Tease - COMPLETE

Warning

A Zack and Cloud and others fic, you know, Sephiroth and Rufus are in here as well as Reno, but when will Reno get some…it is getting closer… Yaoi.



Pre-Author's Note

Thanks to Ziggy Pasta for being my Beta…

Rufus POV! And a little Dark Nation history…

Legend POV: Reno!

Cloud and Zack



Disclaimer

Don't own the FF7 fandom, just using for my own amusement. Do not profit from this endeavour.





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BEFORE FRIDAY





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Rufus steadily stroked the head of Dark Nation and frowned. He had been dealing with his father and his batch of 'yes men' for the last three hours, and they were only irritating him. Tseng was eyeing him and Rude was frowning at him. The stupid function was the last place in the world he wanted to be.



He had other things he would rather be doing.



~and he isn't even around for me to do~



He was not pleased at the turn of events when it came to his latest infatuation. Reno was good at evasion; he was a Turk, after all. It was easier with Genesis, as the General was all about confrontation.



But the company and his father had been consuming his time and taking him away from the things he wanted to pay attention to.



He did not have the same vision as his father when it came to the company, his grand vision of the Promised Land, and there were only a few people that he ever trusted. The list was much too small; Rufus had known long ago that his life was just a bunch of games, and whoever was in control, won.



He trusted Tseng with his life, even though his loyalty was with the company. He knew that they had their differences, but he wasn't a little 'yes man' that was going to bow to his every whim and idea. He appreciated that in the man and was always grateful that they could work out their differences.



~he never did like who I picked for my bed~



He was tempted to try the man from time to time, but he needed him positioned within the Turks with his impartial eye. He needed Tseng where he was in the company more than in his bedroom, no matter how tempting the man was.



Rude, he did not trust as much. The dark man always performed his job, but hiding those eyes behind those sunglasses always unnerved him. Rufus knew that he was good at reading people, but he could not read Rude. He was a little concerned with the Turk's cool demeanour and he was more determined to learn how to read the man, who really had not given him a reason not to trust him.



~even though I feel like he is glaring at me right now~



He had only seen Rude in action once and that was enough for Rufus to have respect for the man as a Turk. He remembered that his father was being attacked by a guy with a knife. Rude had stepped in front of the man, grabbed his arm, twisted it behind the attacker's back in a bone-crunching grip. He had been amazed at how he effortlessly threw the attacker over the side of the building without a single moment of hesitation. He remembered how unnerving it was to watch Rude go from watching the man splat six floors down, straighten his jacket, then folded his arms and stand there like nothing happened.



He shook those thoughts out of his head and pet the head of Dark Nation. Having her around was calming, even though he knew his father did not approve. It was all the more reason to keep her around in the beginning, now he didn't want to be without the protection and comfort she offered.



~even if she doesn't approve of Reno~



He found himself smiling at the thought of the redhead. He certainly liked Reno, as he was quite a character and handsome, but he did not know him well enough to know if he could have trust in the man.



He snorted at himself at the thoughts. He was interested in claiming Reno as his own, but he still didn't trust him.



~my priorities are so screwed~



He was certain about that.



The room filled with Lazard's laughter and he couldn't help but frown. He was always at odds with his half-brother over nearly everything. He avoided him as much as he possibly could, not wanting to deal with the older man and his pompous, idiotic behaviour.



He knew Lazard blamed him for Genesis leaving at first, and he had no intention of explaining to the bastard about his relationship with the Red General. He rubbed his cheek where he remembered the punch he got from that conversation.



He had not done anything to stop Dark Nation from roughing up his stupid half-brother. He was pleased with how she had ripped up the director's arm, ruined his stupid purple suit jacket, and bloodied and tore his white pants with her claws. Cissnei had somehow diffused the whole situation and had…



~unfortunately~



…healed Lazard. He left with Dark Nation in tow and got her a nice steak as a treat.



