~Texts from last night~

SCREWDRIVER​

Reeve had offered to escort the Vice-President to the morning meeting as it was on his way from his little lab. Tseng had said something about how he needed to be watched more carefully. He didn't bother to knock on the office door, as he was sure that Rufus was expecting him, and he entered the young man's office.

He was a little taken aback at the sight of Rufus standing by the bar. He was aware that the young man liked to indulge a little in the drink, but this was going a little too far.

Reeve watched as Rufus took a spoonful of frozen orange juice directly from the can and place it in his mouth. What had stunned him next was how he brought the vodka bottle to his lips and took a mouthful from it. Rufus then seemed to swish it around in his mouth before he swallowed.

He watched as Rufus seem to slouch slightly and gave out a sigh until his grey eyes focused on him. Rufus' young face turned red and his hand clenched around the bottle of booze.

"Don't tell Tseng," Rufus whispered as he scrambled to put the incriminating evidence away.

Reeve now understood why Tseng wanted a closer eye kept on the boy. Reeve couldn't help let a smile form, as he could use this new information to his advantage. "Why don't you want me to tell Tseng?" He could see the panic in the young man's eyes. He could assume correctly that this must be an ongoing problem between him and Tseng.

"Please, don't tell him."

Reeve approached Rufus, and he could see the young man's hands were shaking slightly and clutching the bottle in the other. The boy acted quite strong in meetings and in public, but he was obviously more fragile in private.

"I think he would like to know about something like this," Reeve said. The fear in Rufus' gray eyes was more evident now.

"Reeve, please. You can't tell him," Rufus said in a whine that was usually reserved for children. "What-what will it take for you to not tell him?"

Reeve smiled brightly. Rufus may be young, but he also knew how the game was played in Shin-Ra.

Reeve placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and felt him shudder. "It is nothing that you won't be able to accommodate." Rufus swallowed and looked pale. Reeve wondered how many other deals the Vice-President had made in the past to keep his secret from Tseng.

"A simple increase in my urban planning development budget, without having to go through board approval, would suffice," he said, seeing the relief was over the young face.

"Oh, I can arrange that," Rufus said and went to bring the trembling bottle of vodka to his lips. Reeve reached out and took it from his hand and placed it back on the counter.

"I think you have had enough of that." Reeve saw the pout starting to form, reminding Reeve that Rufus was still a child in so many ways. "We have a meeting to attend to and Tseng is waiting. I wouldn't want to have to tell him we were late because you had to finish your drink."

Rufus nodded but looked longingly at the bottle. "No, we can't have that." The boy straightened his suit and put on his control and mature face as they started to head out the door.

Despite the claim that he was not going to talk to Tseng, he was more worried about what the boy had thought he was propositioning for silence, and what others had asked him to do.

 

DISSAPOINTMENT​

Reno didn't want to think about why this woman was attracted to him. He was going to run with it. He was going through a dry spell when it came to dates and he wasn't going to turn down a willing woman.

She seemed quite eager as she said she was slipping into the bathroom to put on something more comfortable. She had encouraged him to 'get comfortable' on the bed before she returned.

He was already naked and had slipped under the sheets. It had been nearly a year since he last got laid. All the opportunities just never panned out and he had stopped paying for the Bumblebee girls once he realized that nearly all of them had slept with the President at one point or another.

Her voice called from the bathroom. "The condoms are in the right drawer if you want to pull out your size."

He grinned and moved over to the drawer and opened it before he realized that he had moved to his right, not her right.

He swallowed at what he saw sitting there. He took a deep slow breath and closed the drawer.

~based on the size of her vibrator, I'm going to be a huge disappointment~

He rolled over to the right side of the bed, trying not to think of the 'toy' that he saw in the other drawer, and though about the activity he was about to partake. She had hit on him first, so she must need the warmth of a man in her bed.

He opened up the right drawer and began to worry a bit more since there was only Magnums in there.

 

BRIGHT SIDE​

Angeal sat down his two friends and scowled at them. They had been bickering in public and it had been an absolute embarrassment for them both to act like such … such children in front of the executives like that.

"You two have been bickering all week. It's getting embarrassing! Why were you two being so childish?" He crossed his arms and looked at both the men. They both sat in their chairs and were looking down at their laps. They deserved to be scolded for cursing and pushing each other like that. "What's been going on between you two?"

Genesis spoke first. "He's not listening to me."

"All you do is spout off poetry and whimper about the goddess!" Sephiroth responded. "Why would I want to keep listening to the same blather?"

Genesis rolled his eyes. "Because it is a wonderful piece of poetry that can be applied to how our lives …"

"I am sick of listening to you rant about it!" Sephiroth snapped and crossed his legs and arms as he glared at Genesis.

"Would you rather I talk about all your heroic exploits?" Genesis yelled, sitting forward in his chair and glared at him.

"That would be more interesting," Sephiroth said, glaring directly into Genesis eyes.

"Hey!" Angeal yelled and they both looked at him with both their mouths set in firm lines. "That is what you two have been fighting about for a week? LOVELESS?" He knew that his childhood friend was obsessed with the book but this was going a little far, and from the look on Sephiroth's face, he was no longer enamoured with the poetry that constantly spouted out of the red General's mouth.

