Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Summary : 

Your dream has always been to work as a designer. Coming from the slums, you want to escape your difficult life and finally lead a quiet life. You've finally managed to land a job at Shinra, but unfortunately, as a maintenance worker. It's better than nothing.

However, the return of a certain vice-president to the company will shake up your daily routine. 

Note : 

Hello. It's been a while since I've written a fanfiction, and I really like the idea of ​​writing from the reader's perspective. English isn't my native language, so I write the story in French, then translate it into English, then proofread to correct any odd sentences, but some phrases may have escaped me, so I apologize if that's the case.

(And if any French people want me to post it in French, let me know.)

Thanks :D

Chapter 1: The Lower Floor

We can't say that life had been kind to you, but perhaps your luck was beginning to change.

Through hard work and perseverance, you had finally been hired at the Shinra building. Granted, it wasn't a position suited to your skills; you had been hired as a cleaner, but the job paid well, and you were finally going to be able to pay off your debts, save some money, and maybe even find a place to live in a better neighborhood. 

While the slums weren't known as desirable places to live, the other sectors were almost enticing compared to Sector 2, where you were renting a room.

You'd been working for Shinra for several months now, and your days were all the same. You'd get up very early in the morning to catch the first train to the Upper Plate. 

You'd often come home late, but that suited you because it allowed you to avoid running into Vito's men, a local thug who controlled the entire area. You owed him a few months' rent. 

Unfortunately, this morning, as you were leaving your house, you came face to face with Dutch, your "landlord" in the gang leader's service.

“Hey, I've been trying to get a hold of you for days, you owe me money.”

“I'm getting my pay soon, Dutch. As soon as I get it, I'll transfer it to you. You know me, I've always been regular.”

“That's true. But you'll have to add 500 gils.”

“Excuse me?” When you heard the amount, you almost choked.

“Yeah, this month is the boss's birthday, everyone in the area has to pay an extra tax.”

You felt a surge of anger rise in you. It was so unfair, but you weren't surprised; Vito was constantly adding surprise taxes. It was because of this, you'd incurred debts despite your job.

Knowing that protesting wouldn't help, you nodded and promised Dutch you'd quickly wire him the money. He looked at you menacingly for a moment before letting you pass. You walked away, then, when you were sure you were no longer in sight, you started running so you wouldn't miss your train. It seemed silly, but you didn't want him to think he was the one scaring you.

… 

It was break time, and you were sitting at a table in the maintenance workers' cafeteria. 

You'd managed to arrive at work on time, sweating, but at least you avoided getting a warning. Your department was very strict about that; every time you were late was noted on a file, and after three, your pay was deducted. As if you needed that.

You were quietly finishing the sandwich you had brought (the Shinra canteen was known to be very good, but the cost was too high for you) when Pepper, one of your colleagues, came to sit in front of you. 

Pepper was older than you in this job, and wasn’t known for her social skills. Most of the time if she came to talk to you, it was either to pass you her job or to share the latest gossip (her great passion.)

“Guess who's back among us?!”

So she was here to gossip.

“I guess if you're talking about it, it's someone important.”

“Vice-President Rufus Shinra! He's been spotted in the building. He was on a business trip, so you probably never saw him!”

“That's true, but neither does the President. I work on the lower floors, remember?”

“Oh, he's 100 times more interesting than his father. Much more handsome!”

You were about to question her about her dubious scale of values ​​when your area manager stood in front of you.

“Girls, we have a “T code ". I need one of you to go.”

“Code T” was an internal term indicating that the Turks' office needed to be cleaned. 

Since this group had very personal schedules, and as we never knew when they were at their desks or not, it wasn't possible to plan a regular cleaning. 

And of course, it was unthinkable to intervene in their presence.

So, you had to intervene as soon as the place was empty, and it was called a “Code T.”

Pepper grimaced. Of course, your break time would be wasted. That was working for Shinra; excellence was demanded of every department.

“She can just go,” your colleague said, pointing at you. ‘Her sandwich is almost finished, while I've barely touched my tray. Besides, she can finish it in the freight elevator.”

Your manager looked at Pepper then turned to you.

“Hurry up, I don't know how long their meeting will last.”

You stood up from the table, crumpling the paper of your sandwich, before throwing it on Pepper's tray, deliberately aiming for her plate.

“Throw this away for me, I don't have time, it's urgent.”

Then you walked away without waiting for her reaction, hurrying to swallow the last pieces of your meal.

… 

The employee’s elevator dropped you off at the garage level, a mandatory passage so you could retrieve your cart before accessing the lower areas. You liked this place; it was quiet, and each time you passed, there were new vehicles to observe. Mechanics aren't necessarily your passion, but you love new designs, and this time it was a splendid white cabriolet that caught your eye. You allowed yourself a brief pause to admire it, imagining yourself behind the wheel for a brief moment before continuing on your way. Such dreams weren't within your reach.

Once you arrived in front of the cleaning closet, you placed your cell phone in front of the dial to unlock access. Retrieving your cleaning cart, you took the elevator to the lower floors until you reached level -3. 

The Turks' office was far from the rest of the buildings, but it had the advantage of not being very large.

It was time to switch to cleaning mode. To give yourself courage, you put on your headphones, turned on your music, and walked into the room. Speed ​​and efficiency were your watchwords at work. You started by swiping the table with a sponge, then turned to the desk to grab the trash can, when your gaze caught on a figure slumped on the couch.

Surprised, you stifled a scream before stepping back and lowering your headset onto your shoulders.

“Sorry pretty, but you were so focused, I didn't want to disturb you.”

The man who spoke was a red-haired Turk known as Reno.

“I was told the office would be empty!”

“It's true we have a meeting.”

“And you're not there?”

“No, I have to finish my reports, I'm not allowed to move before…”

“But you were sleeping.”

“Yep, because if there's one thing more boring than writing a report, it's participating in a meeting.”

His remark made you laugh. Pleased with himself, he settled back comfortably on his sofa.

“I know I'm not allowed, but... can I finish the cleaning?”

“Act like I'm not here, my dear!”

Out of politeness, you decided not to turn your music back on, in case the man wanted to continue his small talk. Luckily, he didn't seem motivated to do so, and for that, you were grateful. You quickly finished the room: desk, floor, trash can before heading to the small side room containing a break area used only for Turks. On the counter sat the remains of a pizza.

“Sir, can I clear the food ?”

“Yeah you can throw it away!”

It hurt to ruin a dish that looked good (you hadn't had pizza in years), but it wasn't the worst extravagance you'd seen since working for Shinra.

So you grabbed the slice of pizza to discard it. As you turned around, you found yourself staring at you with a pair of red eyes. The gaze, already frightening in itself, belonged to an equally impressive being. A huge creature, half-dog, half-panther, with a tentacle on his back, stared at you silently, panting, his mouth open, full of fangs. 

You took a step back, and he moved forward with one paw. When you moved your arm, you realized that the creature's gaze was more interested in the pizza than in you.

When he lunged at you, you threw yourself back, climbing onto the counter and holding your arm high so he wouldn't reach your plate. The beast stood on his hind legs, leaning on the edge, his mouth almost level with your face; he could have slit your throat at any moment.

“What's going on here? Darkstar, what are you doing here? Your master is looking for you.”

The man who had just entered the kitchen was none other than the leader of the Turks, Tseng. This day was becoming increasingly disastrous for you, who were normally never to be seen by the employees, let alone by Shinra's special personnel.

“May I know what you are doing?”

This time you were almost certain he was talking to you.

“H... He wants to eat that. I don't know if he’s allowed to, so…”

While you were talking you were still climbing on your furniture, stretching as hard as you could to prevent the so-called Darkstar from grabbing that damn pizza slice.

Tseng looked at Darkstar, then looked at you, then looked at your hand and raised an eyebrow.

“Give it to him, he's eaten much worse.”

Then without another word he turned around and left the room, then the office followed by Reno, who had obviously just been caught shirking his work.

Coming down from your makeshift shelter, you handed the pizza to the animal, which devoured it with surprising delicacy, avoiding hurting you and licking your fingers as if grateful. Then he turned around and left the room. 

Shocked by the events, you leaned over to look outside the room, just in time to see the animal trot out of the office, joining a white-clad figure waiting for him in the hallway.

As a precaution, you decided to stay in your break room for a few moments while everyone cleared out, then you rushed out of the office to take refuge in your cleaning closet. Once the door was closed, you allowed yourself a few minutes of rest, relieved that this incident ended so well for you, despite so many rule violations.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: The Upper Floors

Several days had passed since your adventure at the Turks' office. You feared a reprimand, but unless they were cruel enough to let you stew for a long time, before reporting you, you were off the hook. In the meantime, you had learned your lesson, and before going to specific offices, you made sure to knock on the door first.

Thanks to Pepper, who had made inquiries, you had learned that the animal named Darkstar belonged to Vice President Rufus Shinra, and the VP was “drop-dead gorgeous.” Since she had made a point of telling everyone about him whenever she had the chance, half of the building's female and male staff were hoping to meet him. Normally, this wouldn't impact your work, but unfortunately, your colleagues had started bribing the scheduling managers to work as often as possible on the upper floors, hoping to run into the Vice President.

Pepper, in particular, had spent enormous sums cleaning the offices on the 64th floor and beyond. You wondered where she got such money from, because it seemed to you that she wasn't rolling in it, even if she was living on the Upper Plate. In any case, for now, this technique didn't work very well, and the famous Rufus seemed invisible.

The consequence was that, not wanting to play the bribe game (and in any case not having the means), you were given the most thankless tasks of cleaning the dirtiest places.

This week, you were assigned to the dining hall for the fourth time in a row. When all the building's employees had finished eating, you had to clean all the tables behind them, which took long, exhausting hours. You suspected a little revenge on Pepper's part after the sandwich incident, but you didn't have proof. She was way too smiley when she saw you, and wished you good luck every morning when you received your assignment from the scheduling manager. 

She didn't know this task suited you well. Once it was finished, you weren't assigned anything else, and you could go home earlier than usual. And as a bonus, since the pizza incident, you had been recognized as a provider of good food by Darkstar, the Vice President's pet, and he, smarter than you initially thought, had taken to sneaking around looking for you to ask for food. The first time he appeared, you had looked around for his master, but now you understood that it was in the animal's habits to wander alone in the corridors and then return to his master when he felt like it. While waiting for his arrival, you took advantage of cleaning the tables to put aside the best leftovers that you hid on your trolley. This little ritual made your days a little more pleasant.

“One of these days I'll ask your master to borrow you for an evening so I can come home with you. I know some people who would be calmed by your presence,” you said to the animal, who was chewing on the remains of a burger, while you wiped the chairs with your cloth.

Darkstar raised his head and looked at you questioningly.

“I'm sure one grunt from you, and the other idiot would immediately forget about his rent increases.”

As if to confirm what you said, he stood up, showed his fangs and snapped his tentacle, then stretched and walked calmly towards the exit. His stroll for the day was over. It was never very long.

“OK, have a good day too.”

Finally, it was fun to have someone to share part of your days with, even if it was a monster-dog-panther almost as big as you.

