FicWad

Rufus looked down at the desk for a moment, until he had his emotions in check once more. He looked up again at the man he’d always considered a father. “You’re right.”

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Reno glared at the bottle. Why did it have to sit there like that? Begging him to take a drink? He could hear it talking to him actually – “who’ll mind if you take just one drink from me, Reno? Just one drink! One drink never hurt anyone…” That was the reason he gave Rufus when he came out of his room, tripping over a rather drunk redhead with an empty bottle of what had once been nearly a hundred year old Scotch.

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Rufus eyed Reno over the breakfast table the next morning. “Have you any idea how much that bottle cost me, Reno? You leave me no choice, I’m taking the cost of it out of your wages.”

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Reno stared at his former lover in disbelief. “You’re fining me? You never did that before!” “Yes well, before you were my lover.” Reno’s jaw dropped. All he could do was watch the blonde as he lifted the napkin from his lap and dropped it on his plate on top of his uneaten food before standing up and leaving the table. “Where the hell do I get that sort of money…?”

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Rufus waited until Reno walked by before he relaxed. He let his head flop down on the table, trying hard to ignore the very ‘Reno’ scent that filled his senses for a moment. When would he get over this stupid addiction?

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Rufus glared at the mirror. Perhaps if he glared at it long enough, the dark spots would disappear simply because he willed it. How could he fix the world if he couldn’t even fix himself? How could he fix the world when he couldn’t even fix his heart? His thoughts strayed to Reno, as they were wont to do. He turned his gaze to the geostigma. It was easier to think of that than the redhead who had stolen and then broken his heart.

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Reno stared blankly into the remains of the fire. He grabbed the poker and pushed the ashes around. Why was it so hard to let him go? All he could think of was the fact that Rufus was in the other room. All he had to do was walk in there, beg for forgiveness and he could be with him once more. He couldn’t do it though. He’d let him go for a reason. So close yet so far…

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Reno frowned as he placed his hand on Rufus’ forehead then lifted the phone once more. “Tseng, he’s burning up – I think he’s got a fever.” Tseng cursed under his breath. “Get a cloth from the bathroom and a basin of water. Keep him cool – I’ll get the doctor there as soon as possible.” He ended the call and immediately dialled the doctor’s number.

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Tseng snorted softly. “Your concerns are duly noted, Sir but you know Reno: it doesn’t matter what anyone says - he will do as he wants. In this case, he wants to go there in the hope of finding a cure for you. All I can do is send Rude with him. Hopefully they will find something and our nightmare will be over.” He sighed. “You should get some rest, Sir. I’ll hear from them soon enough – I’ll let you know what they find.”

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The reporter thrust the mike into Rufus’ face. “So, can you verify the rumours we’ve heard about you and Ms. Kinesky?” Rufus levelled his gaze on the woman and took a deep breath to help alleviate the anger swelling up - as if he’d EVER consider going out with a gold-digging airhead like her! He levelled his gaze at the reporter then spoke finally. “I can honestly say that there is no truth in the rumours – I’m gay.” He ignored the shocked comments around him and walked away.
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