FicWad

It's funny the things you find out just by deviating from your normal habits.

For instance; if I hadn't decided to actually go down to the company cafeteria that day and eat lunch, instead of asking my secretary if she'd have something sent up like I usually do, I probably wouldn't have gotten out of the office at all.

And if I hadn't gotten tired of waiting for the damn elevator to arrive and decided to use the stairs, I almost certainly wouldn't have stumbled across them.

But I had no way of knowing this, and so I was clattering down the stairs towards level 64, where the commissary was, came around a corner, and damn near collided head on with Reno and Rude. Okay, more like tripped over them.

And really, I didn't intend to stare, but it's not every day you come across two Turks in a deserted stairwell kissing like they're about to spontaneously combust.

I managed to pull up just in time. Rude was backed into the corner, and Reno appeared to be attempting to climb his partner like a tree. That's the only explanation I can come up with for him having his legs wrapped around Rude's waist. Rude's hands had a firm grip on Reno's ass, while Reno's arms were wrapped around Rude's neck. For a minute, I thought maybe I could edge past them, because it was obvious they were thoroughly enjoying what they were doing.

But of course, I'd momentarily forgotten they were Turks. Rude noticed me first (damn those sunglasses-you can't tell whether he's got his eyes open or not!), gave a surprised grunt, and that made Reno twist around to see what he was looking at.

"Hi guys.: I smiled in my best, non-threatening manner.

Reno unwrapped his legs and slid down to stand next to Rude, his green eyes regarding me much the same way Tseng regards a new recruit who's life he's about to make a living hell.

Now none of us are stupid. We all know the company policy on fraternization (though, as Tseng once pointed out, it doesn't seem to apply to upper management, giving the way Scarlet gets around). We're also aware that the policy is often outright ignored. But of all the people ignoring it, I guess it surprised me that two Turks would do it, given that it was literally their lives on the line if they were found out. Especially Reno and Rude, who Tseng considered his best team.

Reno finally spoke. "What's the matter, Reeve; never seen two men kissing before?"

I opened my mouth to say that, of course I'd seen two men kissing before, I'd just never seen two Turks doing it in the stairwell of the Shinra building, thought better, and closed it.

"You gonna report us?" Rude sounded as if he were discussing the time of day, but I couldn't help but notice he had a tight hold on Reno's hand. Reno was leaning into him, like he was drawing strength from the contact.

And I remembered when Tseng had first made them partners; how they'd hated each other with a passion. The constant fighting (verbal and physical) that eventually caused Tseng to threaten both of them with being knocked back down to working security if they didn't shape up. And somehow, they had. They'd gone from non-stop bickering to hardly speaking at all, because all it took was a look or a smile or a raised eyebrow, and there seemed to be an immediate understanding as to what had to be done. I'd actually congratulated Tseng on his choice of the pairing, because on the surface, there didn't seem to be two men in Shinra who were any less alike. That, he said, was precisely why he'd paired them; Reno needed Rude's stability to hold him in check, while Rude needed Reno's willingness to thing outside the box.

I realized they were still staring at me, and shook my head. "What am I going to report? That I ran into Reno and Rude coming down the stairs? I don't think there's a company policy against using the stairs to get from one point to another, although it wouldn't surprise me to find out there is."

Reno chuckled and Rude's mouth twitched into what almost resembled a smile. "Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I need to get downstairs before they quit serving lunch." I walked past them, and started down the final few steps.

:Yo, Reeve!" I turned to look at Reno. "If you value your life and health, do NOT get the special, okay?"

I nodded. "And you two might want to watch where you are when you decide to get frisky, hmm? Because not everyone is as broadminded as me."

"Frisky?" Reno"s voice echoed slightly. "What the hell; he makes us sound like a couple of fucking Chocobos!"

I've since told myself I imagined it, because really, there's no way in the world that Rude would actually go "Wark" in public, now is there?