FicWad

"She... saved us...?" he asked no one in particular. Rude couldn't believe it. He paused a moment, realizing just what had happened. "The Lifestream...?"

"Yeah, fuck me, yo. .." Then he got hit by a wave as it went by and his face twisted into a rictus of guilt and just, God, so many other emotions. He could HEAR the voices of the people who had died who rested within that particular eddy, many of them fthe ones he had killed when the plate fell. ..he gripped his temples, wanting to tell the voices to shut up, to just back off, to leave him alone, that he knew his sins and didn't need no damn fellow slum rat to remind him. As it washed over him and passed he breathed heavily with a muttered curse.

"Reno!" Rude stepped quickly to his partner's side, arms out to catch the redhead if he fell. A little voice in the back of his head reminded him that Reno had the absolute worst luck. Ever.

"Let's say we avoid the next one, eh, yo?" But as it passed completely and one more tiny eddy passed he smiiled a bit, as if someone had whispered something sweet to him, Then he set his hand on his cheek as if someone had touched it and he wanted to hold that touch there. Then it passed Rude amd a whisspered "take carea my brother" could be heard whispered in his ear, as the planet's green lifeblood sank back into the vents within the surface.

Hearing voices from the Lifestream was not at the top of Rude's list of things to do shortly after evading certain death. True, evading certain death was an everyday occurance, moreso as of late, but still, something just creeped him out about it. Not the way Ifrit creeped him out, but a different creeping out.

In response to the voice, Rude just grunted and nodded once, not entirely sure who it was who's brother he was supposed to take care of, but he had an idea.

Reno's face held an almost beautific expression as he watched the sky clear. . .looking around at the wreckage.. .they seemed to be the luckiest bastards in the world, within the only untouched spot in the entire city. the president moaned softly from Reno's arms, Dark Nation winding around the redhaired Turk's legs. "Let's get out ta Kalm, radio said it should be pretty much untouched, and the boss needs a doc." it was spoken in a hushed but very assured tone.

Rude grunted and nodded again, looking around for the best mode of transportation. A car wouldn't work so well, as most of the streets were either covered in debris or torn to shreds. A helicopter would be ideal, but from what Rude could tell, there wasn't a functional one in sight.

Reno then heard another hushed moan, this one not an adult one, but that of a child one not more than 3 or 4 from the sound of the voice, he handed Rufus off to Rude and began digging. As he reached where the rubble was cleared enough he could see a swatch of burgundy hair. ..as he uncovered a bit more he saw a blue dress with a white apron, much like the one Marlene wore. He lifted the little girl who held a moogle doll out of the rubble when familiar warking sound hit their ears. A Chocobo. Now, Reno may not be too fond of the noisy oversized chickens, but it was certainly better than WALKING to Kalm.

Rude was always of the camp that a chocobo was more suited as dinner than as a mount, but he wasn't one to look a gift bird in the mouth. He greatly wished that he had a pocket full of greens to help catch the walking drumstick.

"You gonna help me catch it?" he asked Reno, hoping the redhead would say yes. He was not looking forward to possibly chasing the bird across the entire city.

Reno nodded, then felt something crumbly in the girl's dress pocket. ..greens, she had greens! Now, normally he wasn't one to steal from children, but he needed the damn greens. ..but the bird seemed to have that idea too for it nosed at the girl with another soft wark. "Heh, 'sour lucky day yo!" He grabbed the Chocobo's leanneck, lifting Rufus and the girl onto it before mounting in between them, indicating Rude should climb on behind Rufus. Livewire suddenly appeared from the house next to Dark Narion with a soft mew, the two big cats sniffing each other in greeting. "C'mon you two, follow dinner" he called to the two cuahls.

"You've got to be kidding me," Rude mumbled, looking at how cramped the chocobo's back was. There was no way someone of his comparable size was going to fit on there, too. Still, he tried, and barely manged to stay on the chocobo's back without falling off the tail.
Michael TW Kelley: Reno took off with the bird at almost breakneck speed, the two cats keeping up with them in an easy lope. With only one incident in which Rude did actually slip off the bird's tail and he had to stop and help him back up they reached Kalm. The town as the radio had said was untouched, and he rented a room at the inn, asking the innkeeper to send the town physician over as soon as he possibly could to see to two survivors of the crisis.

