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“I doubt you would be childish. You’re mature for your age, Rufus. I fear you may always have been such. I am an affectionate man on a personal level, and I show it,” he explains. With Rufus there he can’t help but put light kisses along the crown of Rufus’s head. “I need to figure out what to do about it, though. I need you to tell me if I have to back off.”

"Wouldn't I?" He chuckles a little at the kisses and looks at Reeve, "Let's be very honest, since that's what this time is for... I'm mature, but I'm also the sort of person who wants a lot, if not everything; a childish tendency. And...

"It worries you, doesn't it? My past. I can't tell you what my personality will be like with something more steady, lover or dating or whatever we call what we decide on. It could be bad."

Hard to date with what they are doing, but Reeve gets the concern.

“”No one can say for sure what any relationship will yield. How it will affect the partners in it. Feelings are always a risk. Hearts are fragile, Rufus. And I will risk letting myself get broken again.”

His fingers reach up to stroke his hair lightly. “What I can tell you for sure is that when I fall, Rufus, I fall fast. You know how I am with the people I try and help. You’ve seen it. I can be more intense with a partner. You could easily get annoying. So I expect your normal brutal honesty.”

He leans into the hand that comes up to pet him, enjoying the touch for a moment and the chance it brings to not have to speak just yet. What does Reeve mean by intense, exactly? He's had more than enough time to understand the man can get carried away, after all, so is it something he has to worry about?

The answer is not really. Reeve could never go too far without risking his hide. The Turks would certainly respect whatever transpired between them, whatever decision they made, but there was no way the man would ever be allowed to get carried away in any manner that could hurt Rufus.

Besides, he can just tell the man to shove off, or dump water on him again, so it's not a huge deal. Yet the last remark at least earns a small laugh.

"Have you ever known me to pull my punches when I have nothing to gain by doing so?"

“I haven’t known you to pull your punches even when it was warranted,” Reeve counters. But he does seem quite pleased to see Rufus enjoying the touch. He twists a bit around Rufus to offer him a light kiss.

Then he relaxes a little.

“I think another rule should be keeping business ns pleasure separate. One or the other first, no exceptions.”

"You just don't know when I do." It sounds like a promise somehow, or maybe a threat or hint. Rufus had a spiked tongue, but it could also be pure silver; the fact he rarely used the latter could likely be blamed on the staff his father generally had around... And maybe just a bit of being a jerk.

The kiss is accepted with a return one, as well as a hand coming up to scratch down Reeve's chest, whether it's covered or not. Though the devilish look Reeve gets as Rufus draws back should likely make him worry.

"What? Don't think we should negotiate while giving each other service?"

“Your mouth would have me giving away everything,” Reeve admits. “I think I would rather be able to fully focus on you.”

Mostly though the Commissioner and the President has to be different from Reeve and Rufus. For Reeve’s sake.

He ignores the look because really, he deserves that. So instead he wraps an arm around Rufus.

"Heh. I'll have to try that sometime with non business things." The smirk remains, but his words indicate he agrees with Reeve on the matter at least. "I have one obvious demand of my own, however; if you've agreed to stay for the evening, barring emergencies, don't try taking off even if you think I'm uncomfortable.

"Far easier to ask me if I am than repeat earlier."

“An easily given agreement,” Reeve allows. He can hear the lingering emotions with that, and he has no intention of waking them again. “I will expect, though, that I may be forced to pre-strange evenings where I am staying. My schedule already threatens to overwhelm me.”

There will be no spontaneous romance, not on Reeve’s part at least. But perhaps he won’t mind that as much this time.

“One other thing. You have the Stigma, Rufus. I haven’t worked closely with someone who has. Many of those in Edge still get shunned. Because of that I don’t know what to do when someone is experiencing an attack. If one were to happen I want to know how to help. Even if the answer is getting the hell out while your Turks take over.”

He doesn't mind work matters, can understand those and how they can pull one away from things. Had spent much of his life living that truth. It was more what trying to leave without good reason implied that bothered him, and if Reeve understood, that was enough.

His hand raises as Reeve gives his other concern, though, looking at the sickly black that covers it, the memories it brings of being targeted by the Stigma, and people Reeve is unaware of. The man said before Rufus was confined and didn't know the world, but he knew more of it than the architect knew; the darkness and the light.

"There isn't much to be done for an attack, sadly. Make sure I get laid down somewhere, that my temperature doesn't rise very high, and ask the Turks for the stimulant to help me. Aside from that, if it's bad, I have been known to be unconscious for a few days."

That, he supposed, is the other side of this bargain. One that Rufus can bet Reeve recognizes. For all that Rufus truly seems to believe a positive outlook can bring him through this, Reeve knows the numbers. Or the closest to accurate numbers anyone can manage. The stigma will kill Rufus sooner or later.