~I will not muzzle her for anyone~



Dark Nation had still been nothing more than a pup then, but it was evident to see how Genesis had trained the monster for him. Leaving him with the strange pet after a brief conversation that contained soft words and a gentle kiss, it was the first and only time that they had a tender moment. But Genesis had ruined it by kneeling in front of the pup, holding Dark Nation's head in his hands and stating, "Take care of the Weed for me."



He hated being called 'Weed' by Genesis, but at that moment he spoke with such kindness and emotion that he didn't mind the strange nickname. Of course, he didn't recognize that the man was going to go MIA after that little interaction.



He was pretty sure that Dark Nation was fully grown now. He ruffled her ears fondly and she lolled her tongue out of her mouth. He knew that if he said so, she would attack anyone in the room to protect him.



The only person that Dark Nation seemed to like was Reeve.



Reeve. He trusted the man explicitly. Reeve was the only one that he had been able to confide in over the years without having to worry about the information getting back to haunt him. The man had been there when his mother passed away. He had been there when he had done some silly things in the past and some more serious ones, as well.



~still have that silly stuffed animal he made me for my birthday when I was five~



Reeve had never asked for anything in return. He truly wanted to make the world and the company a better place, even though his words and projects were often squashed and abolished before they could be completed. It never seemed to deter the man, and that was to be admired.



He did all he could to ensure that Reeve was able to continue with his projects as much as possible. Sometimes he didn't think he was able to do enough to show the elder man how much he appreciated him. He often remembered as a child how he wished that Reeve was his father instead of the fat man that really was.



Dark Nation nudged his hand and he went back to scratching behind her ears as her tentacle wrapped around his arm gently. She was as anxious to get out of there as he was.



He couldn't even have a conversation with Reeve, as his time was being monopolized with some other members of the board that he didn't remember seeing before, and Hojo was saying something about his projects, as well.



He didn't want to be there. He would rather be hunting down his Turk, but he was in Costa Del Sol with his mentor. He couldn't really get upset over that. He was upset over the fact that Sephiroth was winning …



~again~



... just like he had with Genesis.



He had Genesis first before Genesis' eyes wandered to the silver-haired General. He could claim that, but he was never really able to claim the temperamental General after he started to see him. It changed everything and he had not thought that Sephiroth would be so bold as to make moves on the Turk.



~must be missing Genesis, too~



Genesis had been under his control and Rufus had had him moulded to his liking and whims. He knew it wasn't Sephiroth that made the first move. He knew it was Genesis and he knew it was his fault. He had pushed Genesis too hard and he went looking for other ways to relieve himself and found it in Sephiroth.



It was not like Genesis hadn't always been attracted to Sephiroth. It had been obvious by his looks and glances that he would have desired him much sooner.



The one thing with Sephiroth that always startled him was that he didn't seem to care that his lovers had others. He had 'overheard' a conversation between Angeal and Sephiroth once. Angeal was confused over what was going on and asked for an explanation.



"But he is with Rufus. Doesn't that bother you?" He remembered the honourable man's words.



"Why should it bother me?" Sephiroth said.



"But they sleep together."



"And?" Sephiroth had said, not at all looking concerned or worried about the unspoken arrangement that they had.



"You don't see anything wrong with this whole arrangement?" Angeal had sounded quite angry.



"Should I?" He remembered listening to Angeal's long explanation about honour and loyalty and some other stuff that was typical of the First Class SOLDIER.



"But Genesis is the one that made the first moves on me. So does that make him less honourable?" Sephiroth said, stumping the other man. "Angeal, I am grateful for your concern in this matter, but Genesis made up his mind with what he wants. Right now, he wants us both. Rufus is just in it for the game of seduction and I will always be there for him."



A statement that was not true for either of them. He did care for Genesis and Sephiroth had not been there for Genesis when he needed him the most.



Rufus had thought of many of the nights in his empty bed only with the low rumble of Dark Nation to comfort him when no one else with warmth would join him.



