plate_builder | [Open Post]

Oh. Right. Reeve has the presence of mind to blush faintly at that. Whoops. His fault. Not that he had meant to get hurt. This whole thing was a giant mess really.

"Sorry about that. I will try to avoid it in the future. Perhaps I should learn how to fire a gun."

See, he did think about protecting himself, Rufus. It was just that normally he didn't have to. And normally he used magic.

"It's fine." He doesn't seem anxious to move, but does reach down and hand Reeve an unopened bottle of waste that was sitting by the chair, before straightening back up, obviously not going to mention what caused the water in the first place; let Reeve bring that up when he is ready.

The joke would be on Rufus then. Reeve had no intention of asking. Not about water anyway. Instead his attention went to the book Rufus had.

"Good read?"

There was a good question just what sorts of things did the former boy-king read? Political treatises? Histories? Probably nothing as scandalous as a romance novel.

Truth be known, he'd read one or two romance novels in his time, having found them stashed in Elena's bags, which the blond had left open on accident. He and the others had truly enjoyed that, especially when Reno decided simulating the romance scenes would be a funny idea. Not because of that, mind you, but more for the fact the only person who didn't aim a gun at him when he tried was Rude.

Yet that wasn't his normal reading material, which had mostly consisted of ShinRa reports until recently, when he'd found an interest in a historical texts, medicine and the occasional detective novel of all things. Presently, he flashes the book's cover to Reeve, revealing that he's busy with a history of Wutai.

"It's suitable."

Too bad Reeve didn't know about the detective novels. They were his guilty pleasure, enjoyed only when there was nothing else to do. Which, of course, meant he hadn't read once since the former president had died.

"Suitable," Reeve repeats, mostly because the word choice amuses him. "Suitable for what? Throwing at me when I next insult your family?"

He didn't buy Elena's point at all. He did, though, move to pull back the blanket. There was little that drove him more crazy that sitting around and not doing anything. He had to be moving. Be doing something. And not, he decides, going for the water.

"Suitable to keep my mind busy." The obvious attempt to rile him up fails, and Rufus grabs a bookmark from a coat pocket, sliding it into the book and setting the book to the floor as he watches Reeve obviously intend to start moving. "However, I will be delighted to throw it at you if you do not take proper rest; because whatever you believe, I don't really care about your remark in regards to ShinRa earlier.

"I do however care about the fact you seem to be pushing yourself far too hard.

Yeah, Reeve doubted that very strongly. Rufus didn't really know what Reeve was like when he was pushing himself too hard, but that was mostly because Rufus had never known Reeve when he was doing anything but working too hard. He lived on poor sleep and bad coffee and the need to get just one more thing done. There was no 'seem' to be pushing himself too hard. Reeve was, had been for years, and was sooner or later going to break down from it.

The hope was that he'd manage to get the important things done before then.

"Yes, must have the tools you have selected for use in prime condition," Reeve observed.

No, he didn't know Reeve so well, had no reason to have known him in the past, but he knew very well what pushing oneself too hard looked like. He'd been doing it quite a lot since ShinRa's destruction, more since he had all but been attacked by the stigma. So he had some small idea, at the least.

And again, he keeps from responding angrily to ththe bait, watching Reeve with amused eyes, as if asking if he's spoken his piece, but decides to confirm if he's done. "What else? You have much to get out of your system, right? Go ahead."

"Why help me?" Reeve asks. There, getting it out of his system. He wants to get up and pace, it's something he does a lot, but he can't. "I can't see how it immediately serves you, though I suppose I could understand how it might serve you in the future. But it seems like you and the men that attacked me are on the wrong sides of this issue. They would likely benefit from improved stability from an organization as the one I would establish. Of course they don't understand the goal would be independence, politically and economically, for every nation and city that seeks it. Then there is you..."