Rude also wanted a word with the doctor. He wouldn't admit it to Reno, but he tailbone felt bruised, if not broken. He carefully set himself on the twin bed not occupied by Rufus and the girl, laying on his stomach and trying not to move too much.

"Yo, sorry 'bout ya gettin' dropped," The apology was soft, a loft softer than one would expect from Reno, but the past two days had left him unsure of where he stood. "Sorry 'bout. ..that idiocy back at the condo. .. I know I made a promise to you never to do that again. ..an' I broke it. If you were mad at me I'd understand totally."

"Not mad at you," Rude said, pausing to suck in a harsh breath as he tried to push himself up to look at Reno. Moving was definitely not a good idea until the doctor came. "Mad at... fuck." Rude's eyes squeezed shut as he clenched his teeth. He had to stop trying to move. It had just gotten worse as the doctor took his sweet time getting there. Where before he could walk with a little pain, he currently felt like someone was ramming a red hot, painful poker up his ass.

The doctor, a bustling little older woman, strode into the room, checking over the two who obviously needed it first, clucking her tongue against her teeth as she began binding wounds and casting higher level restorative spells than either of the boys had the energy for. Rufus soon egan to shift on the bed, his blue eyes opening, though they were just a shad dimmed, as if he hadn't fully awakened quite yet. The little girl immediatly sat up and began crying for her parents. ..they had been buried in the disaster though, and likely would never be found. She then turned to Rude. "I see injuries of this sort all the time when people are first learning to ride, I'll have you fixed up in a jiffy "And with one more Cure 3 his tailbone mends itself.

Rude didn't mean to moan pleasantly as the restorative spell mended his tailbone. But the feeling of pleasure that seemed to accompany any artificial restorative went directly from his tailbone, up his spine, into his brain, and back down between his legs. He couldn't believe it. He was NOT 13 anymore; there was no need for random, spontaneous erections. But, there it was, pressing into the bed as the doctor looked at him funny.

"Thanks," he grunted, not standing up. A steel rod in your pants was not something you stood up with to show both an older woman and a young girl. His entire head, ears and all, had pinkened in embarassment.

Reno meanwhile was comforting the girl with an impromtu puppet show..."Hey look, it's mr Socky. ..he's gonna get ya!" he actually managed to elicit a laugh from her. "M'name's Emily Tarshil" she said quietly. "My mum died after she had me, and Da's gone. .." she sniffed softly "He brougt me outside, then our house fell down n'us."

Then he looked over at Rude with a soft, knowing grin, and mouths "Shower after she falls asleep" at him.

Rude rolled his eyes. Leave it to Reno to both assess and silently make fun of his problem without saying much of a word. He shifted slightly, thankful for the lack of pain, but a little unthankful for the pleasantness of his arousal rubbing against the inside of his boxers.

Reno wasn't making fun, not really, just wanted to assist him with the problem, then his face got serious as he began to attend to the bigger matters at hand. .. asessing how bad their boss's disabilities were going to be, checking that their two fellow Turks had escaped Meteor allright, and the matter of the now orphaned little girl that was currently in their care.

Carefully, very carefully, Rude stood, his back to both Rufus and the little girl. He couldn't do his job with a raging hard-on. He had to take care of it, and take care of it now. Walking as casually as he could muster, Rude went towards the bathroom.

When his eyes met Rude's again they had a bit of longing in them. He'd always thought about having a family "After he'd gotten out of the slums and made something of himself" Then it had been "After we finally retire" due to how dangerous the life of a still-active Turk was. Opportunity had dropped a ready made family right in his lap, and he wanted it so bad he could taste it. Hell, if he was right this girl belonged to one of his numerous cousins on his father's side anyway, so therefor was his blood and his responsibilty, but he shook his head after asking the doc to administer a sedative to the girl, to which she nodded. He'd deal with it after he helped his partner with his problem.

Rude sighed quietly. He knew that look on Reno's face. And where Reno was a family man at heart... Rude was not. Sure, he liked kids well enough... liked them even better when he could give them back after a few hours. He much preferred to be 'Uncle Rude' than 'Daddy'.

However, that wasn't neary as important as the tent in his pants that he was pretty sure he hid quite well from the child and their employer. He closed the bathroom door, not noticing Reno following him.

Reno cornered him in the shower, pinning him against the wall with a fierce kiss, his body shaking. It had been a fiercely nasty week, and he wanted to reassure himself he was alive.