… 

Your day was come to an end, and you were starting to get tired. You had finished cleaning all the tables and chairs, sweeping the huge room, and all you had to do was quietly finish mopping the floor and finally go home when you heard an argument in the distance. The voices were getting closer to you and vaguely evoked something about the office and anger management. Finally, the people appeared in your line of sight, and you recognized Tseng, who was talking with the head of the Hygiene and Cleanliness department—your big boss, in short.

"I understand what you're asking, but I don't have anyone available! I can't find you someone like that in a flash," the man cried to the Turk, impassive.

“And yet you're going to do it. I'm not asking you a request; I'm giving you an order. This office should already be cleaned by now, so don't waste my time and fix the problem.”

And on this, the man left the room, cutting the conversation short and leaving your boss fuming with anger. Unfortunately for you, he then noticed your presence:

“Hey you! Are you on this room?”

“Yes sir”

“So you're done. Ditch the floor and go to the 66th floor, the private meeting room, the big one. There's some cleaning to do, I want it to be immaculate in an hour.”

“But… sir, I…”

You wanted to tell him that you weren't normally allowed to go up to the upper floors and, incidentally, that you were done for the day, but he didn't give you the chance.

“Hurry up! And come change first, there are spare clothes in Locker Room B.”

He left the room, ranting about those damn Turks, about how he didn't have to manage the staff, and about people who couldn't control their tempers (which you found a bit ironic given his attitude).

… 

You angrily slammed the door of the locker room where you had just changed. You still hadn't digested the incident that had just ruined your end of the day. Firstly, because you had realized a little too late that the issue of overtime hadn't been addressed by your superior, which meant that you wouldn't be paid for cleaning this damn office. And on top of that, you had to change to accomplish this new task. 

Indeed, because of a whim of President Shinra, who mainly frequented the floors from the 64th, all the cleaning staff on the upper floors had to wear a specific outfit because he found it "more pleasant to look at." That's why you had to swap your usual outfit, a black pants and a short-sleeved cotton polo shirt with a classic white apron, for a dress with balloon sleeves and a bouffant skirt, all with a lace apron: a maid outfit! You thought about your male colleagues who looked better in their tailcoat uniforms.

In the slums there was a joke about who was more perverted: the President or Don Corneo, and while you admired yourself in the mirror you would vote inwardly for the Shinra leader.

… 

You knocked on the door and waited, listening carefully to make sure the room was empty. As there was no answer, you entered the office, pushing your cart, and froze at the disaster.

Your boss had been right to talk about disastrous anger management. You thought someone had just spilled their coffee, but the room you were in had been turned upside down. All the things that should have been on the desk were lying on the floor. Obviously, someone had been upset about something, and had thrown whatever came into their hands to the floor. Sighing, you began to pick up the bulk of the items, putting everything back on the desk as you went. You were now tackling the pile of files lying on the floor. In any conventional firm, you would have simply picked them up and placed them on the desk, but you worked at Shinra and, were in the offices of the bigwigs, so you had to pick them up quickly and, above all, look at them as least as possible. Everyone had already heard about that colleague who had lingered over a document, giving the impression of reading it, and had ended up in the underground offices, interrogated by the Turks for espionage. Whether they were found guilty or released in either case, they no longer worked here.

Taking care to look elsewhere, you bent down to pick up a pile of files, and suddenly dropped them on the floor with a cry of pain. A huge piece of glass had lodged in the palm of your hand. Looking more closely, you saw what the files had hidden: the person who had vandalized the office had first smashed a glass of alcohol on the wall and the pieces had scattered on the floor. 

Cursing him, you leaned against the desk, took a deep breath, and began to remove the piece of glass from your hand. Fortunately, it wasn't that deep, and you were able to dislodge it easily. You took a cloth from your pocket, and pressed it against your wound to prevent the blood from flowing. It was painful, but you had experienced worse, and in any case, you were going to have to finish your cleaning before you could treat yourself properly. You were wrapping your cloth around your hand, squeezing it as tightly as you could with your teeth, so it would put pressure on the wound when you heard a voice behind you:

“What are you doing?”

You turned to see a blond, blue-eyed man wearing a white suit leaning against the office entrance, looking at you coldly. There was no doubt about it, it was Vice-President Rufus Shinra standing before you.

Straightening up quickly, you stretched your good hand towards your cart:

“Excuse me, sir, I was sent to clean.”

And putting your words into action, you carefully picked up the files that were lying on the floor, and placed them on the desk.

“I understood that, I'm asking you what's going on with your hand.”

“Nothing serious, sir, I just cut myself, but it’s okay, I won’t be long.”

You grabbed your broom with both hands, holding back a grimace, and attacked the wet pieces of glass.

“I can't believe it, you are cleaning while I’m talking to you?”

His tone was dry, with a hint of irritation. Still without looking at him, you replied:

“Sorry, sir, but… since we have limited time for cleaning… I’d rather move on while you talk to me.”

There was a silence, then a small laugh escaped him. You stopped sweeping, head down, wondering if you'd gone too far. You heard footsteps getting closer until you saw a pair of black boots stop right in front of you.

“Drop that, and come with me.”

"I beg your pardon ?"

You felt a hand grab your arm and pull you forward. He clearly wasn't the type to like repeating himself, and you had to abandon your broom as he passed by your cart. He led you to a room that looked like a bathroom and made you sit on the chair there. He went to open the cabinet above the sink to take out a first aid kit. Your brain started to restart, and you realized he wanted to take care of your injury.

“No need, sir, I planned to go to the treatment center after.”

He pulled out a chair and placed it in front of you at a good distance before sitting down on it.

“I admit I was tempted to see how you planned to finish cleaning up quickly while spilling blood everywhere in your path, but alas, I don't have time. Give me your hand!”

You'd lived in the slums long enough to recognize personalities and know how to react accordingly. It was how you survived, and clearly you were dealing with someone who didn't appreciate negotiation. So you reached out to him, and noticed that, indeed, your blood-soaked cloth had begun to drip onto the floor. He grabbed it, and began to remove your makeshift bandage. You saw that he'd taken care to place a napkin on his knees and were grateful: you were already in enough debt without adding the astronomical sum it must have cost for dry cleaning to remove a drop of blood from an expensive, custom-made white suit.

He began to clean your wound, and you tried to break the heavy silence:

“It’s not really up to you to do that, sir.”

"I know."

Yet he continued. He paused for a moment and seemed to think before adding.

“To be honest, it’s a bit my fault.”

A bit? If he was the one who committed the carnage in the room, then it was entirely his fault. Of course, you didn't say it out loud, but the mocking expression he gave you proved he understood. To calm yourself down, you tried to sit up better. Unfortunately, your change of position caused the skirt of your outfit to ride up slightly, revealing the tops of your thighs. And of course, your interlocutor didn't even make the effort to pretend he wasn't looking. You tugged at the fabric to push it back down, a slight blush rising to your cheeks.

“My father's taste has always been questionable. I should tell him to allow you to change your outfit; this one doesn't make your job any easier.”

“Oh, if you really want to make my job easier, start by not trashing your office.”

Damn it! This time you really spoke out loud. You felt his hand tighten on yours. First, he looked at you silently, then slowly he leaned towards you and fixed his sharp blue eyes on yours. He observed you for a moment, coldly. In a voice far too soft he said:

“You know if I want to trash my office every day, you will come every day to clean it and there is nothing you can do or say about it.”

The pressure on your hand was starting to hurt. You quickly stammered:

“That’s true, sir, I apologize, sir.”

Either your words had convinced him, or the grimace on your face had calmed him, but he released the pressure, stepped back, and resumed his task as if nothing had happened.

He grabbed a series of small white strips.

“I'm going to squeeze the wound as hard as I can. It's going to hurt.”

“Don’t bother, you can go as quickly as possible.”

“No. It would be a shame if there was a scar.”

Once again you holded your tongue. What was the point of making sure there wasn't a scar, it's not like you didn't have any, you had them all over your body, because you lived in the slums not with those Upper Plate snobs, who never met monsters, or had enough money to pay for proper care. You let him press on your cut to tighten your skin and place the strips all along, closing it little by little.

“There you go, in a few weeks your injury will be gone.”

“Thank you very much, sir, I am very grateful,” you answered without believing a single word you said.

He looked at you for a moment and chuckled. He placed a bandage around your hand without adding anything else. Then he stood up to put the kit back in the closet. You took the opportunity to get up from your chair and leave the room hastily. Before leaving, you saw him take off his bloodstained gloves and casually throw them in the trash before washing his hands.

Once you got back to the office, and to your great misfortune, Tseng was now there with a file in his hand. However, he was kind enough not to make any remarks to you and just watched you grab your broom and hurry to finish picking up the debris to put it in the trash.

You were just starting the final mopping phase when Rufus came out of the room you were in, and headed straight for the leader of the Turks:

“Did you bring me the file I requested?”

“Yes sir, here.”

As he watched Rufus begin to read the document he seemed to hesitate, then allowed himself to add:

“I see you are feeling better after your… meeting with the President.”

So it was a conversation with his father that had put him in such a state, that he sent everything flying around the room. The rumors of the stormy relationship between the two Shinras were true.

Fearing that the mention of the father would anger the son again, you put your things back in your cart, and walked briskly toward the exit. Without a word, you opened the door and left the room. Just before the door closed, you heard the Vice-President reply:

“He has a knack for getting on my nerves, but don’t worry I will try to make your job easier.”

The way he emphasized the last words indicated that the sentence was directed more at you, than at the Turk.

Alone in the hallway, you let out a huge sigh before walking briskly toward the elevator. This day had been disastrous, but it could have been much worse. You had barely thought these words when a voice rang out behind you:

“Miss, wait!”

You stopped, cursing the fate that was against you, then turned around. Tseng strode towards you.

“Show me your device.”

He was talking about the company smartphone they provided to every employee. It wasn't exactly a company bonus, but a device that allowed security personnel to instantly verify your identity, HR to transfer your salary, and your bosses to call you at any time of day or night for work. Tseng probably wanted to do some background checks, to see what kind of person locked themselves in a closet with the second most important person in the company.

You held out your phone, and he immediately connected his. As you'd expected, your ID was displayed on both your screens, along with your photo and address.

Tseng nodded, indicating that you were free to leave, which you eagerly did. The corridor had never seemed so long. Before you reached the end, you heard a "ding" signifying that you had received a notification on your phone. You took it out of your pocket and read the information.

[A transfer of 1500 gil has just been sent to your account - Shinra Electric Power Company]

You froze and turned, your phone still in your hand, towards Tseng who hadn't moved since the end of the corridor.

“The VP said you deserved a bonus for the inconvenience,” he stated simply before turning around and walking back into the office.

This day had been catastrophic but ultimately it was not as bad as expected.