The man that clearly wanted his company back in some form. Reeve raised his eyes to Rufus's and he watched quietly for a moment. More than once the man had demonstrated he wouldn't interrupt a thought in process, so Reeve had the time to prepare it now that he had it lingering. "You want Shinra back. I don't know how extensively or to what end other than it's own end. I'm still trying to puzzle out why you would go about that by effectively supporting what would be a rival. What is your goal, Rufus, and why not use a man that was easier to guide to your will rather than one like me?"

The younger man puzzled Reeve, as much now as he had on the day he had returned to the tower and ultimately to power.

As Reeve speaks, Rufus closes his eyes and listens, almost looking as if he were bored by the whole thing, though this is far from the truth. His mind is taking in everything Reeve says clearly, trying to figure out how to explain, how much to say.

Which means that when Reeve is done, Rufus' eyes remain closed and the man remains quiet for a time, before very carefully choosing his words. "As I have said before, my intentions are not to use you, and are very much like your own. I wish to help, not hinder, so of course you can't see a discernible advantage for me.

"However, if you need one to suit whatever trepidation you are feeling, then perhaps the advantage for me is two-fold. To begin, and I'll return to this later, if ShinRa is to rise again, it needs to shed at least some of its reputation as only being trouble; something it has become said to be even if some small good came from it. Two, I have the stigma Reeve..."

He opens his eyes now, holding up his right hand, which has again been covered so as not reveal the offending blackness, and once more his eyes seem distant like he is not fully there.

"I don't know if there is a cure, Reeve, but I hope there is one. There was at least a man who thought there was, but someone killed him. Perhaps if there's enough minds together, a cure can be found, but... Will it be enough in the long run? Will I live through it? Or will I die?"

His eyes focus again, a small sadness in them, his smile faint.

"What I want for ShinRa is for it to exist, to be something that says I existed, somewhere the Turks can return to even if I'm not here. Somewhere, if I survive, that I can call home."

Well... that he supposed he could understand. Making a home for them to return to. Interesting. He supposed he could respect that. But he didn't think he understood this man any better.

"Okay," Reeve said softly, moving to stand. It hurts, but he doesn't care. Because he needs to go. "Why the water?"

"On your head, you mean?" And now Rufus is standing, moving to press Reeve back down if he has the strength. "For the same reason I will have the Turks watch you 24/7 if you don't lie back down. You are in no way well enough to get up."

"You're not my keeper," Reeve counters. "I presume there is no signal dampeners here. I could call for a car to come and collect me. I can go home. There is work to be done."

While Rufus doesn't have the strength normally to push Reeve around, Reeve wasn't exactly at full strength. Even the light press is enough to mess up Reeve's balance and he struggles with his balance for a moment before toppling to the couch. Damn that's pathetic.

"Your pushiness is wonderful. Sure it gets you all the ladies."

"You need to rest, not work." He watches as Reeve falls to the couch, and then seems to find amusement in what Reeve says. "Never tried it on the ladies, but the men don't protest."

The words come long before Reeve can help himself. He's tired, he's overworked, and he's more than a bit loopy from all of this.

"People like being manhandled by gorgeous men," he said to himself, mostly because he knew he did. And the second the words are out his cheeks are scarlet and he's definitely paying more attention to folding that blanket on the couch. Look at this important thing he's doing. Meanwhile his brain is screaming because 1) that part of office gossip was right, 2) why did he just say that, and 3) geez Rufus Shinra definitely didn't just say that.

Edited 2017-11-06 01:47 (UTC)

Well, that isn't the response Rufus was expecting. Usually, such a statement would draw the dropping of a jaw, a skeptical look or vague disgust; but, this, well... Rufus maybe expects it from men like Reno, who had reacted with a pump of the fist and asking Rude for his $20, before trying to proposition his boss jokingly, but from Reeve? No, he'd expected to be accused of a joke, or given a pure look of disgust, not what appears to be a full-on admission that Reeve likes men.

Which means Rufus can't help but begin to laugh, amused so thoroughly at the reaction, that he actually doubles over.

