Tseng VI: Shinra's hounds
Finally out of the cell, Tseng sank down onto his chair. He had had no idea that Rufus was into him and that they were compatible in that way. Tseng had found the young successor attractive ever since he first met him, but he would normally assume that Rufus Shinra was far out of his league. Having been born in the slums as the son of a Wutaian couple that had come to Midgar in search for a better life before Shinra's lengthy conflict with Wutai first began, only the riskiest jobs would secure him well-paying employment inside the company. And so he ended up with the Turks.
Most Turks with all their talents were just scum, scooped off the streets of Midgar; people who had nothing to lose but everything to gain. Orphans, children of poor families and scoundrels who could or would easily cast aside their origins and assume a new identity; people who would not be missed if they were killed or disappeared. The Turks were important for Shinra, but their status was akin to hounds. They did anything that needed doing. And anything meant anything, no matter what. They would act as bodyguards, spies, assassins, kidnappers, or even personal servants to the higher-ups in Shinra under certain circumstances. Although he had never heard of a Turk being asked for sexual favors, it was not in the realm of the impossible. Strictly speaking, though, the vice-president had not ordered him to do anything, so Tseng was not technically disobeying orders by telling him 'no'. He had not had any orders not to get 'involved' with Rufus, so they were free to do what they wanted. But the Vice President had completely taken him by surprise and he had had no time to even consider it. He could still feel Rufus' lips on his own and tasted the strong coffee in his mouth. He saw his cold blue eyes piercing his own and felt his hand buried in his hair. He wanted more. Much more.
He cursed his own desires and did his best to push the thought aside. This was not the right place or time to start fantasizing about an agreeable young man. And he knew that Rufus could watch him through the surveillance camera, so there was no way he could give himself relief now. He suddenly remembered that his phone had rang earlier and pulled it out as he got up and turned to leave the office to go home. He would finish writing the report the next day. The message was from Zack. "What's the deal with Sephiroth?" Tseng was taken aback at this message. That was an overly general question, seeing as a whole lot of things were going on with Sephiroth literally all the time. He was quite certain he knew what the question was about, but the topic was too overwhelming to address via text. And he did not want a paper trail associated with it, just in case Zack let anything slip. He shook his head and left his office, forcing himself not to look at the camera again.
"I'll come see you tomorrow", he typed into his phone while walking out of the Turks headquarters instead of answering Zack's question. But he presumed that Zack did not really expect a proper answer, or else he would have asked a proper question. The Turks' headquarters were pretty much empty at this point. The ones that were not away on missions or had a night shift to cover had gone home already, and he would do the same.
On the way, he started writing new message to the SOLDIER department's armory. Zack seemed better, so Tseng would take the appropriate steps to have Angeal's sword delivered to him. It was not Shinra property, and Angeal wanted Zack to have it. But since he had to be sedated to be returned to Midgar from Modeoheim, he could not take it himself. Tseng wanted to be certain that Zack was doing better before being confronted with the item his late friend had left him, so he had it taken to the armory for the time being. He reached the Turks' helipad where the shuttle was always on standby. After getting on the helicopter, he told the pilot his destination and continued to write the message as the helicopter took off. Someone from the armory would deliver the sword to Zack in the morning.
He pocketed his phone and looked out the window over the night city. He was born in Midgar and since joining the company, he had seen the city from the sky more times than he could count, but it was a sight he never got tired of. He would have loved to show it to his parents one day, but he had been declared dead when he joined the Turks and had to break off contact with them in order to assume his new identity as "Tseng". They had been receiving alimony from the company ever since as compensation for the loss of their son. Tseng smiled weakly at the bittersweet memory of his parents. He knew they were doing well, aside from the fact that they believed their only child to have passed, their dreams crushed. Unbeknownst to them, their life's dream had become a reality, because he had made it, and they had, too. But the success came at a price, for they had to shoulder this burden, just as he did. The helicopter was approaching his apartment block in Sector 4 and landed on the closest landing site. Tseng got off and tipped the pilot, who thanked him and wished him a good night. As he took the remaining few steps toward his apartment, he noticed how tired he was. His mind wandered to Rufus Shinra, who was sitting all alone in his cell as he unlocked his apartment door and entered.