Chapter Text

The amount you'd received as compensation for tidying the office had allowed you to pay your late rent, the tax for Vito's birthday, and put a little money aside in case of a new whim that wouldn't be long in coming. You hadn't liked the disappointed look Dutch had given you when you paid him, as if he hoped you wouldn't make it. You knew that people who racked up too much debt had to eventually pay it off by working for them, and you suspected what they had in store for women. The rumor circulating in the slums said that Vito wanted to compete with Sector 6 and was leaning dangerously towards the types of businesses that had made Don Corneo famous. Sitting on your bed, sketchbook in hand, worry prevented you from concentrating on your drawing (you had started to depict a family of cats you'd seen in an alley). You finally abandoned your sketch and on the same sheet of paper you began to write down a series of figures: your rent, your obligatory expenses, and finally the amount allocated to your meals. You stopped at this one and crossed it out angrily. Underneath you wrote a new amount, the previous one divided by two. You felt more reassured, so there were no unpleasant surprises to come.

… 

“I heard you're cleaning the upper floors now? I thought you weren't interested.”

You were in the locker room, putting on your usual outfit, and Pepper had just arrived and sat down next to you. She had already changed into her own outfit, the upper-floor uniform. She must have been one of the only people happy to wear those frills, and despite all the disagreements you had, you had to admit that it fit her like a glove; she looked gorgeous.

“I'm not interested in Pepper, it just came to me by chance.”

“You want to tell others that you worked up there and didn’t even pay for it?!”

“Indeed, and if it can reassure you, I wasn’t paid for that either.”

Well, it wasn't really a lie, you didn't receive any pay for that. You just neglected to tell him that you received compensation for your injury.

Pepper seemed satisfied with your answer.

“Anyway, you didn’t do your homework well,” she crooned. “Look what you forgot.”

She took out of her pocket the pair of gloves that your nurse for the day had thrown in the trash.

“What… Where did you get that?” you managed to utter.

She giggled:

“So we're jealous? I'm sure they were Rufus's. I found these in the trash can in the office you made. You should have looked better; now they're mine.”

She was jubilant, convinced for some reason that you envied her new possession.

“Plus… there's dried blood on it. He might have fought bravely with it!”

“In the Shinra offices? I'd be a bit surprised, and you'd still have to wash them, it's not very hygienic.”

She looked at you like you were crazy. Which was funny because that's exactly what you thought of her.

“I’m not going to wash them, they would lose their value.”

You hesitated to tell her the truth about the blood on the gloves, then changed your mind. You'd exchanged a few words with Rufus Shinra, and if she ever found out, she'd never forgive you. She'd be capable of making your life hell, and it was best to let her imagine the story behind that piece of leather.

Fortunately, your area manager came to your rescue by cutting this conversation short. Like your colleague Pepper, you pulled out your phone to connect it to his. He transferred your assignments to you by updating your travel authorizations. Your room access codes were temporary and changed daily for security reasons. A Turk’s idea.

“You’re working the gym this morning and the cafeteria this afternoon,” he tells you. “Pepper, you’re on the 67th floor, you’re in charge of the meeting rooms and the break room.”

No surprise then, you were preparing for a quiet day.

“Oh, and try to finish before 5:00 p.m. All staff have been summoned to the lobby for a special meeting. Impeccable attire, of course. And no questions asked; I was just told to pass the information on to you; I don't know any more.”

…  

Like all your colleagues, you spent the day wondering about the reason for this meeting. It had been the main topic of discussion during the lunch break, and while you were washing up and putting on fresh clothes, all the speculations were flying.

In the lobby, all your colleagues had begun to gather by sector. You joined your colleagues just in time; the meeting was about to begin. You were asked to line up, almost at attention.

The head of the Hygiene and Cleanliness Department entered the room, accompanied by Tseng and Rufus. Darkstar entered last, following his master from a distance.

Unlike last time, your boss was all smiles and bows when he addressed the Turk, and the presence of the Vice President surely had something to do with it. He couldn't afford to grumble and challenge orders.

The three men stopped in the middle of the room in front of you.

Your boss spoke:

“Ladies and gentlemen, our department is very fortunate to have been chosen by the Vice President. He would need one of you to help with the maintenance of his private quarters. This is an important task that should not be entrusted to just anyone. That is why we have invited you all. I hope you realize the great honor bestowed upon us.”

He was overdoing it, but it didn't seem to bother either Tseng or Rufus. The latter must have been used to such obsequiousness.

“So we first asked your managers to provide us with a list of names,” he continued. “Each sector has proposed a name, and we will ask the people called to come forward.”

The sector leaders took turns calling out the chosen ones. When it was your sector’s turn, your manager called Pepper. Beaming, she hurried forward to join the other chosen ones.

The selection completed, it was Tseng's turn to intervene.

“We have, of course, conducted a slightly more thorough search than usual on each of you, as the Vice President's safety is paramount.”

He turned to one of the chosen ones, a young man who worked in another sector and whose name you didn't know.

“I'm going to ask you to return with the others, you weren't detained.”

Disappointment was evident on his face, but he quickly obeyed. Tseng then turned to an elderly woman who was also a stranger to you.

“As for you… We’re going to ask you to follow us.”

No sooner had he said this than Reno and another Turk, a tall, bald man with sunglasses (his name was Rude), arrived and grabbed the woman's arms. She was immediately dragged out of the room without having time to protest. Everyone seemed stunned by what had just happened. The man who had been rejected a few seconds earlier was no longer disappointed, relief was evident on his face and everyone could read his thoughts: "It could have been worse."

You finally understood why everyone had been brought into the hall, not just those involved in that infamous job. It was more a way of reminding the entire staff that the Turks were watching you and that nothing could be hidden from Shinra.

“For the others, we have nothing to say. Mr. Vice President, you can make your choice.” Tseng stepped back to make way for Rufus.

He walked forward slowly, hands behind his back, and stood in front of the selected personnel. He swept them with his icy blue gaze, no expression showing on his face. He extended his hand to Tseng, and Tseng gave him a document that must have contained some information about the candidates and the comments of their managers. He glanced at it, then pointed at Pepper.

She stepped forward slightly. You had a slight doubt from the look on her face. For her, this must have been the happiest day of her life, and yet she had managed to keep a fairly neutral expression except for a slight smile. Coming from the person who had been raving about a pair of dirty gloves a few hours earlier, it seemed odd. Then you realized that she must have already known she would be chosen. Had she bribed your manager, or even the head of the department, to make her application the best? Had she, like you, met Rufus in the office and worked with him to get him to hire her? But if she was the second choice, why this charade?

Rufus stood for a moment, looking her up and down. He seemed to think for a few moments before saying:

“Very well. You're hired. You'll make sure you dress appropriately; I don't have the same inclinations as my father.”

It took a lot of self-control not to laugh. If he was really into it, he was really putting on a good act. Pepper, on the other hand, had blushed slightly but was still holding her own. Rufus turned away from her and went to join the department head and Tseng. They began to chat, or rather, to listen to your boss praise the Vice President's excellent choices and assure him that he wouldn't regret his choice, as his employees were all very good people.

Your manager arrived to tell you and your colleagues that you could finally leave when suddenly a shout rang out in the hall.

At first you didn't immediately understand what was happening, then you saw your colleagues step aside to let a frightened Pepper pass, who was hastily backing away from a Darkstar who continued to advance in her direction. The latter didn't seem disconcerted by Pepper's cries, however he began to growl slightly when she began to gesture towards him to make him back away. You suspected that the animal had no bad intentions and had rather wanted to know who this new person was who was interacting with his master.

As tears began to well up in Pepper's eyes a voice rang out:

"D, that's enough! Leave her alone." Rufus had finally intervened to stop the young woman's torture.

Pepper began to thank her savior. She seemed ready to throw herself into his arms in gratitude when he added:

“That’s not going to be possible. D is always with me; I don’t need someone who is terrified in his presence.”

Pepper didn't have a chance to justify herself; Rufus was already asking Tseng for the file again, and your boss was profusely apologizing for his employee's intolerable behavior. 

Darkstar, meanwhile, had moved away from Pepper as soon as his master had ordered him to and was wandering among the employees present, baring his fangs in annoyance. He now seemed to be taking a little pleasure in making people move aside in his path.

You stifled a small laugh, beginning to understand his character a little. He then raised one ear and turned his head towards you. Recognizing you, he trotted towards you and sat down opposite you, looking you straight in the eyes.

You weren't sure how to discreetly let him know you didn't have anything for him today. You tried to give him a small wave to make him leave, but he misinterpreted your gesture and pressed his nose to your fingers.

“Well, that’s interesting.”

It was Rufus staring at you, a slight smile on his lips.

You whispered to Darkstar, "That's clever, I hope you're proud of yourself," and he confirmed that he was very proud of himself by snapping his tentacle.

Now almost everyone's eyes were on you and it was getting quite awkward.

The head of the department coughed and tried to get everyone back on topic:

“Um, otherwise we have these two people who are very professional. I’m sure one of them will suit you perfectly…”

"No need, I'm hiring her," Rufus cut him off. He shot a questioning look at Tseng, who continued:

“I don’t see any problem with that. The security check has already been done.”

Ah, he took advantage of your exchange the other day to find out more about you.

“We’re done. She starts tomorrow.” And without waiting for an answer, he turned around and headed for the exit, followed by Darkstar.

Tseng glanced at the department head who struggled:

“Um, yes, well, so… Please follow us, miss, we will meet with you to explain your duties in more detail.”

And he pointed in a direction with his arm, you joined him and the Turk and they escorted you towards the exit. At the last moment, you turned your head and the last thing you saw before leaving the room was the tearful, hateful look Pepper was giving you.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: The Penthouse

Things had happened so fast. You found yourself in an office listening to Tseng give you all the security instructions. You were going to have to go to the Vice President's apartment. So you weren't to share the location, access codes, and of course, any other confidential information with anyone. No exceptions for your friends, family, or colleagues. It was a good thing for the first two, you didn't have any, and you weren't talking to the last ones. Then he updated your access, and finally, he reminded you that everything would come out eventually; you had proof of that today, and that it was best for you to follow his recommendations. Then he left.

It was your boss's turn, who, now that Rufus and Tseng had left, had resumed his usual (and therefore unpleasant) tone. He explained to you that this request had been sudden, like all of Shinra's son's whims. He could have perfectly well done his own research and hired someone outside, but no he had to use existing human resources.

All that little talk was just to get to the point: there was no way we were hiring someone to cover your hours with the Vice President, so you were going to have to split your work time between the Shinra building and his apartment.

“You're lucky, it's right next to the building! So you'll be able to move from one place to another very easily,” he said cheerfully.

“But… how can I do both at the same time?”

“It shouldn't be complicated. Anyway, the rules are the same as for the building: you're not supposed to clean his place while he's there, so you manage to do your chores there, and as soon as he gets back, you come and finish the ones waiting for you here. I don't care when, as long as it's done.”

You looked at him in horror, it was going to be impossible to maintain, especially with having to manage the trains to the slums on top of that.

He sneered:

“But perhaps you don't agree with the way we operate, in which case I can find someone else to do this for you. Of course, it goes without saying that you won't be able to stay with us. Mr. Shinra wouldn't understand.”

In short, you either accepted this situation or you were fired. Of the two evils, you chose the one where you continued to work.