~will change that soon, though~



Rufus felt his phone vibrate. He had set the alarm for one hour. The minimum amount of time considered socially acceptable to remain after the forced social dinner. He had not talked to anyone as he had no desire for conversation today. He had feigned illness at the beginning of dinner, and despite being absolutely starving, only ate half a bowl of soup to keep the charade up. He shut off the vibrating phone and rose from the chair with Rude dutifully following him. Tseng gave a look at his watch before placing his hand behind his back again. He ignored the man and went to walk to his father to be excused. He pulled on Dark Nation's leash in the manner he had trained her that was her cue to growl at the nearest person. He didn't know who the man that scurried away was, but he went to join the circle where Scarlet and Heidegger were talking.



He hated those two with quite a passion with their annoying laughs. He found himself smiling as he thought of something that Reeve had said about them all the time.



~ Looks like Kya ha ha ha and Gya ha ha ha are up to something~



And they most likely were.



"Father," Rufus said, trying to keep his voice low and sounding a little weak. He wanted out of here and he didn't want to be paraded about like some sort of show chocobo. "I believe that I shall retire for the evening."



He tensed as his father put his hand on his arm and acted concerned. He knew that his father didn't really care about his wellbeing, only about his image. He was certain that if his father had his way, he would have been the bastard son and Lazard would have been the Vice-President of the company.



"You do look a little pale, son," he said. "Go rest."



He nodded and was given a few other goodbyes and feel better soon comments from other members of the group. He could see Reeve giving him a concerned look, but he didn't want to go over to say goodnight when he was talking with Lazard.



~I am not dealing with Lazard and his snide comments ~



Tseng looked at his watch again and gave him a disapproving frown as he went to the door. He was grateful to be out of the room and was comforted with the warmth of Dark Nation rubbing against his leg. He was grateful to be out of the tower, and despite his misgivings that he had about Rude, he was comforted knowing that the man was watching his back as he made his way to the garage and his limo.



He sighed heavily as they went into the parking garage and was free of the stifling air of the tower. He was looking forward to getting back to his house, get out of his suit and crawl into his bed. He had to figure out how he was going to deal with Sephiroth and Reno.



He couldn't let Sephiroth win him away from him when he was just starting to get the Turk to the point where he was enjoying his reactions and his behaviour.



He ushered Dark Nation into the limo first and was about to enter when he felt himself being yanked back and the limo door slammed before he could enter. He blinked and looked to see Rude staring down at him. Rude was very large and very intimidating. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, trying not to show that he was nervous at the dark man hovering over him.



Rude had never laid a hand on him before. This is the first time the Turk had even stood this close to him. He was not expecting to have the gloved hands grab his jacket and lift him off his feet. Rufus was surprised and couldn't hold back a startled yelp as he was roughly pushed against the side of the limo.



Rude was right in his face and he could see the anger on the normally stoic face as he spoke with clenched teeth. "You will watch yourself around my partner."



Rufus was about to say something to defend himself but quickly snapped his mouth shut. "If you hurt him …" Rude cleared his throat and Rufus gasped as the fist tightened on his jacket. He was given a sharp and rather painful thump against the car. It jarred his teeth and he was certain there would be bruising on his shoulders where he hit the car.



The hands abruptly let go and he was set back on his feet. Rude stood in front of him with a scowl on his face and he cracked his knuckles. Even with the fact that his eyes were hidden behind the glasses, he could still feel the glare.



Rude was not a man that he wanted to piss off and it seemed that he had.



"He doesn't need to be played with, sir." Rude's words were full of venom and contempt; he nearly spit out the last word. Rude took a step back, straightened the hem of his jacket in an easy fashion and seemed to hide the anger that he showed just a few seconds before.



Rude moved and Rufus flinched, expecting a blow from the man that was supposed to be his bodyguard. He didn't realize that he had closed his eyes until he heard a door open.



He saw the open door with Dark Nation whining at him from the back seat of the car, her large head looking at him and then back to the Turk. Rude stood impassively, holding the door open. Dark Nation gave a small growl but Rufus quickly silenced her and slid into the limo, pushing her further in. He was grateful to have Rude close the door behind him, even if it was slammed a little harder than it should have been.



