Reno squirmed as he was shaken softly, letting the last dregs of his dream strain from his mind. He didn't want to wake up contemplating the strangeness of a dream where Rude and Rufus seemed to be one in the same. It was too confusing and upsetting. He let his eyes open only when he was sure that he wasn't dreaming anymore and that Rufus' voice did indeed belong to Rufus. His head was resting on the couch and he wondered why he thought it wouldn't be; his dream had been too vivid for his liking. The idea of Rufus wanting to kiss him was an absurd one and the thought of sleeping in his lap was even more ridiculous; that's how Reno knew it had to have been a dream. He could've sworn that Rufus woke him up at some point in the night, but he didn't remember what they talked about or if they had talked at all. Rufus prodded him awake as he towel-dried his hair. "Get up and showered, we're late for work."

Reno jumped to his feet and darted into the bathroom, groggily allowing adrenaline to force his body awake even though his mind was still asleep. "Shit! Tseng is gunna flay me alive!" He slammed the door shut behind him and blinked through the steam leftover from Rufus' shower as he stripped and turned the water back on.

Rufus smiled and finished pulling on his clothes, feeling rather smug. He knew that if Tseng had been able to see how they had kissed the night before he would do far worse to Reno than flay him alive. Rufus chuckled and went downstairs, happy at the idea of Tseng's jealousy.

Dark Nation sauntered up to him as he reached the entrance hall where she slept and guarded the door fiercely from intruders. The large beast rubbed against his side like a large kitten and made a noise in her throat that was something akin to purring, but sounded more like a choking turtle. Rufus knelt beside her and stroked her glossy, well-groomed hide and pushed aside his stewing thoughts. She was the one thing in his life that was constant. He hired new help on an almost monthly basis, the longest anyone had worked in his home was a year; he bought new guns whenever his current model became outdated, and new bullets were always at hand; his love interest changed regularly, the only person he had ever been interested in a long term relationship with had turned him down after one night; and his friends changed with the economy, more precisely with the way stocks rose and fell for his company.

Dark Nation had been his pet since he was ten years old, and she would be his pet until she died. He would not get another pet after her; it wouldn't be worth it. Rufus scratched behind her ears gently and rubbed the base of her tentacle, listening to her strange choking purr with a small smile. Rufus caught sight of his watch as he stroked her, sighing softly as thin metal hands screamed at him in Tseng's voice about the importance of punctuality. Dark Nation butted her head against his chest as his scratching fingers stopped, demanding more attention from her easily distractible master. Rufus smiled and rubbed her ears, kissing the top of her fuzzy head gently.

Reno dressed as quickly as he could and was still tripping into his pants when he made it downstairs, a towel slung over his shoulder. His shirt was opened wide and a set of clean socks was clenched between his teeth like a pirate's dagger as he zipped up his pants. As he descended the last few stairs of the case he paused, blinking at the look on Rufus' face as he stroked his tentacle waving pet. Reno had never seen Rufus look so serene and contemplative in his life and he stared openly as he tugged on his socks. Rufus nuzzled his face against Dark Nation's and Reno felt a smile tug at his lips; he hadn't thought Rufus capable of feeling fondness for anything. He walked over to the door to snatch his jacket from the peg where it hung, trying to keep from interrupting the one tenderness Rufus allowed him to see.

Dark Nation caught sight of Reno as he neared and pulled away from Rufus, lashing at Reno with her tentacle. She caught him across the chest and he gasped, backing away and holding the quickly growing red welt on his torso in surprise. Dark Nation growled loudly, sounding more like a cement mixer than anything else, and stood protectively in front of Rufus, lashing out with her tentacle at Reno. Rufus blinked in surprise and stood, setting a hand on Dark Nation's head, "Stay still, Reno."

Reno nodded and made sure he was a safe distance away before stiffening quietly. Dark Nation continued to growl gratingly, pressing into Rufus' hand and lashing at Reno aggressively.

Rufus gently held onto Dark Nation's tentacle, tugging on her ear gently to get her full attention as he kept her from harming Reno further. The hound-like creature glared up at him with large, menacingly yellow eyes, impatience and anger raising the hairs on her back. Rufus stroked them down and knelt by her, "Easy girl, he's not going to hurt me. You were fine with him being here yesterday and the day before that and the day before that. He gave you a treat yesterday, remember?"