So it was agreed that you would receive your rooms to be cleaned in the morning and that they should be done by evening. You managed to negotiate that these wouldn't be strategic rooms like the cafeteria or the Turks' office.

“Normally you were also entitled to a specific bonus, but since you made me lose a large sum of money, I'm going to keep it. In any case, it should have been mine.”

So Pepper had been smart and had to make it clear that she would only pay the bribe if she was hired, using that bonus money.

If it allowed you to appease this guy a little and be able to renegotiate your hours afterwards, you would leave it to him.

… 

At least you weren't lied to, the building wasn't far from the Shinra office. You stood at the front door, a little impressed by the size of the building and the luxurious doors. Inside, sitting at a large desk, was a man in his fifties, dark-skinned, bald, with a beautiful white beard. He gestured for you to enter while pressing a button to unlock the door. You entered the hall and he stood up, holding a phone. You held yours out so he could verify your identity. Once this was done, he gave you a big smile.

“Hello, hello, nice to meet you, John Butler, at your service. In the absence of staff, I was managing the housekeeping for Mr. Shinra. I was eager for a new person to arrive to take over. Come with me, I'll show you around. The apartment is empty, the young master left early this morning.”

He was very talkative, but his good humor was catching. And it was nice to have someone genuinely happy to have you there for once. He showed you around the lobby and his office, for no other reason than the pleasure of showing you his workplace, and then he led you to the elevators.

He explained that to access the upper floors, you had to connect your phone to the terminal and enter a specific code. Without it, you could still press the buttons on the top floor; the elevator wouldn't take you there.

Finally, he escorted you to the top floor to show you your new work environment. Calling it an apartment didn't do the place justice; the Vice President's penthouse was huge. The main part consisted of a huge living room with an open kitchen, a guest bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, and a large office. A staircase led to the upper part, reserved solely for Rufus's bedroom and its adjoining bathroom. All the rooms had huge windows offering a commanding view of Midgar. The whole place was decorated very simply, minimalist but sophisticated, and very white. Just like the inhabitant.

John showed you a closet near the kitchen where you could find all the equipment you needed to do your work. It was large enough to serve as your changing room.

“I'll have a chair and something to put your things on brought to you. I didn't need it, I was changing downstairs. I think you can decorate it if you like.”

“I think I'll wait a bit before that. In case I don't stay in the job for long.”

“But don't say that, come on, why don't you do it?” He punctuated his sentence with a light elbow to your ribs. “The young master isn't difficult to live with as long as you do what he asks. Otherwise, he's not around much, so you'll be able to do your work in peace.”

Since he brought it up, you started to figure out how you could organize your schedules. The easiest way was for him to take your number and send you a message when Rufus left his apartment.

“By the way, I couldn't tell you if he came home early. I can but it would be too late anyway. But don't worry, little girl, everything will be fine!”

… 

John hadn't lied, everything was going pretty well. He had kept his promise and sent you a message as soon as Rufus left the apartment. Most of the time it was quite early, which allowed you to come to the place early in the morning. You took care of all the housekeeping, cleaning, laundry, sometimes the dishes that were lying around, but that was rather rare, this magnificent, fully equipped kitchen being used very little. At first, you came back to Shinra at lunchtime and finished your day there, but then you got into the habit of bringing your meals and eating there before leaving in the middle or late afternoon. Eating alone suited you, the atmosphere having become very heavy at Shinra because Pepper was always angry with you. She no longer bothered to pretend to be nice and didn't miss an opportunity to send you hurtful remarks. She had also started spreading rumors about you. About how you had to sleep around to get this job. The less time you spent there, the better you felt.

Sometimes John would invite you down for coffee with him, and these breaks were moments of respite in your day. This father of two treated you as if you were his third daughter. It was new to you, but not unpleasant.

… 

The first time you noticed the note on the kitchen table, you had been working for a week now.

In a notebook, written in elegant but confident handwriting, a word was written:

My clothes need to be taken to the dry cleaners. Take care of that.

R.S. 

Was it really worth signing? He was the only one who came here. Unless the Turks had the right, you didn't know.

You took the stairs to retrieve his clothes from the bedroom. A lot of fabrics that were too complicated to wear, in your humble opinion. John (who until now had continued to take care of them, you learned) showed you how to put them in a dust bag and how to contact the dry cleaning service that came to pick them up every day.

Two days later, another note.

Prepare the guest room. Put some flowers in it.”

R.S.

The day after. 

Fewer roses next time. D.'s basket needs cleaning.

R.S.

And so on, you would arrive in the morning and you might or might not find new work indications.

Until the day when:

You know how to read, but can you write? I like to be answered even when I give an order.

R.S.

You were stunned by the note, then decided to ignore it for the rest of the day. However, before leaving, you picked up the pencil lying next to it and scribbled under the note:

What exactly do you want me to write to you? Yes, sir? It's done, sir?

“Your Initials”

The next day, a reply awaited you. Day after day, communication began through notes.

So you know how to write. I was beginning to wonder if you were coming to work and if Mr. Butler was pretending to be you.

R.S.

If that were the case, I'm sure Mr. Tseng would have known it from day one.

Y.I. 

… 

It's good that you're aware of its effectiveness. It will keep you from making mistakes.

R.S.

What mistakes ? Selling your clothes back to your fan club? I'd still make a tidy sum for it.

Y.I.

… 

If you're still here for the end of the year, I'll allow you to take a tie, it will finance your Christmas bonus.

R.S.

If I can have an underwear I could afford an apartment on the Upper Plate.

Y.I. 

… 

Little cheeky girl.  

D. knocked over a vase in the living room, it needs cleaning.

R.S.

I picked everything up, the carpet is safe. Don't scold him too much; he probably didn't do it on purpose.

Y.I. 

… 

You're being too nice to him. He probably did it on purpose.

R.S.

I owe him my job.

Y.I. 

… 

You owe ME your job.

R.S.

You hired me by chance. I'm here thanks to Mr. Darkstar.

Y.I. 

… 

Are you really sure? I don't treat people every day.

R.S.

That day you put the notebook on the table, breathing quickly. Was it true? You remembered that day you hadn't been chosen by Rufus; he'd taken Pepper first.

Or was Darkstar's arrival premeditated? No, it was a chain of circumstances that put you in this position, and Rufus was just trying to throw you off by pretending he remembered you.

You scribbled a quick message asking if you should order another vase just to move on and not dwell on this worrisome exchange.

… 

Arriving this morning, you saw a note stating that you needed to take care of the living room. Rufus must have spent the evening there because a glass of alcohol was lying on the coffee table, the sofa cushions were no longer in place, and the rug that had probably welcomed Darkstar needed a good vacuuming.

You were about to take care of it when your phone rang:

“You need to come to the building. The president is having some distinguished guests, and we need your backup. Pepper is sick.”

You sighed but indicated that you were coming. You told John you were coming back and ran off to Shinra. You arrived just in time to be greeted by your manager... and Pepper.

“Oh, sorry, they didn't have time to call you back? I wasn't feeling well this morning, I told them you could replace me, but I'm feeling better. Anyway, now that you're here, you're going to give us a hand, you'll go back there afterward.”

You'd been trapped and of course there was nothing you could do about it, so you might as well do your Shinra hours now and hurry back to do Rufus's bidding.

Unfortunately, it took longer than expected, Pepper persisted in putting obstacles in your way, slowing down your work and making it so that you had to start over several times.

Even if you skipped dinner, you couldn't return to the penthouse until early afternoon.

You hurried through your usual chores before tackling the living room. Tiredness was starting to set in; you needed to boost your courage. You dug your headphones out of your bag and put on your favorite playlist to clean. Let the music carry you, you cleaned the coffee table, re-stuffed the cushions, and then pushed everything aside to vacuum.

Your favorite song started playing, and swept along by the rhythm, you began to dance, using the device as a partner. It felt good to let loose. You weren't a good dancer, but this music didn't require any special skills; you just moved your hips to the rhythm and spun around occasionally.

When Darkstar joined you, hopping around, you joined him in your dance, hopping with him while avoiding crushing him. Then you dropped your vacuum cleaner to grab his front legs so he could dance with you, standing on his hind legs. He seemed to be having as much fun as you were.

And you realized.

What was Darkstar doing here? If he was here, it was because his master was there too. You looked around, worried, but there was no one there. You circled the room and saw light coming out from under the office door. As you approached, you heard a voice that seemed to be talking on the phone. Luckily, he had come in and gone straight to his office without going through the living room. Silently, you turned around and hurried to put everything back in place, much to the dismay of Darkstar, who would have liked to continue playing with you.

You were grabbing your bag to head out the door when you remembered your meal waiting in the fridge. In the kitchen, you saw the note lying on the table.

Not bad. But of the two of you, D. dances better.

R.S.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: The Bathroom

SPLASH

The bucket landed at your feet and you felt the dirty water cover you without having time to react.

“Oh, sorry, I missed that.”

“Really Pepper, you're being so clumsy right now. This is the third time this week you've spilled something on me.”

You tried to stay calm, but you were seething inside. Unfortunately, you were in public, and Pepper had already managed to win everyone over. The first time she'd been on you, you didn't say anything, you know, it happens. The second time, you'd yelled at her so loudly that she'd taken the opportunity to burst into tears and earn everyone's sympathy. She'd overacted so much that you'd spent 20 minutes in your manager's office having to apologize and promise to treat your colleagues better. So you took it upon yourself, silently vowing to get revenge when the time came.

Meanwhile, you went back to your locker room to change. You only had one outfit left, which you put on before going to the stewardship desk. The old woman at the counter looked you down.

“You again! You know your outfits aren’t supposed to be changed every day?”

“Tell that to Pepper,” you growled under your breath.

“Anyway, I'm not giving you any more! That'll teach you to be careful; you'll pick up the others next week at the usual time.”

With that she turned her back on you and went into the laundry without giving you time to defend your case.

You sighed. You had to last two more days in your current outfit and with Pepper looking wilder than ever.

You were going to have to make a choice. Since the dance incident, you'd cut down on your visits to Rufus's apartment to avoid any contact as much as possible. In short, you were avoiding him.

But between the Vice President and Pepper, you were pretty sure one was less of a threat to you than the other. Or so you hoped.

… 

You quietly climbed the steps leading to Rufus's bedroom. You had finished the rest of the apartment, but today there was a note asking you to give the bathroom a thorough cleaning.

So you started to quietly clean the room before tackling the big job: the shower. Usually you just cleaned it up, washed the tub and rinsed the wall, but Rufus had asked for a deep cleaning.

So you placed the stepladder in the tub to scrub the walls. The rain shower system located in the ceiling also needed to be descaled. You stood on tiptoe, started scrubbing, and quickly realized it wasn't going to do the trick.

Every time you raised your hands, dirty water ran down your arms and began to soak your uniform. The last one you had left.

You climbed back down from your stepladder and thought quickly. You couldn't afford to get yourself dirty. You couldn't afford to disobey Rufus's orders. You had to find a solution quickly.

So you decided that the easiest way to avoid getting your outfit dirty was to take it off.