Rufus took a couple of deep breaths to compose himself. He could see Rude's shadow sitting in the front and instructing the driver to go. He was grateful that Rude never rode in the back with him like most of the other Turks did.



He wished that Tseng was his bodyguard for the evening. At least he knew how to talk to the man. He had no idea how to talk or deal with the brute force of someone like Rude.



Dark Nation rumbled and rested her head in his lap. Rufus took comfort in her actions and sighed heavily. "Well, things always are complicated, aren't they, Nation?" he whispered.





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Legend watched as Reno frantically looked around the kitchen and living room. He had been subtle about it at first. Reno began by going through his discarded clothes pockets and then all the clothes that he had in the bedroom, even the ones in the drawers. Reno even frantically scurried around on the beach sand for a little bit, looking for the lost item that he wasn't admitting that he had lost. It was a humorous sight to see the red-haired Turk in strange green and blue board shorts running around with a colourful shirt that matched.



Finally, Reno asked him where it was with eyes nearly in a panic, but his voice was surprisingly calm. "Hey, Ledge, have ya seen my gum?"



Legend held up the pack. "This?"



Reno looked relieved and reached for it. "Thanks, man. Needed a fix." Reno opened the pack and he saw the frantic look appear again as he tried to calmly pull out a piece of gum and put it in his mouth. He could see Reno's fingers shaking as he tried to calmly tear open the package, looking for what was missing.



Legend knew what he was looking for. He had it in his hand and decided to show it to Reno. "Is this what you were looking for?"



Reno's eyes grew wide and his already pale cheeks flushed red.



"This is white."



"Yeah." Reno looked like he wanted to reach out and grab the card from his hand. Legend could see the muscles in his shoulders twitching and his fingers looking like they were going into spasm.



"Why was it in the pack of gum?"



"I thought I wouldn't lose it there."



"The card is white, Reno. That's the colour for the SOLDIER floor."



Reno chewed his piece of gum in his mouth vigorously, gave a small chuckle and a crooked smile. Legend could see the thoughts of how was he going to get out of this crossing Reno's face. Reno's hand darted forward, but he wasn't that slow yet and he pulled the card out of his younger ward's reach. "You aren't seriously considering this?"



Reno looked down at his feet and groaned.



"We talked about this already!" Legend said, tempted to throw the card away and burn it. He knew which SOLDIER that this was for. He couldn't understand Reno's attraction to men, never mind such a dangerous man.



"Damn it, Ledge," Reno said. "I don't need another lecture on it, yo."



Legend watched as he gave him that same look that he used to give him as a stupid teenager. "He is nothing but trouble!" Legend protested. All SOLDIERs were trouble and he thought he had instilled that in Reno.



"Damn it. I know that!" Reno snapped and grabbed the card from his hand and tucked it in his pocket. "I don't have luck with anyone! If I can have a little bit of comfort from the hot guy, so be it." Reno looked tense. "I know you mean well, Ledge."



"But this isn't just someone from the engineering department. This is the Silver General!" Legend said and had to calm himself down a bit. He could feel the tightness in his chest again. He knew he was getting all flustered at Reno, and Reno was not taking his concerns seriously.



Reno sighed heavily. "Ya know." He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "I want to have more, Ledge. I get it, but I know it's not gonna happen whether I was interested in girls or not. You know as well as I do that I'm a screw up from the slums and a Turk. I mean, that's the reality."



Legend sighed and frowned. He knew better than anyone that Reno was right about being a Turk. It screwed up any chance of normal relationships, and it wasn't Reno's fault the life he led as a child. He just didn't understand …



~why the General, of all people?~



... why he was trying to find comfort with SOLDIERs.



"Can't you find a Turk to shack up with?"



Reno laughed. "Tried that. That failed, too. Listen, Ledge, I know ya worry 'bout me. But I'm an adult now and I'm not that scrawny rat that was hidin' under the bed."



"I just," Legend started, but gave a heavy sigh. Reno was right. Reno was not that scrawny little kid that would look at him from beneath the bed when he entered the room. He was not the skinny teen that he had to coax out with food or pop.



