"Ex-SOLDIERs?" Tseng asked, turning to frown at them. "I thought they were all taken care of."
"They're not regular ex-SOLDIERs," Reno told him, lounging against the wall, arms crossed. "According to the guy, they were experimented on—given more mako doses than they could handle. Not enough to turn them into those things," He added hurriedly at Tseng's alarmed look, guessing the director was thinking of the creatures in the tanks at Nibelheim's reactor. "But enough to deform them some, or cause brain damage. Apparently they're lookin' to get all paybacky on Rufus."
Tseng gave a quiet curse, making Reno glance over at Rude, eyebrows raised. It was rare for Tseng to ever swear, even when he was visibly upset, but the soreness in his shoulder and the knowledge of what they were up against must have pushed him over the edge. "SOLDIERs were hard enough to control when they were under Shinra's thumb," Tseng murmured, propping his chin on one hand.
"Basically, we're fucked?" Reno supplied, ever the wordsmith. Tseng shot a distasteful look at him, but then sighed.
"Basically."
Reno's eyebrows climbed higher, and Tseng seemed to remember himself. He straightened at his desk, regaining his composure.
"Rufus needs to have twenty-four hour protection for the moment. I'll draw up a schedule and post it later today. I want you two to continue questioning Leventhal until we know everything he knows. You weren't able to get locations out of him?"
Reno scratched his head. "Well, Rude kinda knocked him out."
Rude cleared his throat, straightening his tie, and Tseng raised an eyebrow at him. "I've had him moved to the basement holding cells. When he recovers you can continue interrogation." His dark eyes flicked over Reno's clothing, stained with Reiss's blood. "You can both go home for the day and clean up. I'll let you know when you're guarding Rufus tomorrow."
"Hey, thank boss man," Reno said, surprised. Tseng was rarely lenient, especially when Rufus was in danger. Privately, Rude wondered if it was due to the fact that Tseng had noticed how jittery Reno was—more so than usual, in fact. His fingers were dancing against his trouser legs as he walked, and his step was bouncier than normal, full of nervous energy.
They reached Reno's apartment, and the redhead unlocked the door, turning to Rude. "You wanna come in? We can order pizza and get smashed."
Rude considered it, then nodded, stepping into the apartment behind Reno. "You ever do anything besides drink?" he asked mildly, and Reno laughed as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one.
"Sometimes," he said around the cigarette. "But I need something to make me relax after all that. Forgot how much I liked it."
"Does it bother you?" Rude asked as he sat on the couch beside Reno. The redhead kicked his feet up on the coffee table and reached for his phone.
"Bother me?" Reno considered it. "Nah." He knew what Rude was thinking. "It only bothers me when it's someone innocent. Or kids. At least under Rufus we don't torture innocent people much." He grinned, a slow, fox-like grin. "Assholes like Leventhal have it coming."
"True," Rude said, leaning back as Reno dialed the pizza place.
"The usual?" the redhead asked.
"No pineapple," Rude said automatically.
"Aww, c'mon. You say that every time."
"I mean it every time."
"Fine," Reno huffed, and while he put in the order Rude went to the kitchen to get glasses, until he realized that Reno didn't own glasses.
"Reno, why don't you have glasses?" Rude asked when Reno got off the phone.
"Fuck that, partner. I just drink outta the bottle."
"You're a slob."
"You've known me for ten years you're just figuring that out now?"
Rude sat back down on the couch, reaching for the ever-present bottle of whiskey on the coffee table. "Sometimes I forget." He took a careful sip, remembering what had happened the last time he'd drunk with Reno.
Reno looked down at himself. "I'm gonna change," he said, getting to his feet. "As much as I enjoyed today, I don't feel like eating dinner while wearing another guy's blood. Get the door if the pizza comes, yeah?" He shrugged out of his blazer and threw it on the ground as he headed to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind him. Rude hurriedly looked away from his partner before the pants went, but had a sneaking suspicion that Reno was doing it on purpose. Sometimes I really think I hate myself, Rude thought, drinking more whiskey and wishing the pizza would come so he had another option besides getting drunk.
The doorbell did ring a few minutes later, while Reno was still in the shower, and Rude gratefully paid the delivery boy and had two slices of (pineapple-free) pizza in his stomach by the time Reno emerged from his bedroom, dressed in sweat pants and an undershirt.
"You owe me ten gil," Rude told him. Reno scoffed a little.
"You make me not get pineapple, then you start without me, and you still want me to go halfsies, partner? Stingy asshole." Nevertheless, he pulled out a bank note and handed it over. Rude slipped it into his own wallet, then offered the pizza box to Reno, who chose a slice and had half of it in his mouth before Rude could blink.
It was almost how it used to be, the two of them lounging together on a couch, watching bad TV and getting drunk. Rude felt himself relax a little, pleased with how Reno was, either unconsciously or consciously, keeping a couple inches of space between them on the couch and had barely flirted all evening aside from his spontaneous undressing. If Rude hadn't been concentrating so hard on not feeling anything for his partner, he might have thought it was odd how tame Reno was being. The redhead wasn't even drunk, just a little tipsy, and that was surprising in and of itself.