So you placed it on the towel rack, sheltered from the splashes, and climbed back onto your stepladder in your underwear to continue scrubbing the huge shower. It was ideal; even if you started to get wet from the splashes from your sponge, you could just dry off quickly and get dressed again. It was early afternoon, so there was no risk of getting caught.

It was with these thoughts that Rufus entered the room.

You stood there for a moment, frozen, looking at each other.

You in your underwear, climbing onto a stepladder, leaning forward to reach the top of the wall.

He was completely naked except for a thick white towel tied around his waist.

He was the one who recovered the fastest. A smile appeared on his face.

“Well… what do we have here?”

His mocking voice brought you back to your senses. You quickly climbed down from your stepladder.

“S… Sir!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?”

Embarrassment, fear, surprise—all these emotions were pouring through you at once, disinhibiting your reaction. You were almost yelling at him. And he still seemed to find the situation funny.

“I’m not allowed to use my shower?”

“YOU’RE ALMOST NAKED!”

“This is usually how we take a shower. What's your excuse?”

“I… I was going to wet my outfit… Since I had to clean up…”

“Is Shinra doing so badly that they no longer give you a change of clothes?”

You were about to start justifying yourself, then your instinct reminded you that you were still almost naked in a closed room with an equally scantily clad man.

You reached out to retrieve your outfit from the towel rack and use it as protection. You tried to get around Rufus to get out.

Unfortunately he reached out to block your path.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Sure, what else do you want me to do?!”

“I don’t know, we can talk. We never see each other.”

You stared at him as if he'd just said the most absurd thing in the world. Which he had. It was the first time you'd really looked at him since he'd walked into the room. Pepper was a real pain in the ass, but she wasn't wrong; he was really handsome. Muscular but not too muscular; you would have happily run your hand down his chest; he looked firm but soft. Your eyes continued down until they reached the towel area. No, you were going too far; you had to stop yourself. You looked up at his face, which was just as pleasant to look at. They met his icy blue gaze, and you reconnected with reality. His smile still hadn't left his face.

“Do you enjoy the view?”

“No”

He chuckled.

“It seems like you're enjoying the situation.”

“Believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've come home to a naked person.”

Yes, that made sense.

“Well, this is a first for me. Can I leave now?”

He stared at you, then stepped aside, clearing the way.

“If you insist…”

You took advantage of the opening to leave the room. Since he hadn't completely pushed himself out, your naked body brushed against his and you shivered.

Arriving in the bedroom, you hastily put on your trousers and top, then rushed down the stairs.

From the bathroom you heard Rufus's voice:

“Are you leaving?”

To which you shouted back (you were really at your wit's end):

“Of course I'm leaving! I have no right to stay!!”

Then you grabbed your bag and ran out the door. Down in the hall, you barely heard John call out to you:

“Sorry, it arrived unannounced. I sent you a message, did you see it in time?”

No, you didn't see it in time!

… 

The next morning, you were on your mattress, staring at the ceiling. You hadn't closed your eyes all night. You kept reliving the exchange that had taken place. When you woke up, you remembered how you had yelled at your boss. And when you closed your eyes, you saw his body again.

Ever since your alarm went off, you'd been checking your phone regularly, waiting for the notification that would tell you you were fired. Since it didn't arrive, you were going to have to get up and go to work. But there was no way I was going back to Rufus's building this morning. You were giving yourself the morning to think about how you were going to have to apologize to the Vice President.

… 

You were on the train to the Upper Plate. You were starting to feel the strain of your sleepless night and decided to treat yourself to breakfast. It might be your last day at work, and you deserved it. Once you arrived at the station, you bought a creamy coffee in a large cup and a chocolate croissant, which you stuffed in your bag for later.

You were about to arrive at the Shinra building when your phone rang. It was a message from John.

The young master just left for the day. He said you should come immediately to tidy up what you left yesterday.

You sighed and turned around. If you weren't fired already, you would be if you didn't obey. And if you hurry, you can leave quickly before he gets home.

…  

The elevator took you to the top floor. You hadn't planned on returning to the scene of the incident so quickly. You'd done well to buy yourself that coffee; it was still hot, and you planned to sip it in the kitchen before tackling... the infamous bathroom again. Standing in front of the front door, you took a deep breath before entering the apartment.

In the living room, standing facing the windows, hands behind his back, Rufus was waiting for you.

You hadn't seen that coming. Your hand was still on the doorknob, and for a brief moment you wondered if it might still be possible to sneak out.

“You're not thinking about running away, are you?” he said without bothering to turn around.

“No sir,” you replied immediately.

His chuckle echoed through the room. He finally turned to you.

“We need to talk.”

He headed towards the kitchen area, beckoning you to join him. You did so, still holding your things.

“But first, I'd like a coffee,” he added after joining you. He immediately took your cup from your hands and took a sip.

"Not bad…"

“Hey, that was my coffee!” you react, outraged at losing the comfort you so desperately wanted today.

“Just make one for yourself,” he replied, completely unbothered by his theft, as he sat down at the table. “The machine is behind you, treat yourself.”

There was indeed a coffee machine in the kitchen. A luxury, state-of-the-art model, whose simplest coffee must have been superior in quality to the most expensive coffee at the store where you bought yours.

“You won’t give me my coffee back, and I’ll make you one instead?” you tried.

“No. I'll keep this one. Come on, make yourself that coffee and come sit down. I have time for you, but not all day.”

That damn habit of giving orders again, knowing they'd be carried out. It was annoying. And the worst part was, of course you were going to obey him.

You turned your back on him and busied yourself making your coffee. You knew this type of machine: Shinra had the same model, and you had occasionally prepared some in advance for Mr. Reeves when he was too far behind in preparing for his meetings. He was a rather fanciful director, and you didn't mind giving him a hand from time to time.

With your cup of coffee in hand, you sat down opposite Rufus, who continued to sip his (your!) cup.

To give yourself courage and consistency, you take a sip of your (his?) coffee. Delicious, nothing like the one you bought this morning.

“It’s good, isn’t it? I’ll let you use the machine whenever you want.”

“Are you sure you don’t want it?”

“No, what you brought is enough for me. Although it lacks pastries, you wouldn't happen to have any?”

He wasn't going to tax you on your croissant as well?!

“I don't think I have anything that would suit you, sir.” You could always try a little white lie, but this man seemed to be able to read your mind.

He chuckled and held out his hand

“Come on, give it to me.”

And that was it, that was it. You took your pastry out of your bag and handed it to him. He helped himself and bit into YOUR meal.

“Hmm… I’ve tasted better than that.”

“If you don’t want it, you can give it back to me.”

“No, it’ll be fine. I’ll finish.”

He took out his phone and quickly typed something before putting it back in his pocket, finishing his meal.

“What did you mean by ‘I have no right to stay’?”

Oh, right. He started straight away like that, without any warm-up. It looked like a manager's tactic to destabilize people!

“It's in our rules. We're not allowed to intervene when offices or spaces are occupied. Just talking to you now would justify my dismissal.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“Yes, but that's how it is. There must be a good reason why Mr. President chose this rule in the first place.”

“And yet if there is one person who spends most time with his cleaning staff, it is my father.”

Despite his intended calm tone, there was a hint of contempt.

“It's true, but that's how it is. The powerful create rules that they themselves can break. And we can only obey them.”

He raised his hand and pointed his finger at you.

“Precisely. Lucky I happen to be on the side of the powerful.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“That we’re going to abolish this rule. As for you, and as long as you work for me, you can come to work even when I’m there.”

“You know the rules don’t bother me that much…”

“Yes, but I get tired of hearing you run away as soon as I set foot in the apartment. And it interferes with your work, look what happened yesterday. I had to put the stepladder away myself.”

Ah. So yesterday, what bothered him most was having to get a stepladder out of his shower, not the fact that a woman was practically naked in his shower. The rich were truly a world apart.

He tilted his head, holding it with his fist, his elbow resting on the table.

“You know, it shows when you think badly of me.”

“I didn't think badly of you, sir,” you said, taking a sip to hide your embarrassment.

He chuckled and was about to say something when someone knocked on the door.

“Right on time. Go open the door.”

You obey. At the door were Tseng and his team. They went inside and Rufus joined them in the hallway.

“So the incident is closed. Tseng, I'll be using my office for the next few weeks; going to Shinra bothers me. Since it shouldn't affect the cleaning of my apartment, she's allowed to stay even when we're there. Is that a problem?”

Tseng gave you a sharp look then shrugged.

“No, sir. I will inform his superiors.”

"Perfect."

Everyone seemed to be wondering why Rufus was interested in managing his staff, but no one dared to comment. Reno intervened, holding out a bag.

“By the way, boss! The thing you asked me to buy just now.”

“Give it to her, it's a replacement,” he said, nodding at you. “You'll see, that tastes good.”

You took the bag and pulled out a pastry you'd never seen. Just by the smell, you knew it was going to be the best breakfast of your life. Out of pride and not wanting to denigrate what you'd brought, you replied:

“It doesn't look too bad…”

He turned around and walked back to his office, chuckling.

“What are you laughing at, boss?” asked Reno.

“Her. I find it funny when she thinks she can lie to me without me realizing it.”

And on these words, he disappeared into his office accompanied by his men.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: The Kitchen

You were sitting at a table in the Shinra mess hall, lost in thought. Since yesterday, Rufus had allowed you to come to work despite his presence, but this morning you hadn't dared to go.

You meant to say it was the idea of ​​being at the apartment at the same time as the Turks. That you didn't dare make noise and prevent the Vice President from working.

But to be completely honest, it was Rufus's very presence that bothered you the most. You felt like he understood you far too well. He could tell from your face when you were annoyed, he had a knack for making you say out loud what you were thinking, and now he had admitted to being able to detect your lies.

If he had exercised his authority to put you in your place, it would have been simpler; it was a language you understood. But no, he had decided that your reactions amused him and didn't take offense, which was unsettling. And when he stared at you with his blue eyes, he gave the impression of reading you like an open book. You didn't like that.

Speaking of things you didn't like, Pepper barged into your table by surprise. Lost in your thoughts, you didn't have time to get up to avoid her.

“Well, your meals are getting worse,” she said, casting a disdainful glance at your sandwich.

Yes, you reduced the quantities, but you marinated the meat and prepared good vegetable pickles, which made everything delicious. Pepper's platter didn't measure up in terms of taste.

“What do you want from me, Pepper? Spill your sauce on me? Aren't you tired of this?”

She glared at you. Lowering her voice, she moved closer to you to make sure you were the only one who heard.

“No, I'm not sick of it. You stole my dream and you think you're going to get away with it that easily?”

“I never wished for it Pepper…”

“Liar. You play innocent, but you and I know better.”

You began to feel annoyed. How was you responsible for the situation? And besides, Rufus made his own decisions without her or you being able to intervene. Why should you be the one to pay because he chose you?

You were about to call her paranoid when your manager arrived, cutting you off in your tracks (and saving you from another summons for making her cry).

“I received the Vice President's request regarding your new rights. Since you're now allowed to work even when he's here, don't you mind if we increase your hours here? Since it'll be easier for you and no more preferential treatment, I put you in the cafeteria today.”