If Rude said Reno'd caught him totally off guard, he'd be lying. True, he had expected him to play Mommy Reno to the little girl, giving him enough time to take the edge off his problem, but a little part of him... well, not so little part of him, knew otherwise. A deep chuckle rose from Rude's thought as he broke the kiss to look into Reno's eyes.

"Think they can hear us?" he asked, voice a low rumble in his chest.

"Had her sedate the girl, yo. .and if the boss can I suspect he'll be laughin' and cheerin' us on."

"If not trying to get out of bed and join in," he mumbled, almost too quiet for anyone to hear. However, with his possible objections to his loud redhead helping him relieve some stress gone, he decided it best to just enjoy what he had... with a little jibe, of course.

"I could have taken care of this myself," he said, eyes smiling happily while his lips smirked. He took himself into hand, slowly letting his loose fist travel over the soft skin.

Reno almost licked his lips. ..Gods his lover was beautiful. ..so beautiful it made him want to cry at times. . ."I still plan on makin' good on that license, ya know. ..gonna make an honest man o' ya." with that he knelt down, taking that tube of flesh into his mouth with a soft moan of utter longing. .. lips and tongue nearly devouring him.

His hands drifted down to cup his testicles, rolling them gently between his fingers as his eyes rolled back in his head. Reno really did have a wonderful mouth. Really. And Rude didn't just think of it when he was buried balls deep in said mouth, either.

"Honest man," he repeated, tone indicating that he was not the one being made honest in their partnership.

Reno only peered up at him with those twinkling eyes...he hadn't touched another man. .or woman for that matter, ever since they'd become exclusive Not even during the time before the plate when they'd been apart. It was a lot of nights spent with the photos and sheets that still had Rude's scent on them and his own fisted fingers. He didn't consider himself too prefer either gender really, he just loved who he loved, with every bit of his heart and soul, and that was the one he knelt before right now, his throat taking him in as he drinks of him like the headiest wine. . .a soft moan echoing around Rude's cock.

For as many people who had called Reno a cocksucker, Rude wished they knew just how good of one he was. Or not, now that he thought about it. No, he wanted that mouth all to his own. And it was his own as he threaded the fingers of his free hand into Reno's hair, thrusting gently against his partner's lips. He felt the murmers, the moans, and that slight hint of dangerous teeth. It was wonderful.

Reno's eyes suddenly began to tear as he realizes just how close he had come to losing this. ..all of the plans and dreams he'd had for the future. ..they had all almost gone up in smoke. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Ancient that had saved them all. His motions become more frantic now, but he lifts off, positioning himself against the shower wall. ..that slender form so inviting. "Please. .I need you."

Rude turned Reno to face him, meeting eyes. He was close, so close in fact that if another handful of water droplets landed just so on him, he was going to explode.

With a gentle kiss pressed to the redhead's forehead, Rude slowly moved to his knees, a single finger flashing out to run from base to tip of Reno's obvious arousal. He looked up, looking for a sure sign that Reno didn't want that and, finding none, took the head of his partner's erection into his mouth.

Reno tilted his head back, practically sobbing. ..he could feel life thrumming along his nerves again. . .looking at his home. ..everything he'd worked for and fought for and the life he'd had destroyed that way had shaken him more than he'd realized.

Rude pulled back, licking his lips before pushing forward again, feeling Reno's arousal split his lips apart, taking in as much of his lover as he could. True, Rude knew himself to be inferior in the oral sex department to Reno, but then again, according to Rude, EVERYONE was. He felt the first taste of precome touch his tongue and moaned lightly.

"Gods, so good. .wanna know I'm alive, yo. ..need you. . .need to know. ..so many times thought one of s was gonna die. ..shit, " and his back arched to push more of himself into Rude's mouth. ..his chest shook with supressed emotion, all of it beginning to come out now.

Rude took all he could, gagging only slightly with Reno's last push. He did not have the supreme control of his gag reflex and breathing to just close his thoat and let the redhead slide right in. He did his best, though, pulling all the way back until only the tip of the head was between his lips, then sliding forward again until he had reached right before the gagging point.

"You can..." he said when his mouth had nothing in it, sliding his lips down and back before finishing. "... come if you want."

