Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Bullet ❯ Chapter 4

Warning: In case you hadn't figured it out from previous chapters, I do intend the boys to be well on their way to being a couple by the end of this fic. This chapter contains some intimate contact between them. If you are bothered by such things, turn back now!

~IV~

Reno watched as he put on the shoulder holster with practiced ease and settle his weapon, a heavy looking pistol. He'd heard many people try to apply armchair psychology to the reason why Rufus Shinra wore multiple layers of clothes. Reno had a feeling it was for no other reason than gun holsters begin to chafe after being worn for awhile.

A dry wind tousled his red hair and he closed his eyes. The air was clean and fragrant. Having grown up in a big city, surrounded by all its myriad sights, sounds, and pollutions, Reno generally found the wilderness to be strange and little unnerving. He didn't trust the quiet, even if he could sometimes enjoy it.

Reno watched Rufus rearrange his clothing with great care to hide his sidearm. He tapped his EMR against one shoulder, a somewhat anxious habit. Reno wasn't nervous; he was itching for action.

Finally, Rufus seemed to be satisfied, zipped up his duffel bag, and dragged it out of the back of the helicopter. Together they closed it up and paused to look around in order to get their  bearings.

The village was visible in the distance, the only thing left of the nation of Wutai. It had once been the capital city, but now it wasn't much of anything. The royal family still lived there, Godo and a young daughter, if memory served Reno correctly.

"What exactly are we doing in this godforsaken place, Rufus?" Reno asked.

He smirked faintly, though the expression was somewhat cruel. "Giving these people something to live for. My father may have made them defenseless, I want to give them a reason never to go against the company ever again."

Reno favored him with a faintly amused expression. "Meaning...?"

"I want to bring them company business," Rufus shrugged as he lead the way down the low plateau Reno had landed on. "Think of it. Though it's true many of our executives and shareholders vacation in Costa del Sol, even they complain of being bored with it."

"Right," Reno drawled, "Because there's nothing worse than being trapped in paradise."

"I never said I agreed with it. Personally I find most of Shinra's management to be incompetent and lazy at best. They should be grateful for their time off rather than complaining about the lack of good vacation spots. Anyway, Wutai is beautiful it its own savage way. As I understand this village is quite charming. I will offer to make sure it gets marketed as a resort town, primarily for the affluent and of course Shinra's upper management."

"Wow,"Reno murmured. The suggestion was ballsy and just the slightest bit sadistic. Yet he could understand why Rufus thought to put it forth. With Shinra controlling so much of the public's opinion, Wutai would be considered poison by most traders and dangerous by civilians. No country could survive on its own and without some contact with the outside world, Wutai was finished.

Reno took a good long look at the man by his side. He wasn't that much older than Reno, only a couple years, but already he was a force to be reckoned with. He spoke like a business man but thought like a king, perhaps even a tyrant, if the rumours were true about his radical ideas on how the company should be run.

"Reno," Rufus spoke his name suddenly, somewhat sharply.

"Hm?" Reno intoned lazily.

"Do watch your step," Rufus replied having halted. He was reaching into his coat.

Reno looked down to see that he was about the step on the biggest, ugliest bug he'd ever seen. He swore,  jumped back, and immediately delivered a swift dose of electricity to it with his EMR. Unfortunately, it was on too low of a setting to kill it, in fact it only seemed to get pissed off. As it took to the air it blasted them with a toxic mist. Reno looked back at Rufus to find him aiming his revolver at the creature. He didn't seem very fazed by the poison; he was probably warded against it. Reno, however, was not and dropped to his knees briefly to vomit while Rufus shot the bug out of the sky.

Reno recovered somewhat and angrily switched his EMR onto its highest setting. With a snarl, he zapped the monstrous insect for good measure before dropping down beside the carcass. The poison was fast acting and he hoped Rufus had thought to bring medicine. Recovery supplies and magic were usually Rude's thing because Reno almost always forgot.

Rufus calmly removed a small travel pack from his duffel bag and handed Reno a small vial of antidote. Reno winced as he swallowed it down, slightly sickened by its horrible taste and a vague sense of embarrassment for having pretty much dropped the ball there.

"Don't worry," Rufus told him quietly, "It happens to the best of us."

Reno smiled at him wryly, "Let's just keep this between you an' me then. I'd never hear the end of it otherwise."

Rufus chuckled softly and handed him a bottle of water as well, no doubt anticipating what was coming. Reno threw up again, this time due to the antidote reacting and violently expelling the toxin. Afterward, he chugged half the  bottle of water and used some of the remaining amount to rinse the bile out of his mouth. He made a mental note to brush his teeth when he was settled into some kind of hotel room or sleeping quarters.

"Are you ready to continue?" Rufus asked patiently.

Reno nodded, surprised and relieved that Rufus hadn't expressed anger or distaste at his misstep. He got up and they continued to the village without another incident.

*****

They met them at the first walking bridge near the gates of the city. The woman introduced herself as Kunie and her male companion as Gengyo. They were ambassadors to Godo and had been sent to make sure they were comfortably settled for the evening.

Reno had been strangely silent during the exchange, but a quick glance at him and Rufus realized that he was casually sizing the two up while he lit a cigarette. Once more his posture did not match his eyes. His lanky frame slouched insolently but his eyes looked over the two diplomatic representatives with great interest.