Okay, so there was obviously an ego battle between your superiors and Rufus, and you were the one paying the price. Great. 

However, your bad mood was immediately swept away when you saw Pepper's face.

“You… you have the right to work in his presence?”

She was in shock, and you couldn't resist adding to it. You had your revenge.

“Yes. We ran into each other once or twice at his apartment, and he decided it was best if I could stay when he was home.”

You beamed, relishing his reaction. Your phone rang. You glanced at the screen.

Hello, young lady. I'm sorry, it was the Young Master who forced me to send you a message yesterday. I couldn't refuse, he absolutely wanted to talk to you and he asked me to arrange for you to come. Do you forgive me?

John

You gave Pepper a mischievous look.

“Oh, well, that’s him. He’s asking why I’m not at his house.”

Your phone rang again.

Let me buy you a coffee as an apology!

John 

“I'll have to leave you, he insists I come.”

Another ring.

My wife and I made you a cake.

John 

“He seems in a hurry.”

If Rufus had been there, he would have burst out laughing at all these lies, but he wasn't. It was you who was on the verge of laughing, Pepper was so furious. Still smiling, you left the room to go to Rufus's apartment. Too bad for the cafeteria; you'd make it at the end of the day; there was a cake waiting for you.

… 

Several days had passed since your prank on Pepper. You had a chance to talk to John, who was truly sorry he had to lie to you, but you concluded he hadn't had a choice, and you didn't blame him. You knew better than to say no to Rufus.

Daily life had settled back into place, and you were actually managing your cohabitation with him quite well. By that, you meant that you saw each other quite rarely. In the morning, when you arrived, he was almost always already settled in his office. He received the Turks regularly, and you just had to open the door for them. At lunchtime, they went out to eat, and your once-again very busy schedule at Shinra required you to leave in the afternoon to clean the spaces.

Even Darkstar wasn't there that often because he would lock himself in the office with his master. You only saw him when he was kicked out of that room, when he became too annoying, and he needed to stretch his legs by wandering around the apartment. Often you just heard the door open, Rufus's voice announcing "Now D. you go out and you'll come back when you've calmed down" and then the door close. Darkstar would then come to find you, beg for a treat or two and then leave you alone.

This morning, you opened the door to the Turks and told them that Rufus was waiting for them in his office. Reno turned to you:

“We’re going to need some energy this morning. Can you make us some coffee?”

Even though it wasn't normally your job, he'd asked in such a pleading tone that you'd agreed. You'd made a pot of coffee and prepared cups. You'd even added a plate of John's leftover cake (he was bringing you some every other day these days). You put everything on a tray and went to knock on the door. Reno opened it and nodded for you to put it on the desk. You hurried to obey him. Rude looked at the tray:

“Is the cake John?” he asked.

"Yes."

"Good !" 

Okay, so John had a good reputation with the team. You took a small plate you had prepared separately from the other one and showed it to Rufus:

“This one is for Darkstar.”

“Lucky guy, he gets special consideration,” he replied from his desk, looking at you, his head tilted and resting on his fist.

“What do you want? I can’t decide who I like best.” you joked.

“I can always try to change your mind.”

And there it was, the return of the Rufus you didn't understand. You shrugged rather than come up with a suitable answer, set the plate on the floor for Darkstar, and left the room.

… 

Lunchtime arrived and the Turks left the office. While Tseng, Reno, and Rufus continued to chat, Rude arrived with the tray and sat down at the sink to wash the cups.

“Leave it, I’ll take care of it,” you said, joining him.

“It’s okay. I can do it.” Rude replied, gently pushing you away.

“Still, it’s my job.”

“You can go wipe down the office, Reno got crumbs everywhere.”

Reno, who had heard this, shouted that it was false, and Rude replied that Darkstar had been cleaner than him in eating.

Laughing, you grabbed a sponge and went to clean the desk (which was indeed full of crumbs where Reno was.)

While you were cleaning, you heard the Turks greet Rufus and the apartment door close. You walked out of the room. The apartment seemed rather empty once the entire team had left. Rufus was missing, but Darkstar was still in the office, so you suspected he hadn't left. You found him in the kitchen area, rummaging through the refrigerator.

“I’m hungry,” he answered the question you hadn’t asked.

“Do you want me to ask John to order you something?”

“No, it’s fine, I found it,” he said, closing the fridge door and heading towards the kitchen table, holding in his hands your lunch that you had put in the fridge when you arrived.

You pointed at the dish:

“It’s mine, sir.”

He looked at you, then at the plate and sat down at the table before taking your sandwich and biting into it.

“Sir, wouldn’t you really prefer that we order you a meal?”

“No, it’ll be fine. It taste good,” he said, a little surprised. 

But what was his problem with the food you brought back? Some new craze of the rich to eat like the people in the slums?

“This time you’re the one lying, sir.”

He narrowed his eyes and stopped eating for a moment.

“I never lie. Your coffee was okay, the bread wasn't great. And that's good,” he said.

“I think some people are so good at controlling their words that they no longer need to lie to avoid telling the truth.”

“And you think I’m one of those people?”

“No.”

He chuckled and then finished his meal.

“It was a good starter, but it's still not enough. Why don't you go shopping and cook us something just as good?”

“What do you want to eat?”

“What inspires you, surprise me”

“And you’re sure? Maybe my sandwich was just a coincidence.”

He chuckled.

“We both know it's not. And there's only one way to find out.”

Knowing you wouldn't win this exchange you opened the closet to grab your bag and head for the exit.

“Remember to ask for a receipt. For reimbursement of your expenses.”

…

You were in the grocery store closest to Rufus's building, and you were silently cursing the price of the Upper Plate. It was outrageously expensive. Was it because we were near the Shinra building? You didn't know, but simple staple foods cost a fortune you didn't have.

Besides, you couldn't take low-quality products to feed the Vice President, especially since because of you he had already eaten slum food and you were pretty sure that could be considered a crime by the Turks.

You decided on a simple vegetable noodle dish because it required few ingredients and you didn't have time to marinate meat anyway.

When you reached the checkout, the bill made you pale, and you tremblingly asked for another receipt, which you carefully folded. You couldn't afford to lose it.

When you got back to the apartment, Rufus had moved and settled down on his couch, Darkstar by his side.

“Ah, here you are. I can't wait to taste what you've cooked up for us.”

“A little patience, sir, I’ll prepare this quickly.”

You'd just bought staples, hoping Rufus had the necessary sauces and spices in his cupboards. And like any rich person who never cooks, he did. And of great quality, too. And not even expired, as if they were restocked often. It was unfair.

You prepared the vegetables, stir-fried them before adding the noodles and sauce. And presto, in a flash the dish was ready, it smelled delicious, and your mouth was watering.

You put all the noodles on a plate and placed it on the table.

“It’s ready, sir.”

Rufus turned his head and stood up. Darkstar followed him, and you gave him the pan to lick, because it was your favorite after all.

Rufus looked at the table and frowned. You tensed. Damn, he didn't like noodles? Vegetables? Both? You clenched your hands behind your back, waiting for the verdict.

“You were talking about people who control their words. Know that when I say something, I want to be listened to word for word.”

You started to think. What had he said? What word had you forgotten? Damn, you were going to have to listen to him carefully, and not just with half an ear.

While you were thinking, he stood up and walked over to the cupboard. He took out a second plate and some cutlery. He placed them on the table in front of him, then picked up his own plate and poured half of it into the one he'd just taken. Finally, he pulled out the chair and looked at you, waiting for you to sit down.

His words came back to you. He had indeed used the word "us" several times, but you hadn't paid attention. For all you knew, it could have been about Darkstar. Or some new habit of referring to himself in the third person.

You sat down at the table and satisfied he returned to his seat before taking a bite.

“It’s confirmed, it’s good,” he complimented you.

You took a bite in turn and yes he was right it was good.

You ate your meal in silence. The vegetables on the plate were still much better than what you were used to, and it had been a long time since you had eaten so much. You devoured your meal in an instant.

Once finished, you took the plates to put them in the sink. While you started the dishes, Rufus stood up.

“It’s decided, when I’m not eating out, you’ll be the one cooking.”

And with these words he left you and went back to lock himself in his office.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: The Living Room

“Listen, I understand your request, but as I already told you, there’s nothing I can do about it! Rules are rules.”

You were in Shinra's human resources office, sitting at the accounting manager's desk, and you had just been denied yet another refund.

Since Rufus decided you'd take care of his meals, you'd been forced to shop regularly at the Upper Plate. There weren't specific days, he always gave you last-minute notice, so you couldn't plan ahead. As a result, you had to pay for everything yourself.

Since he told you to ask for a receipt, you initially thought the refunds would be easy. Unfortunately, when you brought your very first receipt, it was rejected by the HR department because it didn't include the official mandatory information. You realized that the amount spent would not be refunded, which corresponded to more than half of your monthly grocery budget.

The following times you were careful to ask that the date, time and the name of the Shinra company be indicated on your vouchers and you brought them to the department which listed them, archived them and sent them to accounting.

And since then… nothing.

“But I made sure all the vouchers were marked correctly. I should be reimbursed,” you pleaded.

“I know that, miss, but you didn’t think you were going to be reimbursed immediately after your purchases,” she sneered.

“Indeed that’s what I thought…”

“Aha, but we have very strict accounting at Shinra. All reimbursement requests must be read and validated by your sector manager, then signed by the head of your department. Once we have received these documents, they are sent to the payment department, which will transfer the amount to your account. Of course, we only do this once, so if the request hasn't been sent by the 15th, the reimbursement will only arrive in the following month's paycheck.”

“But you do realize I can’t wait until next month? I need that money.”

“We don’t make exceptions, miss. Can you imagine if we had to deal with special cases? It applies to everyone, even M. Shinra’ special employees ”

We were finally getting to the real heart of the matter. Even if she could fix you, and you were sure she could, she wouldn't. Your temper rose.

"I see. So where's the problem? Is it the head of the department who wants me to pay for my hiring? Is it because it's annoying to have to obey the vice president's every whim? Or is it just because you're part of his fan club and you'd like to be in my place?" you fumed.

She closed the file in her hands and glared at you.

“We’re done, miss. Please don’t bother me about this anymore. As I told you, the refund will arrive in due time.”

You left the room furious. Nothing was going right at the moment. Because of this new position, you were starting to struggle to pay your rent again, you had used up all the money you had saved, and you were exhausted from working double shifts.

…

Since you had to spend your morning negotiating in the HR office (she made you wait an hour before seeing you), you were obviously behind schedule. Lunchtime was past, and you hadn't even started cleaning the cafeteria or Rufus's apartment.

You absolutely couldn't see yourself doing your night shift at the Vice President's, you decided to start with him before returning to the building that evening to finish your tasks.

 …

Arriving in the entrance, you quickly realized that you weren't the only one having a bad day. Rude and Reno were waiting in a corner near the entrance. When Reno saw you, he placed his finger to his lips, signaling you to be quiet. Near his desk, Rufus was fuming.