The pizza was gone and Rude was getting sleepy, his head swimming a little from the alcohol. Reno was chattering about something, but he wasn't really listening—just enjoying the camaraderie that was so like what he and Reno had had before Rude's mind and body had decided to fuck him over completely and decide Reno was attractive. He was warm and happy, a feeling that was nothing more than a long-lost memory most of the time. He shouldn't have let his guard down.
Before he could register what was happening, Reno was straddling his lap, pressing his ass down on Rude's groin. The calm shattered and Rude tensed, but Reno's hands were already on his wrists, holding them down as he curled his tongue around the first piercing in Rude's ear.
"I told you I wouldn't forget about you staring at my ass," the redhead purred, taking the lobe into his mouth and sucking gently. Rude shuddered. He knew he could easily break free of Reno's grip, but his body was frozen, reveling in the feel of Reno's hot mouth on his skin even as his mind screamed at him that this was bad bad bad.
Reno pressed into him, and Rude felt the redhead's erection, hot and heavy against his lower body before Reno rolled his hips down, ripping a little groan from Rude's throat. The big man felt himself harden instantly and he jerked as Reno licked a strip up his neck to his jaw. He could hear Reno panting a little and saw his blue-green eyes hazy with arousal before the redhead's perfect lips landed on the corner of Rude's mouth. He pulled back a bit and Reno hesitated for a split second before his mouth was coming closer again, pressing gently against Rude's in an almost shy kiss. A moan bubbled up in Reno's throat, making his lips vibrate against his partner's. Almost against his will, Rude felt his mouth moving against Reno's, lips slick with saliva. He tasted so good, just like Rude had always imagined—smoke and cinnamon, and Rude felt his stomach tighten in desire.
Reno's tongue was just coming out to stroke against Rude's lips when the bald Turk finally unfroze. Jerking his wrists free, he turned his head sharply to the side, freeing himself. Reno made an irritated noise, sitting back a little with his hands resting on Rude's lapels.
"Why?" the redhead bit out, frustration clouding his eyes and words. He rolled his hips again and Rude gasped slightly.
"Don't," he told Reno, but the redhead slid his hands against Rude's heavily muscled chest and leaned in again. "I said don't!" Rude snapped, shoving his partner hard. Reno lost his balance, tumbling down to land hard on the floor, the breath whooshing out of him. Rude felt a twinge of guilt at the accusing look Reno sent his way, but he stood anyway, moving towards the door without bothering to help the redhead up.
"Rude, you're seriously being a dick," Reno snapped, and he paused, looking back at his partner, who was still sprawled on the floor, leaning on his elbows. Reno pushed himself to his feet stiffly. "You want me," he said in a low voice. "I know you want me! Ifrit's fire, you were hard and you kissed me back, gods damn it!" he shouted, and the raw emotion in his voice was like a knife in Rude's heart. He ignored it, slamming out of Reno's apartment and pounding up the stairs to his own home.
Reno stood in the middle of his living room, quivering with anger. In a sudden, savage movement, he put his fist through the drywall, wincing at the sharp pain that wormed up his arm. He tugged his hand free and stared with dull eyes at the ruin of his knuckles, dripping bright blood down his wrist and onto the carpet.
With a sigh, Reno flung himself back down onto the couch and reached for the whiskey. He'd been keeping his drinking light that evening, but now he was upset enough to take several long pulls, both to dull the pain in his hand and the strange ache of emptiness in his chest.
Rude noticed the rawness of Reno's knuckles the next day, but refused to acknowledge it. In fact, he sat at his desk quietly, not even offering a greeting. Reno was disheveled and his uniform was sloppier than usual, his eyes red-rimmed, but Rude was too pissed at his partner to even bring himself to care. It seemed that Reno was also, if the smell that radiated off of him was any indication, still drunk from the night before.
"Gaia, Reno," Elena said, stopping short as she entered their office. She wrinkled her nose. "It smells like you took a bath in booze."
Reno just glared and grunted a little, propping his head on one hand and doodling on a sheet of paper at his desk.
"What is it?" Rude asked Elena, swiveling to face her.
"Tseng has the schedule worked out for guarding Rufus," she told him, handing over a sheet of paper. "You two have the night shift three times this week."
"Why does he always put us together?" Reno said petulantly, tossing a wad of paper across the room. "Would it kill Tseng to switch it up some?"
"You're partners," Elena told him slowly, as though he were stupid. "By definition, you work together. Besides, you two are like the dream team."
Uncomfortable, Rude excused himself to go get more coffee. Reno frowned at his back, and Elena came over to lean against his desk, taking his injured hand in hers.
"This isn't from interrogation," she observed.
Reno pulled his hand back. "I had to blow off some steam last night," he muttered.
"Those look nasty, Reno. Did you clean them?"
"Lay off, Laney," Reno snapped. "I can deal with it myself."
Elena scoffed, crossing her arms, and Reno almost smiled at how different she was from the shy and polite rookie who'd joined Shinra years ago. "There's something going on with Rude, isn't there?" she asked him, tipping her head to one side. "What's up? You know we can't afford to have you guys out of sync, not with this SOLDIER-X group running around."