Reno did, with a loud cry followed by soft sobs, it had been more than pleasure. ..this time. ..an emotional release. ..he dove on Rude again, this time lining up after only spit and water lube. ..sliding him home with a gasping sigh. ..he was incredibly full. ..even if Rude came with that one motion. ..to feel him again was all he'd needed.

While Rude had calmed down a little with pleasuring Reno, the feel of his lover's tight body on his was more than what he needed. He grasped Reno's hips, pulling down as he spilled himself inside the redhead.

Reno then turns him over.. ..he was already hard again, he took the lotion from the medicine cabinet, slicking himself up, then watching Rude to see if it bothered him. He would never EVER take anyone against their will, but he needed this. ..to have both of them joined, to feel Rude around him and know the big man was as alive as he was. ..he was shaking badly. . .


Rude took a deep breath. He knew that Reno knew he wasn't about being bottom all the time. He liked it every once in a while, usually after long evening in front of a bottle. However, if it was what the redhead needed, he would do it.

He smiled, happy that Reno had remembered he didn't like doing it face to face when he was bottom. However, that stemmed more from his dislike of being contorted into a pretzel than from anything else. He was a big man, not easily bent in half.

"Stretch me first," he said. It had been awhile since he last did that and was fairly certain his body needed to be reminded of how much room it needed to make for Reno.

Reno gently inserted first one of those slender piano player fingers. ..then two. ..stretching with a gentle scissoring motion, his fingers sketching that magic spot inside. ..as soon as he felt the resistance scatter he slid in in one very smooth thrust. ..sitting a moment to give his partner time to adjust. ..but he knew Rude would feel the tears against his back. ..the emotions coming out with a loud roar as he felt him clench down. ..gods, it felt so incredible. ..his cheek resting against the well muscled back, smelling that sweet, musky scent that was part of who he was, he claimed him body and soul from the world that had wanted to rob Reno of what was his.

It started off as just a simple feeling of fullness, emotions touched as he felt Reno shatter emotionally above him. He clenched tight, liking the feeling as Reno's arousal occassionally brushed gently at his hidden spot. Within minutes he felt himself gasping, arching back to take more of Reno into him.

Reno took Rude in hand, as always mindful of his pleasure, whenever he topped, those rare occasions, he always saw to the other's pleasure first, it was only the right thing to do, and he had always been a considerate lover. . .but his hand shook on the flesh as he did so. ..he heard the stereo in the back. ..the song echoed his feelings. ..he wondered idly how Rude had gotten his CD collection out in all of that madness and his little boombox but he was damn glad he'd done so. ..as the sweet notes of the bridge of "My Immortal" spun out over his ears and heart he thrust in deep with the crescendoed note at the end of it. .crying out and his grip became tighter, strokes surer. It was the absolute truth, no matter what happened from here...the big man would always have all of him.

Reno's hands. Where the redhead's body met his. It was exquisite sensation after exquisite sensation until he came again, not as hard as he had earlier, but with just as much emotion in it. His head dropped until his forehead rested on his bent arms, lungs gasping for air.

Reno held onto him the best he could, though Rude was heavy, and he was feeling pretty damn drained after that experience.

It took a moment, the aftershocks causing his muscles to lightly clench and unclench unconsciously. Finally, Rude spoke without lifting his head.

"We need to get back in the shower," he said, indicating the mess they made.

Reno nodded, drawing himself to his feet, though his legs shook badly. .."Shit yo. ..dizzy. .." but he chuckles...the emotional release had been exactly what he'd needed, as the now relaxed state of his muscles would attest to.

Rude lifted his head, thinking of something else. "We need to eat, too." Neither of them had eaten more than a few bites that day. No wonder they were both exhausted and emotional. He climbed back into the shower, intent on cleaning off quickly and going back into the room to ask about food.

Reno again nodded, his hair was full of soot and plaster from the destroyed buildings. . ."We lost everything. ..but the boss'll rebuild, right? He's got plenty o' funds ta do it. ..soon enough we'll all be back and ensconced in a nice office again, yo."

Truth be told, Rude preferred missions to deskwork, but after the week he'd been having, a few days of deskwork looked like heaven. He nodded to Reno, stepping out of the shower and drying off with a soft white towel. He loved hotel towels. No particular reason, he just did.

"Just. .hell, we hafta decide where we're gonna live now. .our condo went up with the resta midgar. .."

