"He hates me," the blonde vice-president announced, striding into the room his Turks occupied. Rude barely gave him a glance but Tseng put down everything to direct his attention at the younger male. "Reno. I went to talk to him and he hates me."
"I'm sure it was only because he was with Cloud," Tseng tried to comfort him.
"No, he thinks I'm being insensitive," he insisted.
"What for?"
"I might have given him the impression he was a possession somehow," he grumbled. Tseng shook his head at the other. As much as he cared for him, it took tough skin to even know him. This probably explained why Sephiroth and Zack never let him near Cloud.
"Then apologize. Take him a present. Get on Cloud's good side," Tseng threw out ideas.
"So I bribe him and turn his friend against me?"
"It sounds like a bad thing when you put it that way. I prefer you use the term leverage."
-o-o-
So he tried to get leverage. The next day the SOLDIERs (plus Miss Lockhart) were a flurry of activity but he managed to pin down Cloud after he returned.
"Strife, a word please?" he had to call over the din. As he did so, four pairs of SOLDIER eyes flashed to him and paused a moment before turning back to their work. Rufus was glad they didn't interfere.
Cloud set down the bag he had been slowly filling with little odds and ends before directing something Miss Lockhart's way. He finished and walked with Rufus out of the Inn and into the plaza.
"What's up?" Cloud asked pleasantly. It seemed he was comfortable enough to address the VP without any titles.
"I visited Reno last night," he began.
"Yeah, I know."
"He told you? Did he talk about me?"
"I was awake for the last bit of the conversation."
"So will you help me? I want to reconcile," Rufus explained.
"Does Tseng know you're making a pass at Reno?" Cloud asked instead.
Rufus nodded and helpfully added, "He never said no. He told me to talk to you."
Cloud stared at him disbelievingly. He broke it off and shook his head at the man. "Fine. He's mad because he really likes you and wants to be treated fairly. Try to do something where you put your pride on the line. Like, I dunno, go to see him in the presence of other Turks and apologize."
Rufus winced, "No other option."
"None I can think of. I'll talk to him if you want."
"Please do," Rufus said immediately and smiled sheepishly. "Tseng recommended I get him a present. What do you recommend?"
"Hmm," Cloud thought, looking out at the vendors. "I think... A book."
"...a book?"
"That right there is why you aren't together yet," Cloud lectured. "You're underestimating him. He's actually pretty smart and he likes it when people treat him that way. Tseng does and look at how much Reno loves Tseng."
"I'll think about it," Rufus promised. "Thank you, Strife."
"Call me Cloud," the cadet advised and turned to mosey away. Rufus just watched him and then absently began to wander towards the vendors. He wasn't going to watch them off, but he heard an uproar when the dysfunctional group did depart.
He was busy, waist deep in a basement. He talked to a vendor selling books and the man invited him down to see his stores of tomes. Rufus hesitated but agreed when he discreetly check his materia set in a Turk standard issue gun.
He expected a trap, given his status and upbringing. Now he was almost wishing it had been one. Then he could have heroically survived and probably got pity points from the red head. Hey, he wasn't picky about how he got Reno, just that he did.
Most piles were as high as his waist but in some places they easily cleared his head. He squinted to read titles and pages upon pages. He was tempted to just grab the first book he touched but none of them seemed right until his hand caught on a thin one as he reached for a leather bound book.
He carefully withdrew the thin book from near the bottom of a stack that made it about shoulder height. He held his breath as he slid it out and sighed in relief when it didn't collapse.
Instead of crouching there and squinting at the dusty thing, he moved to the stairs leading up to the outside. He was impressed to see that it seemed late in the day but quickly retrained himself to his task and dutifully read the title and a handful of pages.
It was a children's book, it seemed. There were a multitude of old fairy tales and fables and Rufus decided right then to get it. Reno probably didn't know many, having grown up in a bad way. Maybe he would offer to read some to the Turk. It didn't matter; he just knew Reno would appreciate it.
He paid the man and quickly made his way to the Inn, unhappy to see the prisoner transport had already arrived and the Turks were about to depart.
Reno saw him first and immediately broke off his conversation with Rude to meet him halfway.
"So Cloud's telling me he talked to you," Reno muttered. "He seems quite interested in what you're going to do after I tell you that."
Rufus made a face at that but he held out the paper bag containing the book.
"A peace offering," he explained as Reno took hold of the bag and carefully peered inside.
"A book?" he asked in confusion. He withdrew it and scanned the worn cover illustrating what might have been a bright chocobo at one point. "A children's book."
Rufus nodded slowly, looking at the other to gauge his reaction.
"First you call me a possession-"
"I'm so-"
"Now you're calling me a child-"
"That isn't-"
"And I SWEAR if you try to make a joke about being my father-"
"I wouldn't-"
"-try to get me to call you 'daddy' or something-"
"RENO!" Rufus yelled, startling the other into silence. The entire plaza got quieter and Reno and Rufus both blushed at the unwanted attention.
"Reno, I wasn't calling you a child. I just wanted to get you something and Cloud said a book so... I found that and I thought that maybe you would like them," Rufus explained, stepping closer to be heard. Reno listened intently now. "I know that you didn't have the best upbringing and I didn't know if you knew them or not, so... If you don't, you could have someone read them to you. I would, you know, if you want..."