And Reeve is willing to accept that. Accept the weight of caring for someone who is going to die before him. Someone who won’t necessarily have a choice about leaving him alone. The knowledge doesn’t hurt, but it is a bitter pill to swallow.

“If it is alright with you, I would ask that of such happens approaching a time I am due to see you, I still be allowed to come. I know I would be little help, but if the time was already free I would have trouble living with myself if I wasn’t at least here on this couch with the hope to see you before work summoned me away.”

It's sort of a strange request, to be honest, even if Rufus could understand it. To sit and wait was just something he disliked to do, even if he was fully capable of managing it. And to do so merely because someone was I'll and you hoped they would wake up? That somehow seemed useless to him... And totally normal.

"It's fine if you do, but are you sure? It might make you more exhausted than usual."

“I am sleep on the couch,” Reeve counters. “And paperwork. Play cards with your Turks. I just want the chance to be here.”

There were other requests too, and those he would place to Tseng specifically. This is something he needed and he wouldn’t let someone argue with him over that. This means something to him and being there...

He didn’t get to see his mother before the end. He wouldn’t avoid the same with Rufus if he had the chance.

Edited 2018-11-23 01:39 (UTC)

"Alright... so long as you promise to rest if it comes to that." Rufus shifts so he can place his back to Reeve, lean against him. "What else?"

“When it’s us together, it’s only us. Unless there is a serious emergency I would have no intention of sharing your time or attention. Period. And this doesn’t absolve you from finishing your training with Cait Sith.”

They have little left to do before Reeve will let Rufus send the ‘bot outside.

"That one you need to convince Reno of." Rufus chuckles, though it's obvious he's joking. "However, who would I be spending time with anyway? It's myself and the Turks. That's it."

“I am talking about them as welll. I try to keep my private life private.”

Frankly, knowing that Turks know is almost maddening. But he will get past that point.

"As if they are allowed up here without reason. They won't interrupt us unless it's important." It seems to be a promise, insofar as he can promise when it comes to other people. "Although I don't know why you're worried if anyone knows about your private life, under a normal circumstance? Are you scared of being judged by others?"

“Under a normal circumstance, I believe my personal life is my business. But this isn’t a normal circumstance,” Reeve reminds him. He is a public figure now, separate from his work with Shinra. Except the connection between them would ruin him. Ruin his work.

And uo the attempts on his life.

"So that's the only reason? Not worried people would judge you for liking other men?" He tilts his head back so he can see Reeve as he answers, knowing this is probably none of his business but curious anyway.

What? The question is enough that Reeve laughs, hugging Rufus to him because it really is that hilarious to consider.

“Rufus, I am openly gay. Just because you didn’t know doesn’t mean it isn’t known.”

Rufus scowls a little at the laugh, still hating to be laughed at apparently, and then frowns more deeply and almost pouts, shifting to sit up and fold his arms a little childishly. "Why would I have known or cared about the sexuality of Shinra personnel when I was a little busy with other things? It's only natural I'd think you were embarassed with how you were speaking."

“Again, I am a private man, though from your comment you are completely right in observing you had little reason to care. As for why now...”

Surely that was something Rufus understood?

“Rufus, you know there have been those speaking against me believing I seek to restore Shinra’s power. How do you think those people would react to me sleeping with you? How would members of Avalanche who have had reasons to mistrust me before? How would it look for the Commissioner of the WRO, a new organization about world unity and global communities and restoration, to be potentially at the whim of a Shinra?”

The pout doesn't leave his face, it may even get deeper, as he seats himself against the arm of the couch so he can look at Reeve directly, not even noticing he's draped his legs over the man's lap in the process.

"I get all that. It's just the way you were talking implied something different. As to why now, well I've had actual time to get to know you. Really, I didn't have much call to in the past. I wasn't even around for four years, and after I came back, Sephiroth was an issue. All I needed to know was you were loyal to the extent you weren't a threat to me, that you knew your stuff, and yes, that the Cait Unit offered us an advantage.

"Since none of that is an issue now, and due to a lot of other things, I can focus on things outside Shinra. Plus, we both agreed that honesty was important if we were to keep talking to each other, so I've learned even more and find you a fascinating man."

"Fascinating?" Reeve chuckles. With Rufus renewing the distance between them he almost wants to close it back up out of principle. Still, it's interesting to understand how the view had changed.

Helps that Reeve has learned a lot more about Rufus too. And he feels like Rufus has an edge on learning.

"How do I fascinate you, Rufus? Are there questions I can answer?"

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Sorry it took time... knocked down by migraine... again

It's alright. It was Black Friday. Figured you were getting Goods.