"Wherever the President tells us to live," Rude said, pulling on his boxers and wifebeater. He was glad he managed to save a couple duffle bags of their clothes, otherwise he was going to have to get them more clothes. And Rude hated shopping. Especially with an excited to be shopping Reno tugging him along.

He nodded, his mind still reeling at the enormity of the loss. an entire city. ..it made sector seven look like a convience store robbery in compmarision. "Gonna go check on him." He pulls his pants and shirt and blazer back on.

Rude nodded, gathering up his clothes and the towels. The towels he placed over the top of the shower doors, his clothes he carried in front of him. He foolishly left the duffle bags on the other side of the room, and he was not putting his dust covered suit back on over his clean skin. The President and little girl would just have to deal with his partial nudity. At least, that's what he kept telling himself as he, as silently as he could, stepped out of the bathroom and walked as unassumingly as possible towards the bags.

Emily immediatly glomped onto Reno as they stepped out of the bathroom, her eyes still blinking sleepily. "Mr Shinra said to tell you to order supper when ya came out." she said. Dark Nation and Livewire seemed to have taken to the girl too, each of the big cats curled up around her, she seemed completely unafraid of them.

Rude nodded at the little girl, mind still focused on putting on pants and a shirt. He knelt down in front of the bags, hunting carefully for anything more to cover himself with.

Reno meanwhile was on the phone ordering room service, yelling out to ask who wanted what.

Rude didn't bother answering, knowing that Reno knew what he liked. He just hoped he wouldn't get whatever he was ordering ninth level of hell hot like he did last time. Rude liked spicy food, but he liked to taste the food under the spice, too. He smiled when he found a pair of jeans. As much as he wanted to be in his suit in front of the President, he only had two left, one clean, one covered in dust.

Rufus was sitting up in bed, finally fully awake, laptop sitting across his legs as he checked to see what assets he had still remaining that he could liquidate in order to rebuild. His near death experience had changed him, made him more aware of what he had to lose. he told Reno what he wanted and shifted a bit. His legs were still numb and useless, but at least he could move his bottom now in order to get more comfortable.

Rude stood, jeans making a crisp sound as the fabric rubbed against itself. He tucked the wifebeater into the waistband, moving purposefully to stand as a bodyguard to the blonde. When the little girl whose name he already forgot looked up at him, he smiled gently, hoping he did't scare her. Sometimes, his sheer bulk and quiet demeanor frightened children, something he never intended.

Emily chuckled when she wasn't afraid of the two big cats, why would she fear him? Besides, she'd watched the way he'd tried to comfort his partner on the way in, so she knew how gentle he could be. "He told me you're a little leery of kids." She said it as if she were repeating by rote what Reno had told her. "What's Leery? Is it like when you're afraida somethin'?"

And that was the main reason Rude wasn't fond of the little ones. They asked far too many questions for him. However, the girl's question gave him pause. Was he afraid of kids? Was that it?

"Uncle Rude just isn't sure of children, sweetie," Rufus said from the bed, turning to smile at the little girl. "Children like you are so small to him, and he doesn't want to accidentally hurt you, since he's so big."

She seemed to be satisfied with that but then she said something that was a clue of just how observant she was. "He really loves you a lot, you know. .." she smiles as she says it, as if it is something she is as sure of as she is that the sun rises in the morning. "Wish I had family like that. ..even though you're not blood. ..you're family."

Reno paused in the middle of ordering the food, thinking about what the girl had said for just a moment. Was it true? Had he had the "family" he'd been seeking all along right in front of his face? When he realized she had said it as naturally as if it had always been true, he facepalms.

The child's words were making Rude uncomfortable. He and Reno had never discussed a family in anything more than a passing manner. He knew Reno wanted it, but Rude wasn't sure he could give it. Not only with the whole them both being unable to bear children thing, but with his whole outlook towards the young people. He disliked dealing with any child between the ages of two and 15 for any longer than a couple hours. He reached up to straighten the tie he wasn't wearing, an unconscious gesture of discomfort.

Reno knew though, he took her outside and explained it to her. "Tell ya what. . .There's a friend of ours named Elena that just adores kids. ..I'll talk to her, see if she'll be your new mama, then Rude n' I can be uncles, k?" The girl nodded shyly. ..if he trusted this woman, so would she.