“No way!” he said through gritted teeth, doing his best to keep from screaming.

Facing him, an impassive Tseng tried to reason with him.

“Sir, the President has been adamant about this. He doesn't want him hanging around there anymore. This time you won't be able to get around his request.”

“And yet that’s what’s going to happen!”

“He’s just waiting for that, sir. For you to challenge a direct order. This isn’t the time.”

Rufus looked like he was about to retort, but from his expression, you could tell Tseng had just scored a point. He clenched his fists before adding in a lower tone.

“He knows that D. matters to me. He’s doing it on purpose! It’s just petty revenge because I decided to stay here.”

“That’s true, sir,” Tseng agreed with a sigh.

Rufus ran his hand through his hair. He seemed to be in the throes of some internal conflict. He took a deep breath, which allowed him to regain his composure.

“Okay, let’s admit it. He’s staying here. There’s no way he’s staying alone.”

At these words Rude, who like you had been following the exchange from the beginning, intervened.

“If I may, sir,” he said, nodding at you.

Rufus turned his head in your direction, finally realizing you were there. A mirthless smile played on his lips.

“I knew hiring you was a good idea. I have to go to a meeting at Shinra, and D. can't come with me. You'll keep him until I get back.”

And with that, he walked over to Darkstar, who was waiting in his basket in the living room. He knelt down in front of him and spoke softly to him, stroking his head.

“D. You’re going to stay here with her. Okay?”

While he was trying to make the poor animal understand that he wouldn't be able to follow him, you tried to intervene.

“But… I can’t stay long I…”

You were thinking about all the workload that awaited you tonight.

But Tseng cut you off by coming to speak to you in a low voice.

“Don’t add to it. You obey and you keep Darkstar. This is really not the time.”

With these words, a Rufus, a bit calmer than before but ready to explode at any moment, passed by your level, signaling to Tseng to follow him.

“Take care of D. I told him to try to obey you.”

And he hurried out, Reno and Rude on his heels.

Tseng arrived at the door and added before slamming it.

“We’ll be back at the end of the afternoon.”

Then you found yourself alone in the room with a Darkstar by your side looking sad at the door.

“I know, he got ahead of you too by asking you to stay with me.”

Darkstar turned his head towards you, his ears lowered he barked sadly.

“Hey. What if we roll around and jump on his bed for revenge?”

Darkstar raised his head, snapped his tentacle, and rushed upstairs, barking happily. You followed him, determined to enjoy the experience a little.

…  

After you both had a great time on Rufus's bed, Darkstar went back downstairs while you covered up your misdeed by remaking the bed.

Then you went into the office. You sat in his chair and amused yourself by spinning around. Once you were tired of that, you gave up your seat to Darkstar and made him spin around too. It did you both good. He then went back to rest in his basket while you cleaned the apartment.

By the time you were done, the sun had begun to set. The afternoon had long since passed, and it was well into the evening, and no one had returned.

You checked your phone just in case but no messages.

Their meeting may have been prolonged.

You busied yourself filling Darkstar's bowls and hesitated to send a message to Rufus to ask if you could help yourself to some food from the cupboards. But was he still in a bad mood? The next time you ran into Reno and Rude, you'd ask them for their IDs; it was actually easier to talk to them.

You had chosen to contact Tseng and were typing a message to send him when the doorbell rang.

You opened the door to a smiling John, holding cardboard boxes.

“Hi, young lady. So we're all alone? Well, the bad news is that the young master contacted me and he's going to be home later than expected.”

“Please tell me there is also good news.”

“I'll bring you some pizzas!” he boasted, showing you the boxes he was holding.

You immediately responded to his smile and stepped aside to let him in. He walked to the kitchen and placed the boxes on the table.

“Well, I took several flavors because I didn't know which ones you liked.”

“You could have asked me.”

“And spoil the surprise? Never! Besides, it's a shame there'll be leftovers that you'll have to take home,” he added, winking at you.

“Thanks, John,” you say gratefully. “Are you staying for dinner with me?”

“I'd like to, but I'm not allowed to leave my post for long. Security, security. Next time!”

“Okay, but I hope you helped yourself.”

He laughed and winked at you again.

“I've already requisitioned one or two pieces of each.”

"Perfect."

You walked him to the door. You were about to close it when you changed your mind.

“Hey John ?”

“Yes, little girl?”

“Thank you for thinking of me. You know, the meal…”

“It's not me you should thank; it was the young master's express request. When he sent me a message to say he would be late, it was also to ask me to order you food. Even though I would have done so no matter what. Go on, enjoy your meal.”

And he left you with that information.

… 

You had finished your meal. The pizzas had been as delicious as you remembered. The leftovers had been stored in the refrigerator. Of course, Darkstar had gotten his share.

It was getting really late. You had been pacing for several minutes before deciding to sit on the couch and wait for Rufus to return. Too bad if it was forbidden, he should have stopped hanging around so much.

The couch was oddly deep. When D. climbed onto it to sit next to you, you understood why: it must have been long and wide enough for the gigantic animal to fit on.

You had the television on in the background, some action movie, and taken your sketchbook from your bag.

At first you drew randomly, then you did a series of portraits of Darkstar while he was lounging next to you.

What was Rufus doing? Had the day gone badly? Had he trashed another office? You saw his face again, the cold, sharp look he had while talking to Tseng.

You wouldn't have liked that look directed at you. And at the same time, when he had that look, it made his features even more captivating than usual. Kissing such a furious face must have tasted like forbidden fruit.

Beside you, Darkstar sneezed, which brought you back to your senses. You realized that while your mind was wandering, your hand had also continued on its own. Rufus's eyes were looking at you in your notebook. You had drawn him.

Blushing, you closed your notebook and put it back in your bag.

Finished the drawing for tonight!

You settled more comfortably on the couch. The movie wasn't very interesting, and you felt tiredness creeping in. You focused all your energy on trying not to close your eyes, but it was getting harder and harder. You took off your shoes and pulled your legs up onto the couch, resting your head on the armrest. At the same time, you were going to have to work late tonight at Shinra when Rufus got back. Maybe taking a mini nap wasn't such a bad idea. You felt Darkstar shift and curl up behind you, nestling his huge head in the hollow of your ribs.

It was heavy but warm. Like a weighted blanket but with teeth. You placed your arm around its broad neck. You felt comfortable. Everything went black.

… 

Lost in your dreams, you enjoyed the comfort of Rufus's cozy couch. The smallest of its cushions was more comfortable than your entire mattress on the floor in the slums. You had fallen asleep with Darkstar's warmth curled up against you, but for a few moments now you had felt a little colder. His weight had disappeared too.

You felt a caress in your hair, moving down to brush your cheek. It felt good. The sensation lasted a few moments before moving down to the back of your neck.

Then it disappeared before returning to brush your chin, gently rising. As if a hand were caressing your face and a thumb were furtively lingering on the pulp of your lips.

Trying to reconnect with reality you let out a small moan before trying to open your eyes.

You failed on the first try. On the second, you barely had time to see two blue flashes in your eyes before darkness swept over you again. Finally, on the third try, you managed to keep your eyes open. Rufus crouched in front of you, watching you.

“Well, look who’s back among us,” he whispered.

Still in the mists of your sleep you answered in a low voice.

“Oh it’s you.”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“You are home.”

"Yes."

"Good."

You wanted to go back to sleep now, but you felt like you were forgetting something. No way to remember right now.

“Don't you want to go to the guest room before you go back to sleep?” Rufus suggested.

The guest room? Why bother? You were going to sleep at your place like usual.

“No, it’s okay, give me a few moments and I’ll go.”

“And where are you planning to go at 4 a.m.?” he asked you mockingly.

4 a.m.? What do you mean 4 a.m.? You were starting to come to your senses.

You widened your eyes and jumped up under Rufus's astonished gaze.

“4 o’clock?! The cafeteria! I have to go!”

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

“Shinra. I didn't clean the cafeteria. Damn, gladly it's still open even at night.”

While you were talking you were looking for your shoes which you had left lying on the floor without being able to find them.

Rufus looked confused.

“But you don’t work in the building anymore. You work for me, don’t you remember?”

Now fatigue and panic were taking over you. Your boss was just waiting for a mistake like that to attack you again.

“I work for you. And for Shinra. Thanks, I know, and I couldn't work my shifts because I had to babysit Darkstar. And now I'm late and I'm going to be in trouble. Can you help me find my shoes, please? I'm sure I left them there?” you ranted nervously, on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

As you kept searching for your things and no longer listened to what he was saying, Rufus finally grabbed your shoulders, holding them firmly. He forced you to lie down on the couch, and dominated you with his full weight so that you couldn't move. He fixed his eyes on yours.

“Okay, that’s enough now. Stop and listen to me.”

It was the firm tone of his voice, more than his strength, that rooted you to the spot.

“Good. It's 4:00 a.m. There's no way you're leaving this apartment now, so you're going to kindly stay here and finish your night.”

“But the caf…”

“I swear, if you ever mention the cafeteria again, I'll tie you up and gag you.”

You stopped in your tracks.

“Good.” His tone softened a little. “Now go to sleep. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Maybe he really would solve the problem. Could he pay people to intervene during the night? Ask the Turks to do it? Why not? Rude did the dishes well.

While you were asking yourself these questions, fatigue returned, dazzling. Too many emotions at once. As you relaxed more and more, he finally loosened his grip. Yet he remained leaning over you. His hands on your shoulders, his thumbs gently caressing them. Your eyes closed and you fell back asleep. You'll see tomorrow.

You felt the weight above you finally lift and a warmth envelop you, as if someone had covered you with a blanket. You buried your face in the fabric and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: The Locker Room

It was the smell of hot coffee that pulled you from your sleep. You found yourself in Rufus's living room, wrapped in a blanket. You stretched lazily and stifled a yawn. Judging by the light coming in from outside, the morning was already well advanced.

“Did you sleep well?”

You turned your head. Sitting far away on the kitchen chair, legs crossed, Rufus was sipping coffee.

“Come sit down,” he said, indicating a chair with a gesture of his hand.

You sat down on the couch, searching the floor for your shoes so you could put them back on. They were no longer where they belonged. That was why you'd searched for them in vain last night.

Before joining Rufus at his table, you picked up the cup he had taken out to fill it with coffee, then you sat down at the spot he had indicated.

Rufus continued to look at you silently and you remembered he had asked you a question.

“Your sofa is very comfortable.”

“And you haven't tried the guest room yet,” he said before taking a sip of coffee. “Help yourself. John went to get breakfast.”

On the table was a bag filled with pastries. You recognized the logo of the shop from last time and didn't need to be asked twice to take one, which you ate immediately, as well as a second one, which you set aside. They were delicious.

He chuckled and pushed the bag in your direction, indicating you could take it all. You complied and kept the bag within reach.

You continued to eat breakfast in silence. Rufus had taken out his phone and was tapping away. Darkstar had come over to try and beg for a cake (No way, there were limits to sharing!) The atmosphere was relaxed, a little too much for you; it was weird.

The ringing of your phone told you that you had received a message. You took it out of your pocket and looked at the screen.