"He is a self-centered, stuffy, selfish jerk!" Genesis yelled and pointed towards Sephiroth.

Sephiroth gave a small grunt. Angeal expected him to be angry but a smirk formed on the silver-haired General's lips. "Well, look on the bright side of things," Sephiroth said as he uncrossed his legs and leaned back in the chair in an uncharacteristic relaxed pose. "I have an eleven-inch penis."

Angeal covered his face with his hands and groaned.

"Hmm," Genesis hummed. "That is a good point."

Angeal wished he kept his face covered as he watched Genesis crawl into Sephiroth's lap.

 

HERE​

Everything was so big. Cloud knew things would be different in Midgar but he never really expected everything to be so different.

He looked at the map that he held in his hands and frowned. He had been wandering ever since he got off the train and even with the piece of paper, he couldn't seem to find his way to Shin-Ra headquarters.

Cloud had always felt small, even when he was at home, but now, he was feeling insignificant again. Everything and everyone was so much bigger and more grand than he was.

~or ever could be~

He was trying to prove himself and he couldn't even find his way around with a map. He sat down and slumped in the park bench and tried not to let the fear overtake him.

He couldn't go back home with all the bragging that he had done. He couldn't disappoint his mother or look bad in front of Tifa, but he didn't know if he could cut it here if he couldn't even find where the headquarters were.

"Are you alright, son?" He looked up at the sound of the kind deep voice. He was a bit startled by the size of the man. The man was wearing a First Class uniform and was wearing the largest sword he had ever seen before. His blue eyes were lit with compassion and concern as he looked down at him. "You look a little lost."

Cloud swallowed and tried to sound confident and sure, but the words tumbled out of his mouth. "I don't even know how to be here." He felt even more pathetic and small speaking those words to such a large man who obviously would have no problems in a place such as this.

The man gave him a kind smile at him and pointed to the map and brochure that he had wrinkled in his hand. "So, you want to be a SOLDIER?"

 

BUZZ KILL​

Rufus was relaxed as he was gratefully without pain. He knew that Tseng would be pissed knowing Reno had supplied him with a stronger painkiller.

Tseng had been such a kill joy. He had endured quitting drinking and being bedridden for three months. He had been at Tseng's and the doctor's mercy for that whole time and they had all carefully monitored medicine.

But he had a lot of pain.

Reno was the one that had the connections to get him stuff that made him not feel the burning in his hip, the constant ache in his legs, or the needles he had in his shoulders.

"How ya feeling Boss?" Reno asked.

He hummed. "Wonderful, Reno, absolutely wonderful." He looked over at the redhead and was amazed at how red his hair was. He reached out and touched it.

"Hey, Boss. I don't go that way, yo," Reno chuckled.

"But I like your hair," Rufus said simply as he twined the ponytail between his fingers. "It's so red."

"Yeah, I know I'm irresistible." Reno smiled and laughed. "You are so stoned."

He knew the statement was true. He was blitzed and he would have to tone it down once they arrived back in Healin. He couldn't let Tseng know that he was using other methods of pain management.

He looked out of the car at the passing scenery, knowing that he had a silly grin on his face. He would have to act calm in front of Tseng.

The car suddenly screeched to a halt and a large, brown furry body slammed into the windshield. He threw his arms in front of his face but it was unnecessary. The seat belt held him firmly in place and jarred his shoulder, and he let out a little yell as his body protested the harsh treatment.

"Stupid deer," Reno said panting. His knuckles were white as he clutched the steering wheel.

Rufus calmed his rapid breathing. He watched as Reno walked out of the car to remove the body from the hood.

"What a buzzkill," he whispered to himself.

~at least I won't have to pretend that I'm not high and with this, I should be able to get another dose of that morphine~

 

SELF-EXPLANATORY​

"Have you seen Sephiroth?"

Angeal twirled his large sword and rested it back on the magnetic clip on his back and turned to his childhood friend. He called the young troops to take a break and then turned back to Genesis who had his arms folded and was tapping a foot.

"Actually, I haven't seen him today," Angeal said.

Genesis grumbled.

"Why are you looking for him?"

"I want to fuck."

Angeal raised his eyebrow at him.

Genesis sighed. "Well, I think that it's pretty self-explanatory!" And he stormed off. Angeal looked over to the young men and hoped that they did not hear any of the conversation.

 

DISMEMBERING​

The battle had been hard. Fighting off the Jenova-inspired monsters had taken its toll on them all.

Cloud was exhausted. The battles had been wearing on him and he was a little sick from the cycle of healing and heavy materia use.

Cid and Barret didn't seem any worse for wear. Barret was checking his arm and ensuring that it was functioning correctly.

Cid grinned as he sliced at the remains of the monster.

"It's dead, ya moron," Barret snapped as some goop from the creature splashed on him from a twirl of the spear. "Stop that!"

Cid just grinned around his cigar. "Dismembering aliens is strangely addicting."

Cloud rolled his eyes at Cid and decided to ignore his comment. Cid had an unhealthy obsession with anything that had to do with space as it was.

"Yer a sick man," Barret said and stormed off to join the others.

Cloud wasn't going to argue Barret's statement as Cid took another couple of slices at the already mutilated corpse.