Besides, if she lived with Elena he could have about as much time with the kid as he wanted, maybe get this wierd thing out of his system. In fact, it wasn't the thought of having kids of his own that had wierded him out about what Hojo had wanted to do so much as it was the pain and discomfort of the whole thing. Kids he liked, pain he did NOT.

Rude breathed a heavy sigh as Reno took the girl outside, one that made Rufus look up at him.

"Sir?" he asked.

Rufus tsked. "You don't want children, Rude?"

Again, Rude's hand went to where his tie should be. "Well, sir... I..."

Rufus chuckled, closing his laptop and setting it aside. "I see. Say no more."

Reno had called Elena on her way in, who had absolutely GUSHED at the idea.

"Sir?" Rude asked, confused. Even he wasn't sure why he wasn't keen on kids, how could the President...?

"You are very much a man, Rude," Rufus said, still being vague in his explaination. "You lack the maternal insticts of your partner."

"It's not that I don't like them, sir, it's..."

Rufus interrupted. "It's that you don't think you can provide the appropriate life for them?" Without waiting for Rude to nod, Rufus continued. "There is a reason most Turks are unwed and without children, Rude."

"You think I don't understand, yo? Why do you think I always put it off? First it was 'when I'm off the streets' Then it was 'when I'm my own person and not someone's whore' Then it was 'when I found someone decent' then finally 'when we retire' I know how dangerous our lives are. 'shwhy I never thougth about it until real recently. But the urge to give someone what I never got has always been there."

Rude jumped at Reno's words, composing himself as quickly as possible. Funny thing was, not that he would tell Reno, Rude didn't plan on retiring. He had heard that when one retired from the Turks, one retired in a wooden box. He had always assumed he and Reno would go out in a blaze of glory, not from old age.

Rufus did know though "Things are changing. . .your jobs are changing, though I daresay there will plenty of excitement in your lives still. But the policy of killing those who are too old to serve died with my father, thank you."

"Sir," Rude said, unsure of what else he really could say. He knew what he was getting into when he went from working door security in the main ShinRa building to be approached by Tseng and offered a more... interesting job. However, he'd always assumed there would be no one of note in his life... that was, until a certain redhead broke through his carefully constructed barriers in a night of wild drinking and even wilder passion.

Reno remembered fondly the party which had preceded that wild night. .. Elena, a secretary for Rufus at that time, but still a friend, had seen the way he looked at his partner and shoved the two of them out onto the floor. ..the song that had played said it all "I know we've been friends forever. . .but now I think I'm feelin' somethin' totally new" That one line, right there, said it all. Rude had been all hot-faced the entire time, unsure of the new bonds forming. But for Reno it had been another of those "duh" moments. What he'd been looking for had been right in front of his face the entire time.

Rude was brought out from wherever world he's slipped to in his mind by a knock at the door. Ah yes. Food. His stomach growled lowly as he thought of it.

Reno opened the door, the guy bringing the tray in "For you the jalapeno quesadillas you like so much, yo" He passes that tray to Rude "For you, boss, the smothered porterhouse with confetti rice and mixed vegetables. an' for me and Em. .. big cheeseburgers with all the trimmin's and french fries. Or as you like to call it partner, 'heart attack on a plate'"

Rude chuckled, nodding to the gentleman outside. Yes, Reno could read him like a large neon sign. Jalapeno quesadillas with sour cream on the side were one of his favourites.

"Thank you," he said to the redhead, pressing a light kiss on Reno's lips before sitting down on the bed to eat.

Reno happened to LOVE the cheeseburgers, even though cardio pulmonary problems ran through his father's side of the family enough to have Rude cihding him about the way he ate sometimes. But what was the point in life if you didn't enjoy it? So he returned the kiss and dug into burger with great relish.

Rude ate quietly, watching the girl with a strange fascination. She was doing something he'd never seen his little brother do. The girl took off a handful of things from the cheeseburger, Rude thinking she just didn't like everything on it. However, he watched as she ate the items, the onion and lettuce. He was about to ask why she ate the best parts first when he noticed her face. Ahhh. Seems she ate the worst parts first, rather than just peel them off and not eat them at all. A dutiful child, this girl was.

Whereas Reno just picked them off and tossed them to one side. He disliked tomatos intensely.

Rude was half finished with his food, alternating between dipping the quesidillias in hot salsa and cool sour cream, when his phone rang. He quickly swallowed what was in his mouth, not looking at the caller ID before answering.