~or drugs when he had the shakes~



Reno rolled his eyes and went to the fridge. "Okay. I'm going to put it this way. If Scarlet were to come over and drop in your lap and invite you to her room, you would take it, right?" Reno grabbed a drink from the fridge - some of those awful, sweet lemonades that he liked.



"Hell yeah," Legend said. There was no denying that Scarlet cut a fine figure and he couldn't help but admire the woman and often thought about stripping that tight red dress off her.



"And she isn't bad for you or anythin', yo?" Reno said after he took a big drink.



"Well, I …" Legend stopped and stared at the smug smile on his young student's face.



"But, she's got …" Legend held his hands out as if he were cupping a pair of large breasts, but quickly put his hands back to his side. "Okay. I get your point."



"I think that's five," Reno said with a laugh.



Legend frowned deeply at the redhead.



"It's not very often that I make a point that ya get, yo," Reno said. "I get that Sephiroth won't be good for me, but man, he can sure kiss, and have ya seen his abs?"



"I thought you had a thing for butts." Legend scoffed and was of the mind to get some of the same drink that Reno was having, even though it would conflict with his medications that kept him breathing.



"Yo, well, that too," Reno said. "Can't see Sephiroth's butt with that long jacket of his, but he sure shows off his other assets."



Legend groaned. "I don't need the details, Reno." Reno laughed as he pulled that card out of his pocket. "Just make sure that you protect yourself," Legend said.



Reno rolled his eyes. "Twenty-five."



"Twenty-five?" Legend asked. "What have I said twenty-five times?"



"Protectin' myself. The safe sex talk." Reno chuckled and took a long drink from the bottle.



Legend sighed. He no longer wanted to talk about this subject. "Let's go for a walk on the beach. I need to see some babes to get the thoughts of your men obsessions out of my head."



Reno nodded. "I'm gonna need more sunscreen, yo." Legend noted that Reno placed that key card in the drawer where he kept his wallet.



He was never going to get used to this and he was not going to like it, but what could he do to stop Reno? He was no longer a child and he could do who or what he wanted.



But he figured in the next couple days, he would push those numbers up in how many lectures he gave him.





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"So he obviously made up with his Sugar-Daddy," Joseph grumbled and crossed his arms. "He went from ignoring us because he was pissed off and now he's ignoring us because he is in la-la land."



John pushed the pesky blue-haired man away from his shoulder. "He's happy. Will you drop it already?"



"Yeah, yeah," Joseph said as they watched Cloud walk over to their spot on the table. Cloud was in dreamland. He constantly had a crooked smile that would just appear on his lips at the oddest moments.



He was glad that Cloud made up with Zack. It made Cloud a much happier person and easier to be around. Cloud sat beside them and gave them an overly cheery 'good morning' that was completely out of character.



Joseph raised his eyebrow at Cloud, pointing his fork at him with a narrowed look. "Are you on crack?"



Cloud just shook his head. "Don't be silly."



~completely out of character~



"What did your Sugar-Daddy get you to turn you from a raving mad-man to mister guy-on-cloud-nine?" Joseph said as he waggled his eyebrows. John rolled his eyes. Joseph was fishing for him to laugh at the horrible pun that he just made up and he wasn't going to fall for it. It seemed that Cloud wasn't going to bite, either.



"Nothing," Cloud said as he started to eat. A strange smile and dazed look crossed his face. John almost was curious to ask what happened as well, but refrained. It was none of his business.



~as much as I'm dying to know what could change the emo king into a giddy school girl~



Joseph didn't have the same level of tact. "Come on. Throw me a clue here! Reno left yesterday, did you two snog or something?"



Cloud stopped with the forkful of food halfway to his mouth.



"Snog?" Cloud and John said at the same time.



"What? Didn't you?"



"What is that supposed to mean?" Cloud asked as he put his fork back onto his plate and gave him a confused look. John refrained from covering his face with his hands.



"What? Snog. You know, screw, fuck, shag, lick, blow, tap, pack in …" Cloud flushed bright red as Joseph's inappropriate list started, but he reacted quickly.