Reno listened to the whole explanation with a stony face. When the Vice-President finished, he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Sometimes, I just wanna..." Reno muttered, replacing the book in the bag and holding it out to the blonde. The man took it back miserably.
Reno shook his head and put both hands on either sides of the man's face, pulling his down slightly to lay a kiss on his forehead. He pulled back with softer eyes.
"It'll get messed up if I keep it on me," Reno explained. "Now get out of the way, you're only underfoot here."
The red head abruptly turned and returned to the transport to talk with his fellow Turks and Rufus could swear he saw Reno smiling the whole time.
-o-o-
Rufus returned before the Turks, still in a rather good mood. The first thing he did was liberate a key card and let himself in Reno's rooms. He then sent Tseng a quick message explaining that he was waiting there and to retrieve Reno and come up as soon as possible.
With nothing else to do, he cracked open the book and began to study the tales eagerly, hoping Reno really would want him to read the fables to him.
-o-o-
"It was really unexpected," Reno explained to Tseng as they rode towards Midgar. He was driving because Rude didn't care and be promised to be safe about it to his lover. "Really, really unexpected."
"Do you like him?" Tseng asked, toying with his phone. He glanced up to see a blush that answered his question beautifully.
"You mind?"
"As long as I get him too."
-o-o-
Now Tseng was sitting in the driver's seat. After his somewhat shocking statement, the slum boy nearly wrecked and killed them all. So here they were, Reno blushing in the passenger seat and Tseng coolly piloting the land vehicle.
"We could have something like what Cloud and Sephiroth and Zack have," Tseng pointed out after a while.
"I didn't know you were interested in him," Reno admitted, stubbornly not looking at his superior. Tseng glanced at him wryly.
"We had something going a while ago and it just faded away," he explained. Then Reno did look at him, with wide eyes.
"Really?" he asked. When Tseng gave him a mute nod, his jaw fell open and he considered it.
"Aiming to catch flies?" he was teased after a moment.
"No, it's not on my agenda," he answered automatically. He almost asked a question but a blush flared up before he could get a word out and the noise died in his throat.
"What is it?"
"Uh, well... Who, you know, who topped?" Reno asked quietly.
Tseng smirked, "I did."
"And, uh, with me?"
Tseng considered. "Probably Rufus. Does that bother you?"
"Ah, no... Not sure I wanna see the view from up there," Reno joked, blushing dying down. He leaned back in the chair and considered. "You know what he got me as a gift?"
"No. He was gone most of the morning though, so it should be good."
"A children's fairy tale book," Reno announced. He saw Tseng's incredulous look and nodded.
"My reaction exactly," he huffed. "But he said he got it for me because he wasn't sure I knew them. He explained that he'd read them to me if I wanted since I didn't have parents that would."
Tseng made a soft noise of understanding. It was a good tactic for the poor boy. He carefully slowed down and eventually halted the vehicle just to pull Reno close for a hug and a kiss.
Reno accepted both and let the other start the transport and continue on their journey before allowing himself to smile brightly to himself.
"So do you forgive him? He really didn't mean it. He just puts his foot in his mouth a lot," Tseng told him.
"Mmm. No, I don't," Reno declared. "It's sweet and all but it isn't quite enough."
"Cloud told him to plan a public apology."
"Psh, he does that and he can do me in your office like you do," Reno snorted, not quite believing it.
"No he could not," the Wutaiian frowned. "He is no where near as good as I am, I'm sure."
Reno laughed loudly.
-o-o-
As they pulled into the Shinra compound and was surrounded by SOLDIER guard, Tseng sent Rufus a quick message telling him if he wanted to apologize, to do it soon. He was then swept up into the chaos and distributed in his office over an hour later, Reno in tow.
There were other Turks, waiting for assignments and he was in the middle of doling them out when Rufus found them.
"Can I speak with Reno?" he asked Tseng, closing the door behind him. Tseng nodded and the other Turks moved towards the door but were blocked by the VP. "Please stay."
Confused, they did as instructed and watched as he approached a slightly flustered Reno. He was beginning to blush, making Rufus smirk a little.
"I'm sorry, Reno, for implying you were a possession. You are much more to me and I would like to start over and ask you to dinner," he declared.
Reno's (and the other Turk's for that matter) mouth(s) fell open in surprised. The other Turks glanced from Rufus to Tseng, expecting some kind of blow up worthy of a soap opera.
When none was forthcoming, they returned their gaze to their newest member, who was deep red by now. He sensed the gazes of the others and blurted out, "Yes!" simply to stop the pressure.
Rufus grinned triumphantly and Tseng sighed. The other Turks watched the show with interest as Rufus turned to the man.
"I'd enjoy it if you were to accompany us," he announced.
Tseng gave him a look, "If I had known you were going to do this, I would have sent you into the hall way. An apology is fine but show some decorum in regards to announcing relationships. It's against the rules, after all."
"Oh hell, no one cares," one of the Turks snickered.
Rufus just pointed to her, "Exactly right."
"I am thoroughly disappointed to know you. And yes, I will accompany you both, if only to restrain you from public indecency."
-o-o-
Ah! Turk-centric chapter! You like? I like. Someone wasn't happy with the amount of time poor Rufus was getting, so here he is! Is it good enough? I hope so.
Anyway, please review!