"Rude," he said, only to have a bright voice answer him.

"I know who you are, Rude," Elena said over the line. "Tseng and I just got here. I think we're the only ones left, too." She paused. "What room are you in?" Reno looked at the door and flashed him a 2 and 2 5s in answer. then his face grew thoughtful. .. this had been a very strange day


"255," Rude said, nodding to Reno.

"Great!" Elena chimed. "We'll be up in a few minutes.


Reno knew part of Rude's reluctance was his own raising. ..his father admittedly had done the best he could by his sons, but anything outside of Shinra just didn't pay enough to have a decent way of life and from what little he knew Rude's father simply did NOT like the idea of he OR any of his sons working for the mega-conglomerate. He always felt too much power being in the hands of any one man or business was not a good thing.

He smiled suddenly thinking about that. ..wondering what Rufus was going to do when the time for an heir came around. The boss was a lot more comfortable around kids than even he was. He figured he'd probably enter into a poliically based marriage with the agreement on both parties that once an heir was produced each was free to carry on as if they were not married.

A single, curt sounding knock at the door indicated Tseng's presense. A loud, "Hey!" shortly after indicated Elena's. Rude stood, walking over towards the door. He suddenly felt quite underdressed.

However he felt, Rude opened the door, nodding to Tseng and Elena. "Good to see you up, sir," he said, indicating he healers had done a good job at fixing up the injured man.

The wutain man nodded "At ease, sir. It is not as if we as yet have a workplace to return to."

A faint blush touched Rude's cheeks as he stepped out of the way to let the two Turks in. It was, however, gone by the time Elena had latched onto him in a bear hug. For being such a small girl, she was strong.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she said, still attached to Rude. "Did you see it? Did you?"

Reno nods. *We were out in the middle of it, yo" He does not tell her about how they had ended UP outside while meteor was bearing down on them, though the memory of his actions which had driven the fight caused his cheeks to tinge pink.

Rude can't help but smile at the girl's enthusiasm. Even if the world were close to ending, he could count on Elena to at least make it slightly more bearable. That's not to say Reno hadn't, but it's different when you're standing next to your lover.

Elena stopped, detaching herself from Rude at Tseng's throat clearing noise. She saluted Rufus after smiling at the little girl in the room. "Sir."

Tseng held back to the urge to walk over to Rufus and do something rather unseemly

"How are things outside?" Rufus asked, a tiny smile crossing his face at Tseng.

"The whole city has fallen sir. ..There are perhaps 3 or 4 buildings remaining. ..and those not inhabitable." Tseng's almond-shaped eyes closed at having to deliver the news that the dream Rufus' father had built had died in such a horrific manner.

"I see," was all Rufus said.

Rude went about silently collecting their empty dishes, not wanting to disrupt the two men.

The black cuahl disengaged herself from her position now curled around the striped one and trotted over to her master, mewing in sympathy. "I am particularly glad to note that you made it through the fall of the tower. ..when I saw the destruction I had thought for sure you had been killed."

"So did I," Rude said quietly.

Rufus chuckled darkly. "Takes more than a building to kill me, gentleman," he paused to look at Elena's frown. "And lady."

Tseng finally could not resist the urge to be sure he was real and solid, and set a hand on the president's shoulder.

Both Rude and Elena turned away from the sight, knowing that neither man liked to be any sort of exhibitionist. Once they did, Elena finally got a good look at the little girl in the room.

"Reno?" she asked, hardly able to keep the excitement out of her voice. "Is this her?"

Reno nods "Yeah, she looks a lot like me, don't she?" He chuckles.

"Is she yours?" Elena asked seriously, causing Rude to sputter.

"Uh, no, I haven't touched anyone else in almost 5 yers, you know that Laney. ..nah, she belongs to onea Dad's NUMEROUS cousins, Gods only know which one."

Elena laughed at the two men, still ignoring the gentle kisses being shared between the two superiors on the bed.

She crouched down to get closer to the girl. "Hi," she said brightly. "My name's Elena. What's yours?"

"Emily Marie Tarshil, ma'am." She smiled at Elena "You liked him, didn't you?" Again, the awareness most young children have that they shouldn't, along with point blank honesty as the child nods over to Tseng.