Edited 2017-11-06 01:55 (UTC)

Damn the temptation to kick Rufus in the leg was pretty extreme. But he didn't. Instead Reeve took the blanket he had folded up and threw it at Rufus's head. Talk about rude. Dear lord he wished he hadn't opened his damn mouth.

"If you and Tseng were involved I would have made money in the office pool," Reeve says, trying to get away from his own accidental admission.

He really can't help but keep laughing, blocking the blanket with an arm. It's obvious he hasn't had this much fun in a while, and Reeve just has to give him more ammunition. "Who says we aren't?"

Of course he would be, but Reeve isn't going to press because his cheeks are hotter now than they were then.

"Glad you're having a good time. I'm going to rest, as I was advised to. So why don't you go back to your book. I heard it was sufficient."

"You sure? I'm worried you might try to get up and leave as soon as we take our eyes off you." No, he's not moving yet, still amused as well as trying to make sure a certain person does rest. He's also badly resisting something, if his eyes are any indication.

"And where am I going to go without a vehicle?" Reeve countered. How was he supposed to sneak past Turks for crying out loud? But more than that, when he looked at Rufus he saw there was something more. "Just say whatever you're going to say because I'm ready for this conversation to end."

"Oh, I wasn't going to actually say something." He's choosing to ignore the remark about the vehicle, since it was obvious Reeve intended to try to run away regardless just a moment ago, and instead focuses on having the last bits of amusement he can, all at Tuesti's sake, of course.

Which means, unfortunately for Reeve, Rufus is moving to start to straddle the man, grinning like a wolf who's caught itself something to eat, and leaning near his ear to whisper, "I was actually going to suggest a way to wear you out enough you'd stay, since you were so full of energy just a moment ago."

Wait... what was happening? Reeve's eyes widened with disbelief as Rufus moved, and were he not now effectively pinned to the couch, he definitely would have fled that predatory look. Part of him wanted to shove the man away, but really, that wasn't something he could do either. Push Rufus away and he got hurt? The Turks would kick his ass. Now the man was sitting in his lap, leaning close, whispering. Reeve was leaning as far back from the man as he could, looking away from Rufus. This was not happening.

"You weren't," Reeve says, trying to stay very, very still. It was almost like trying to hide from a predator who hunted by sight. If he didn't move, Rufus wouldn't get closer. He'd tire of his game and stop tormenting Reeve shortly. "And you're being rude."

The look away, as well as the obvious discomfort, only serves to amuse Rufus even more, and were he a different sort of man, Reeve might find things becoming even more uncomfortable. Thankfully, he's only playing, has no real sights on seducing the architect, even if it were to suit his needs; he could play such a game if he wanted, rumors had likely spread that he had - and he wouldn't deny them - but they didn't suit him. Rufus could be cruel and sadistic, but he had his limits, and they included not doing something sexual with an unwilling partner.

So he laughs, carefully moving to get back to his feet, only responding playfully to the remarks. "You're the one who said people like being man-handled by attractive men. But relax, I'm not going to do anything like that. I just couldn't resist picking on you."

"It was an observation," Reeve noted, trying to defend himself, which was ridiculous because they both know what the comment had actually meant. "And you operate under the assumption that you're attractive to me."

In the past his preferences had run toward me his own age or older, Rufus was neither. Not that he'd had anything resembling a proposition in a good long while, but he wasn't here to play games. He was here to recover. And now that Rufus wasn't in his lap, Reeve was even more prepared to leave. That had been highly uncomfortable for him, in part because if it had been just about any other man--excluding Reno--he might have played along for a while. As it was...

"Besides, I don't entertain young men who haven't grown up enough to stop playing jokes on others. I happen to prefer grown men who know how to follow through."

Edited 2017-11-06 03:40 (UTC)

Insert Freudian slip joke above.

Rufus is all about sex, or is his mother? /shot

There'a a complex for that. And by that I mean mothers and sex

Yup. Time to pull out my Shakespeare?

indeed

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Nope - Not totally an asshole....... /headdesk/

He is a huge asshole

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