs, trying almost desperately to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him. "You wouldn't," he dared, knowing that Josh was the abusee, not the abuser.
"You think I wouldn't?"
Tseng motioned to Elena "I know what this is. ..you must keep him focused. .if he passes out, he will die."
"Me?" Elena asked, her face indicating that she didn't feel she was the one best suited for the task.
"I know you wouldn't," Rude said, his lips turning into a smile that Josh would know rather well.
Michael TW Kelley: Josh gave one last smirk, holding the gun to his temple. He knew he had perhaps 10 seconds before Rude was at full strength again.
"Just talk to him. .." He turned to Reno. "You must focus away from the pain, I know it is difficult, but you must."
Reno nodded, green eyes finally focusing as he bit back another scream. "Where the fuck is Rude. ..?" The qyuestion was a harsh gasp."
"I don't know," Elena said, sitting down on the bed next to Reno. "Just... just... do whatever you have to do to keep alive, okay?" She was starting to shake.
"Come on, baby," Rude said, his voice dropping low as he smiled up at Josh. "Just gimme a kiss before you send me off." He had a plan, but he had to do some things Reno would probably be rather pissed about for it to work.
Josh lowered his lips to Rude's, his finger resting on the trigger. ..
"Fucking hurts, yo. ..shit. .."
"I know it hurts," Elena said, her hands shaking like leaves. "I wish I could help make it better."
Rude opened his mouth, his tongue tracing Josh's lips before it slid between them. How easy it was to fall back into old habits... even when you were waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Josh moaned as the gun clattered to the floor. . .his hands grabbing Rude's head.
"Gotta fight through it... Rude better be allright, or I swear by all that's Holy I'm gonna serve Josh every ouncea pain he's given me."
"Rude'll give him what's coming to him," Elena said with a smile, her shakes making the bed move more than Reno's.
Just a little more... a little more... His hands moved towards the redhead's hips, lightly grabbing them as his tongue wrestled with Josh's.
Josh moaned, leaning all the way into him now.
Reno simply nodded, his teeth chattering now as he bit back the agony along his nerves. ..sweat dripping down his cheeks.
Elena reached out, dabbing the sweat from Reno's face with a washcloth from the bathroom. "Think good thoughts," she tried.
Rude groaned -- he WAS a man, afterall -- and broke the kiss. "How about you sucking my cock, eh? Just like old times..." he asked, lifting an eyebrow as he pressed his hips against Josh's, showing that he was, indeed, enjoying the way the redhead kissed.
Michael TW Kelley: Josh sneered at him. "How about I make a trophy of it?" Once he'd said that however, he unzipped Rude's pants, taking him all the way into his throat,. He didn't have Reno's godly skill, but he wasan't bad either.
"How about you just do what I tell you, Joshy, before I have to give you a fat lip?" How easily those words fell off his tongue. Just like old times. Once he felt those lips, however, he groaned, his head falling back and his hands moving up Josh's body. It was dangerous, what he was planning, but he could feel his reactions speeding up even as he felt that tongue trace his piercing.
Josh vibrated his throat around Rude's cock, moaning.
His hands moved to the concrete floor, searching for purchase along it. At least, that's what it looked like.
Josh then lifted up, plunging Rude in again, scraping a tiny bit.
"God, right there," Rude moaned, his hands finding what they were looking for. His hips raised, pressing him further into Josh's mouth as his hands closed around the metal he'd searched for. As he felt that suction increase, he quietly pulled the weapon closer. With one last gasp, he spilled himself inside the man's mouth, bringing the pistol that Josh had brandished at him to bear, the end of the barrel touching the redhead's forehead. He quickly pulled himself from between those lips, not wanting to be bitten.
"You wouldn't shoot me, would yo?"
Rude snorted, for all the world looking like he was going to pull the trigger... Up until he changed his mind, his hand moving quickly as he pistol whipped Josh right in the head.
Josh fell to the floor hard. ..eyes closing as he was knocked completely unconscious.