"I... well..." Elena stuttered, her face pink. Was it still that obvious? "Not so much, anymore, Emily. See?" she pointed at Tseng and Rufus, who were oblivious to the other occupants of the room. "No room for me there. Besides," she grinned. "There's another boy I like." Her grin took on that of girls spilling their deepest, darkest secrets at slumber parties. "Is there any boys you like?" she asked the girl.

"Ew, boys have cooties!" The almost 5 year old girl exclaimed.

Elena laughed. "These ones do," the blonde pointed a look at Reno. "But just you wait and see. Someday, you'll find a boy that doesn't have them. Like Rude there." Elena pointed up at the tall man.

"Uncle Rude," Rufus corrected from the bed, not really caring that he was drawing attention to the fact that he was cuddling quite happily with Tseng.

Another laugh from Elena. "Uncle Rude doens't have cooties. That's why Uncle Reno likes him."

"I do NOT have cooties, yo!" He laughs at the declaration. "Well, the bathroom tiles might right now, but that's beside the point."

Rude's face went from a small laugh to a look of almost fear. He quickly went into the bathroom, making sure he'd cleaned up the entire mess he and Reno had made earlier.

Tseng then turns to Rufus, checking the bruises he'd noted on Rufus' skin yesterday, but instead of turning yellow and fading, they'd turned to a color as dark as his cuahl. "They've not healed any, I see.

Rufus had been ignoring his injuries in favour of attempted to rebuild the ShinRa Electric Power Company. A few darkened bruises wouldn't stop him. He chose not to say a word, instead looking out the window at the darknening evening.

Tseng simply shook his head, his lover whom he'd known since Rufus was a mere child was almost as impossibly stubborn as Reno was. "I worry for you, Rufus-kun" he whispers. "There have been whispers of others with bruises just like these growing iill."

"They are merely bruises, Tseng," Rufus said, not taking his eyes from the window. "What could you expect from having a building fall on you?" He looked back at Tseng, smiling, even thought the smile didn't reach his eyes. He'd heard the stories, too, but he chose to ignore them. He didn't have time to worry about mysterious illnesses.

Tseng merely nodded, though he was deathly worried. ..he watched Reno turn into Rude's arms as they restablished their own connection, though he could sense a buzz of tension about them still. despite the tension things seemed to be as well as can be expected considering everything they'd ever known had shattered at their feet.

Elena had taken the girl into the bathroom, helping her change into one of Elena's nightshirts. When they returned, the nightshirt looked like a long dress on the little girl, and Elena was wearing a pair of pajama pants and a tank top.

"And now, Miss Emily," Elena said, lifting the girl up onto the empty bed. "To bed with you." She looked at the boys. "And you guys as well. There's another room next door, Rude, if you and Reno want it."

Reno nods. . .he looks utterly exhausted, as he is sure his partner does.

Rude picked up their duffle bags, taking the offered key from Elena and tossing a 'goodnight' towards them before he walked to the next room.

Reno did as well. ..immediatly FALLING into bed. "Fuck. ..now I'm gonna be seein' that danm rock in my dreams"

Rude grunted, knowing that regardless of what he said, the redhead was bound to have a nightmare of some fashion that night. It always happened when Reno worked himself to exhaustion. He dropped their bags inside, making it a point to lock the door behind him before falling into the other side of the bed.

Not that he'd much of a choice. ..it was evacuate or die, he prefered to live thank you.

Rude stripped down under the covers, pushing his clothes onto the floor before curling himself around Reno, a gesture of protection and possessiveness.

Reno true to his word had not dipped into what was left of his hypnocil. he felt badly enough for what he'd done earlier. . .instead if they came they came.

Rude made a note of that, but still, he would not be happy with Reno waking him up in a strangle hold again.

"If you need it..." he offered, breath tickling the redhead's ear.

"What's lefta it is all melted asnyway. ..gelcaps n' heat are a bad combo."

"I can go downstairs to the party store if you need it, Reno." No. Rude was not enabling. Never.

Reno finally nodded with the tiniest of whimpers. ..he was exhausted, strung out, and in desperate need of sleep and to regain the weight the past week of pretty much torture had caused him to drop.

Rude figured as much. What he wasn't going to tell Reno was that he was getting it as much for himself as he was the redhead. He'd seen more than enough between the last week to give even him nightmares.

Rude climbed out of the bed, pulling on a pair of pants and his shoes. "You want anything else?" he asked.