Reno cut his eyes at the door, but Rude had yet to reappear. He wasn't normally one to confide—if he ever did, it was to Rude, but clearly that wasn't an option right then, not with Rude acting like a dick. "It's complicated," he hedged.
"Don't give me that, Reno. Are you guys fucking?"
His eyebrows rose. "Where's the shy little Elena who was always polite to her superiors? Damn, girl."
She grinned at him, a little bitterly. "She died when Kadaj and his gang brutally tortured her."
Reno winced. "I get that."
"So? Don't try to change the subject, Red."
He frowned at her. "No, we're not fucking. Not for lack of me trying." The last part was muttered under Reno's breath, but Elena's sharp ears picked it up.
"Aww, poor Reno," she cooed, ruffling his hair. He bared his teeth and slapped her hand away. Sobering, Elena gave his head a last little stroke and said, "You know Rude's a tough guy to crack."
Reno leaned back with a sigh. "Didja know that in the entire ten years I've known Rude, I've never seen him with someone? Not even a one night stand." He snorted. "I'd think he was a monk if he didn't get chatty when he's wasted."
Elena sat down in the spare chair and scooted up to Reno's desk, propping her feet up carefully to avoid the explosion of paperwork that liberally covered the redhead's workspace. "Rude would do anything for you," she said softly. "He's quiet and reserved, but I've never seen him more alive than when he's with you."
Reno made a frustrated noise. "Then why won't he do something about it? He keeps saying he ain't interested, but unless he had an EMR in his pocket last night, I know that ain't right." His bloodshot eyes focused forlornly on the opposite wall of the office.
"Yuck," Elena said dismissively.
"He pushed me," Reno admitted as though he hadn't heard her. "I was on his lap and he shoved me off. And he wasn't nice about it."
"That doesn't sound like him," Elena said, brow furrowing. "It sounds like he's got some issues to work through, Reno. Maybe you should lay off. Rude's a gentle giant most of the time when he's not working. For something to make him react violently he must really have his reasons."
Reno was quiet, but he looked uncharacteristically sad, and Elena almost asked him what he felt for Rude, but knew he would just laugh the question off with a crude joke. She patted his shoulder instead as she got to her feet. "Don't let it get to you, okay Reno? Rufus's safety is our priority right now."
"Don't tell me what to do," Reno grumbled, but it was without heat. "I'm your superior."
"Well, you're acting like a kid. Either grow a pair and talk to Rude about how you feel or suck it up until we deal with these SOLDIER assholes."
"When did you get so introspective?" Reno asked suspiciously.
"When did you learn big words?" Elena shot back, heading for the door. She nearly crashed into Rude as he was returning, and the big man mumbled an apology.
Reno sank his head onto his desk. There was a little knot of consternation in his stomach that grew when he thought about spending an entire night with Rude. Rufus's safety came first, of course, and Reno would do everything in his power to protect his president, but he couldn't remember ever not looking forward to something quite as much as he was dreading a twelve hour shift mostly alone with his partner, particularly when they were on such bad terms. He had never not wanted to spend time with Rude before, and the new feeling was unpleasant. It almost made him want to puke.
Reno frowned. No, he actually had to puke.
Rude shook his head in exasperation when his partner bolted from the room, a hand over his mouth.
Reno managed to make it to the men's room, not bothering to lock the stall door before heaving into the toilet. His stomach felt like it was turning inside out—a feeling he was unfortunately rather familiar with lately. As he flushed the toilet, Reno half expected Rude to be there at his back with a glass of water like he normally was, but when he struggled to his feet, Tseng was standing by the sinks, his arms crossed.
"What?" Reno snapped, feeling too ill to be polite.
Tseng just stared, his eyes icy. "The first threat to Rufus's life since Kadaj and his gang is here, Reno. You need to pull yourself together."
"I am together," Reno bit out, splashing water in his face and cursing his colleagues silently. "Elena already bitched at me once, all right, Tseng?" He made to push past his boss and leave the room, but Tseng caught his arm.
"Whatever is going on with you, it ends now," the Wutaiian man hissed. "Don't make me regret promoting you to be my second. You're good at what you do, Reno, but too more of this reckless attitude and I'll be forced to officially reprimand you." His eyes flickered over Reno's pale face. "Not to mention the damage you're doing to your liver."
"Turks don't live long enough to die of liver failure," Reno said cheerfully, jamming his hands in his pockets as he left the room. He felt slightly better after vomiting and managed to return to his office and work for several hours, though Rude's solid, quiet, and yet somehow disappointed presence in the room fostered in him a strong desire to keep drinking and never stop. When they were first partnered, Reno hadn't minded Rude's quietness—he liked to listen to himself talk, after all—but now the echoing silence was driving him batty, and he was still too irritated at Rude to talk in his presence, even to himself. When it was time to go home, Reno didn't bother to wait for Rude; he just left to go back to his dark apartment alone and drink some more, dreading the next night when he and Rude would have to guard Rufus.
For his part, Rude spent the night sleeping fitfully, his waking hours plagued by worries of what Reno was doing to himself without Rude to look out for him.