They were taken to a bar and lead to the back where there was a small flight of stairs. Rufus was faintly annoyed as he followed Kunie and Gengyo down the rather drab hallway. This would be changed once Godo agreed to his conditions. While his taste wasn't as garish as his father's, he certainly thought something more could be done to the walls.

"We have assigned you to adjoined rooms," Kunie told Rufus softly. "I hope this is acceptable."

"It's fine," Rufus replied. "You understand my bodyguard will be doing a sweep of both rooms."

"Of course, we have nothing to hide," Gengyo replied. His eyes were strangely cold.

After Kunie opened up the rooms, Reno pocketed the keys and disappeared into one of them. Rufus waited patiently, hearing small sounds as Reno searched for bugs, trap doors, and any other possible threat. He doubted it was a real concern. Since outlawing materia, the country's technology had diminished greatly.

After a few moments, Reno returned out the other door having used the adjoining door to access the second room. "It's clean," he drawled.

"Excellent," Rufus spoke to Kunie and Gengyo, "I was informed that Godo will be speaking with me in the morning. Is this still the case?"

"Yes," Kunie replied, "I'm afraid we don't have many active phone lines. Should you need anything, please speak to the bartender downstairs. He has been instructed to take care of our guests to the best of his ability."

"Thank you," Rufus frowned. He checked his cell phone and noticed there were no bars displayed on the small screen. With a small, disgusted sigh he snapped it shut, angry at himself for not considering this problem.

"We are not savages, Mr. Shinra," Gengyo smiled briefly but it did not meet his eyes. "Lord Godo merely puts limits on communication to the outside. Right now it is an expense that would burden our country more than aid in its recovery."

"I understand," Rufus nodded, slightly concerned nonetheless. He decided to proceed under the impression that they were completely cut off and that calling for backup was not an option.

"Good," Kunie replied, "We will come in the morning to take you to see his lordship. Expect Gengyo or myself around nine."

They left and Reno lingered in the hallway for a few minutes before following Rufus inside. He closed and locked the door behind them, taking great care that the deadbolt was secure.

As Rufus unpacked he addressed Reno. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. Something seemed off about them, but I could just be bein' paranoid, yo," Reno replied.

"Agreed," Rufus nodded approvingly, "Better paranoid than dead."

Reno chuckled, "Couldn't have said it better. I'm gonna go wash up, if that's okay."

"Of course. You're off duty for the rest of the night."

Reno flashed him a grin. "That's cool, but maybe we should stick close. You want to meet me downstairs in a couple hours? Have some drinks?"

Rufus smirked, "It's a date."

Reno's grin got a little wider as Rufus held his gaze. The silence between them turned thick with tension as business took a temporary backseat toward burgeoning lust.  When Reno turned to leave, Rufus was quite sure his lanky gait held a bit more swagger than usual.

*****

Reno stood in front of the bathroom mirror, fixing his hair as best he could. Usually he didn't give a shit but tonight was a bit different. It was shaggy, at that weird length that couldn't be called long but nor could it be called short either. At least on a man, anyway. Everyone thought he was growing his hair out; the truth was he had just been too busy since becoming a Turk to bother with finding a barber. Eventually he figured he'd just let it go and see how he'd look with long hair.

He put some gel in it, mussed it up, and went to finish getting dressed. Despite the fact that he was "off duty" and his time with Rufus would be considered personal, Reno slid on a light shoulder holster (cloth rather than Rufus's leather) and armed himself with a small automatic pistol. No one was going to catch him completely off guard.

Having never lived outside of a metropolis, Reno found the quiet of Wutai unnerving. There were no automobile sounds, no street lights, or people noise. If he walked outside he wasn't risking getting mugged or being prepositioned by a prostitute. There was only danger because of what he represented, not as an individual.

He kind of hated it. It put his teeth on edge. So much so that he startled when there was a knock on the door adjoining his room to Rufus's.

He quickly answered it as he pulled on his jacket and was greeted by a very mischievously smiling Rufus. The expression was a good one on him. Reno stepped back to allow Rufus to enter his room, his mouth curving into a faintly satisfied smirk. He knew the score from the glitter of lust in Rufus's pale eyes.

"Aren't we meeting downstairs?" Reno teased.

"In a moment," Rufus murmured.

Reno's lips parted softly as Rufus's fingers slid along the back of his neck and his mouth closed over his. It was the most sensual first kiss he'd ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Rufus kissed him slowly, almost languidly. Desire made his head swim and Reno wrapped an arm around Rufus's waist to pull him closer.

Their lips parted entirely too soon for Reno's taste. Rufus stroked his cheek lightly, fingers moving over one of his tattoos. Though Reno would have preferred them to be halfway to his bed, hands seeking skin under clothing, this was nice too. In a way, it was better. He kissed him again, deeper this time, and Reno felt his knees get a little watery as Rufus's tongue slipped into his mouth. At that moment Reno decided he didn't give a shit about the consequences of taking up with the boss's son. He wanted more of this; he wanted to take this to its inevitable conclusion, hopefully involving his legs wrapped around Rufus's waist while the man fucked him senseless.   

Rufus eventually released him once more and chuckled warmly. He rubbed Reno's back gently as he smiled.

"Patience," Rufus teased him softly before stepping out of Reno's loose embrace. "I'll see you downstairs."

Reno watched him go before closing the door behind him. He sat down on the edge of his bed, breathing deeply as he sought to get control of his raging desire. Reno stretched out languidly, grinning like a fool. He felt a lot more relaxed and ready to face whatever Wutai had to offer.