Dark Nation continued to growl but didn't attempt to do Reno further injury, sensing that Rufus didn't want her to harm the man she deemed a familiarly scented intruder. Reno kept himself pressed against the wall, hoping that the sting at the end of her tentacle wasn't poison-tipped like the other guard hounds he had encountered before. He didn't want to go through the round of treatments it would take to get the hound's venom out of his system.

Rufus felt Dark Nation tense uneasily beneath his hand and sighed, walking forward and keeping himself between her and Reno. As soon as he released her tentacle she began pacing behind him like a predatory cat, large yellow eyes focused on his back. He knew that his refusal to allow her to attack Reno only made her angry and upset, but he wouldn't have Reno covered in welts and bite marks; well, not bite marks from her teeth anyways.

Reno watched Dark Nation pace behind Rufus warily, not fully aware of the fact that Rufus was drawing closer. Rufus smiled and gently stroked Reno's cheek, making the red-head jump and tear his eyes away from the waving tentacle of his beloved pet. "B-boss?"

Rufus smiled softly and gently trailed his fingers over Reno's chest; he was unable to help himself, the man was shirtless, very visually appealing, and his fingers were hungry to feel him. He felt as predatory as Dark Nation as Reno shivered under his fingertips. "Sorry, Reno, but she's very protective of me and you snuck up on us. Now she considers you a threat and will think that until I prove you to be a friend."

Reno shivered and watched Dark Nation pace behind Rufus, feeling very much like prey as he gazed into her yellow eyes. "So…how are you going to prove I'm a friend?"

Rufus smiled and gently stroked the thick welt crossing Reno's chest, following the swollen trail it made down to Reno's side and cupping his hand around Reno's hip gently. "Like this."

Rufus gently set his lips against Reno's and pressed him closer to the wall, humming quietly as Reno gasped in surprise. Dark Nation's growls began to slow as Rufus nibbled at Reno's lips, mewling internally at the lack of resistance from the body pressed against his. Reno began kissing back timidly, as if he was shy, and Rufus could feel a blush creeping up the warm cheek under his hand. Rufus absorbed himself in the taste brushing across his demanding lips and nearly growled with frustration when Dark Nation stopped snarling and lost him the opportunity to deepen the kiss further. He drew back after a final tug at Reno's lips and smiled, acting as if he regularly made out with the people his pet was uncomfortable with. "See? She's all better now." Rufus grinned at the blush painting Reno's cheeks and the slightly breathless look of shock on his face. Reno's lips were slightly kiss-swollen and Rufus turned to scratch Dark Nation behind the ears before temptation overpowered him and led his lips back to Reno's, making a personal note to make sure his faithful pet was given extra treats when he got home from work.

Reno tried to gulp down the moan that had been fighting to burst through his throat since Rufus' lips had started moving against his, not trusting himself to speak until he was sure it was gone. Rufus' kiss had been demanding, yet surprisingly gentle, as if Rufus had been afraid that pushing him too far would make him pull away. He rubbed the welt on his chest and silently willed away his painfully obvious erection, angry that half a week without sex from Rude would make him so willing to kiss someone else. He could will away his erection, but he couldn't will away the images in his head as he buttoned his shirt closed and grabbed his jacket. "She's not poisonous is she?"

Rufus shook his head as Dark Nation sauntered off to the plush cushion near the door that served as her bed, glaring fiercely at Reno with her large, startlingly yellow eyes. "Of course she's not. I had her venom glands removed when she was still a pup."

Reno sighed in relief and shrugged on his jacket, trying to keep his voice light and joking as he commented on the beast that glared at him, "Does she usually need you to kiss people she doesn't like? That must make walks with her interesting. Let me know the next time you're taking her on a walk so I can line up for a free Rufus make-out session."

Rufus chuckled and opened the door, "Next time you want one, just ask for one."

Reno blushed dark as Rufus walked out, rushing after him as Dark Nation began getting to her feet. He didn't want to see what the beast would do to him if Rufus wasn't nearby and ready to suck his face off for her comfort.

Author's Note: I always neglect Dark Nation when I write about Rufus, so I thought I'd pull her furry lil' butt into this story. She's not fond of Reno, but not many animals are for some reason…