John didn't see any reason to stop Cloud as the chair Joseph was sitting on was violently tipped back and crashed to the floor, causing Joseph to let out an unmanly scream. The whole Mess hall broke into laughter and taunts. "What was that for?" Joseph protested.



"You are a real pervy jerk sometimes, you know that, Joseph?" Cloud said simply and went back to eating his dinner. He still had a large smile on his face.



~shit, Zack must have done something really good to him~



"You still love me though, right?" Joseph said as he pulled his chair back up and patted Cloud's back. "Right?"



"You need counselling, Joseph," John said as he shook his head.



"Seriously," Cloud said, but he was still smiling as he sat there.



John even eyed Cloud suspiciously. "You are way too happy. What have you done with the real Cloud?"



Cloud just chuckled and a flush formed on his cheeks.



~must have been real good~



Joseph made a pouting look and crossed his arms. "I need to find a guy that will turn me into that kind of mush."



Cloud just smiled and kept on eating.



For once, John agreed with Joseph. It was the first time in his life that he thought that maybe he should go gay if this was what it did to people. He shook that thought out of his head but then it shifted to thoughts of if he was able to turn his girlfriend into a pile of mush like that.





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Kunsel looked down at Zack. He had called him up to train with him for a couple hours, and the man was in dreamland again. Zack was lying on the floor of the simulation room, sprawled flat on his back and with a silly big grin on his face.



"You obviously made up with Cloud." Kunsel grunted as he put away the practice sword.



"Yup," Zack said, and if it was possible, his smile grew bigger.



Kunsel rolled his eyes. "So he forgives you for being a moron?"



"Yup."



"You have the week off, right?"



"Yup."



"Why aren't you with him, then?"



"He still has patrols," Zack said. "Needed something to do while he was out working." Zack still lay in the middle of the floor, his eyes not focused on anything and his face plastered with a stupid grin.



Kunsel couldn't help but roll his eyes at the besotted man. "You are truly pathetic."



"Yup."



"You are totally smitten with him, aren't you?"



"Yup."



Kunsel kicked at Zack's foot. "Get up. We are done here. Let's go for coffee, you love-struck idiot."



"Sure," Zack said, quickly bouncing to his feet. "You buy this time."



"So," Kunsel said as he patted his friend on the back. "Can I get out of you what happened?"



"Nope."



"Was it smutty?"



"Kunsel!" Zack gave him a push, but Kunsel saw the flush on his cheeks.



~very smutty~



"What? I have to ask when you are walking around like a doofus at the mere mention of your little boyfriend."



"I am not walking around like a doofus!" Zack tried to defend himself, but as he spoke, he walked into the door frame with a pretty hard thump. Kunsel couldn't help but laugh as the blush on his cheeks turned into an embarrassed one as he rubbed his now injured shoulder.



"Okay, a little bit like a doofus," Zack said as he made it through the door, still rubbing his self-inflicted injury.



Kunsel laughed behind his hand. "I am so going to drag those details out of you."



Zack laughed. "Not going to happen, bud."



Kunsel grinned.



~I'm always up for a challenge~





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A little bit of Rufus history… "Weed" is an interesting nickname, isn't it? Reno gets another lecture from Legend. The Spike-brains are so 'dwah' right now.



Next Chapter… Friday 1



AUTHOR PANDERING TIME:



Bibliotary: A TsengxGenesis, yes you heard right. If you lovely readers know of anymore stories with these guys as a couple let me know. I can't find anymore.

Chocolate Chai: A CloudxZack, hyper Cloud fic, and I have fanart for it... check it out... http: /funkysockzlover . deviantart . com/art/Coffee-for-Cloud-172689213 without the spaces.



And I love.. RinaluffsPokemonboys she made me presents that you can see here. http: /albedosreqium . deviantart . com/art/Mini-Turk-3-172993074 without the spaces. They are so damn cute



I will update my profile page, for ease of access to all the stuff I listed. Hopefully it will distract you form the fact that Friday is coming up.