Mrs (...),

Following your unexcused absence yesterday, you have been summoned to the Hygiene and Cleanliness department today. Your section manager will notify you of your sanction.

Sincerely, 

The HR department.

You had to reread the message twice, terrified. Rufus looked at you questioningly.

“You… you didn’t solve the problem!!! You said…”

He sneered:

“But what exactly did you expect me to do at 4 a.m.?”

"I don't know…"

“I told you I'd take care of it, I didn't tell you right away.”

Yes, that's what he said. You scowled.

“That means the cafeteria hasn't been cleaned.”

“We don’t care.”

“That’s not true, I do care!”

He chuckled.

“Now you’re lying to yourself?”

“I like my work to be well done. I have my pride.”

“And you were doing your job. By being here. What does the message you received say?”

“I'm summoned to Shinra. As soon as possible.”

“Perfect. Let’s go then.”

“What ?”

“You say you're being summoned to Shinra. Let's go.”

“He stood up and walked towards the entrance. He made a call.

“We coming.”

You followed him into the hallway. Your shoes were there, along with your bag. You quickly put them on and reached out for it.

“No need, we’ll come back here later. Unless you want to draw there?” he added.

“No, it’ll be fine… wait, how did you… you look in my bag? Did you look at my notebook?!”

You remembered perfectly the last drawing you had done in that notebook.

Rufus opened the door and gestured for you to go ahead.

“Don't worry, I didn't see anything that didn't concern me.”

Conclusion: he had seen your drawing.

You lowered your head so he wouldn't see you blushing and walked out into the hallway.

Darkstar joined you.

“Is he allowed to come?”

“I don’t plan on seeing my father. So he can come.”

He walked toward the elevator, and you and Darkstar followed him. He didn't press the button to go to the lobby, but the one for the basement.

So that's where the garage was. Rude was waiting for you next to a black car. He opened the door for you to get inside.

“You know the building isn't THAT far away.” you say

“Aren't you implying we should walk?”

“No”

He chuckled.

… 

The car arrived at the Shinra garage. Rude opened the door and helped you out of the vehicle.

You took the elevator to your manager's office. It was disconcerting to use the official elevator for once and not the staff elevator.

Tseng was waiting outside your manager's office. And you entered the room, followed by the two men.

Seeing you, your manager stood up and started yelling at you.

“Ah, there you are! Can you tell me what the hell you did yesterday! If you only knew the mess you got yourself into…”

He stopped dead in his tracks, finally noticing Tseng and Rufus's presence. Rufus merely looked at him coldly before adding sharply.

“Aren’t you offering us a seat?”

“Oh yes, sorry!” He hurried to pull out two chairs and offer them to Tseng and Rufus.

Neither of them moved.

“Are you going to keep us waiting long?” Tseng added.

He seemed not to understand what the two men expected of him. Then his brain kicked in and he went to get a third chair for you. It was only then that Tseng and Rufus sit down, imitated by you.

“So, may I ask what you have against my employee?” Rufus asked, his tone still cold.

“Mr. Vice President, it turns out that she did not respect her schedule and therefore, she must be reprimanded.”

“So you think that not obeying a direct order from a superior warrants punishment?”

"Exactly."

“And what do you propose?”

“Firing someone might be a bit extreme. How about a two-month pay suspension?”

"All right"

Your manager couldn't believe his ears. He looked at you and then at Rufus, uncomprehending.

“Uh… So we’ll do it this way…”

You were stunned. Okay, he'd avoided your dismissal, but a two-month pay suspension was like a death sentence for you.

“Perfect then. Tseng?” Rufus cut in, crossing his legs and seeming uninterested in the exchange.

Tseng then took over.

“I have here the request from Mr. Vice-President addressed to the head of the Hygiene and Cleanliness department regarding the change of assignment of Ms. (...). A document that you have of course signed. Do you recognize your signature?”

“Uh, yes, yes.”

“Perfect. This document clearly states that Vice President Rufus Shinra is hiring Ms. (...) full-time for an indefinite period, at the requester's convenience. That's the part I underlined, in case you forgot.”

“I... Yes, that's what it says.”

“Good. In that case, could you explain this business of not respecting the schedule? We can certify that Mr. Shinra's employee was indeed present at her workplace yesterday, and therefore there is no cause for punishment.”

Your manager began to understand where Tseng was going with this, and he didn't seem to like it.

“Don't get me wrong, it was the department head who told me to assign him shifts in the building. I was just following his orders. And so far, it's been working just fine. We could just forget about this incident and—”

Rufus leaned towards him.

“Are you telling me that you don’t mind me sharing my staff with the whole building?”

He turned pale.

“No, I…”

“When I asked for someone full-time, it was precisely to avoid this kind of inconvenience. Not to have to negotiate with my employee who refuses to obey me to go clean in some cafeteria or other.”

Tseng finished off your manager.

“So we agree that now Ms. (...) is fully assigned to Mr. Shinra, and you no longer have to worry about her schedule or administer her punishments. And of course, all hours worked in the building since she was hired will be paid as overtime.”

Your manager mumbled something about the department head.

“We'll deal with him in due course. Well, we're done. Have a nice day,” Tseng said, standing up.

You imitate him.

But Rufus remained seated, still with his legs crossed.

A slight smile played on his lips. His gaze was sharp.

“Remind me what you proposed as punishment for not obeying a direct order from a superior? ”

“Mr. Vice President, please. He was the head of the department…”

“Vice President is way above the position of department head?”

“Yes, Mr. Vice President...“

“Good. If I remember correctly, we agreed on a two-month pay suspension and the gratitude of being able to keep a job.”

"Sir..."

“Tseng, I'll leave it to you?” Rufus said, indifferent to the distress of the man in front of him who had just lost two months of salary.

“Yes sir”

“Perfect. Now we’re done.”

And he got up and left the room.

… 

“I have some things to do before I go home. Go get your things from your locker, I'll see you later,” Rufus declared once he left the office. And without giving you time to reply, he left you, Tseng following in his footsteps.

You weren't sure what you had just witnessed, but one thing was for sure: when it came to dealing with business, the Vice President was terrifying.

Not knowing how much time you had, and not wanting to keep him waiting, you hurried to the locker room.

In a room you picked up a box and went to your locker.

You opened it and started to retrieve your things to put them inside.

“Well, well… don’t tell me you’re fired?”

Pepper had just arrived, smiling.

“I thought it would be a little more complicated than that to eject you, and in the end you didn't even need me. It's almost sad.”

“So don't cry right away Pepper, I'm not fired.”

You continued folding your clothes and stuffing the items you had brought with you as time went on.

“Oh yeah. So if you're not fired, why are you cleaning out your locker?”

“Because I’m going to be working full-time for Rufus. It’s easier to have my stuff at his place.”

“Liar!” she shouted, kicking your box angrily and causing it to topple onto the floor.

You calmly put it back in place and put back the objects that had fallen out.

“Are you finally showing your true colors, Pepper? No more fake attempts at friendship? Admit it, you've always hated me.”

"Of course."

“Why?” You sincerely wanted to know. You weren't very sociable, but you'd never meant him any harm. At least not at first.

“Because it disgusts me that someone from your filthy neighborhood like you can work here. It's an abomination. Slum people like you are disgusting. That you think you can clean when you dirty everything you touch disgusts me.”

Anger distorted her features, but she had finally said what was on her mind. For your part, you were seething with anger. You wanted to scream. From the start, she had decided to hate you without giving you a chance. You wanted to hurt her but couldn't... Although...

“And yet, Pepper, my presence only seems to bother you. Well, at least it doesn't bother Rufus.”

“Stop calling him by his first name!”

“And why not? He’s the one who gave me permission to do it.”

Just like the time you lied about the messages, she believed you immediately. She gritted her teeth in anger.

“I don’t believe you. You’re just trying to make me jealous.”

“Oh really? Then why did he come here this morning just to defend me?”

This time it was partially true, and the rumor would come soon enough to confirm what you said.

You moved closer to Pepper with a dark smile. You reached out and stroked her cheek tenderly. She gasped in disgust.

“It's funny that you think I'm so dirty because it doesn't seem to bother him at all when he touches me like I do.”

“He doesn’t touch you.”

“Oh, you're wrong. It's a shame you didn't get the job, you would have liked it. He's pretty talented.”

“Now I'm sure you're lying. You've gone too far. Someone like him would never stoop to doing that to someone like you.”

Damn, she understood. You'd overdone it and you were no longer credible. You were losing this exchange and it was infuriating.

You heard a laugh behind you that you recognized immediately.

Shit. Did he hear everything? Judging by how much he was laughing, yes.

“So this is where you were hiding. Are you ready? Let’s go.”

He walked into the locker room and reached your side, standing behind you.

“Hurry up and say goodbye to your friend.”

With a tender gesture, he placed his hand around your waist and held you close. His hand slid under your shirt to caress your skin directly. He leaned down and with his other hand pushed your hair behind your ear. He whispered loud enough for Pepper to hear.

“I can't wait to get home, so don't keep me waiting too long.”

Luckily, Pepper was too shocked to see the state you were in. You could feel the red rising in your cheeks. Your heart was racing. You stammered,

“Well, Pepper. See you next time then.”

Still glued to you, Rufus reached out to take Pepper's hand.

"Well..."

Smiling, he kissed the back of her hand. Then he quickly let go, looking disappointed. He pretended to think for a moment before grabbing your hand and repeating the gesture. Except this time his lips lingered for a long time, he turned your hand over and kissed the hollow of your palm. Inhaling your scent. As if he were delighting in you.

“Hmm, yeah, I made the right choice. It wouldn't have worked with you,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he turned toward Pepper.

He released you just long enough to pick up your box and put it in your arms. Then he placed his hand on your hips again, gently guiding you towards the exit.

“Have a nice day, miss,” he said to Pepper with his best smile.

… 

"Sir ?"

"Yes ?"

“What just happened?”

You and Rufus headed towards the exit and as soon as you were out of Pepper's sight he released you.

“You don't call me Rufus anymore? I suppose that was also to annoy that young woman?”

“You’ve heard it all.”

It wasn't a question, you were stating a fact.

“Yes. And I decided to intervene. Didn’t you like it?”

“Aren’t you afraid of rumors?”

“You work for me, I guess there have been rumors for a long time.”

"It's true."

“Would you have preferred that I abstain?”

“No. I'll never forget the look in his eyes.” You offered him a genuine smile. “That's the second time you've done me a favor today.”

"It's true." 

You didn't need to specify that you planned to repay this debt one day or another, he already knew that.

"By the way…"

“Yes sir?”

“If you need to use me again in the future, I would ask you to be specific. I am not “pretty talented,” I am “VERY talented.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: The Bathroom

Mrs (...), 

Due to the modification of your contract and a delay on the part of our department, the amount we owe you for your overtime reimbursement will not be paid until next month. This will also delay the payment of your expense reimbursements by at least one month.

Please do not reply to this message.

Sincerely, 

The HR department.

You put your phone back in your pocket. You were kind of expecting it; Rufus's outburst from a few days ago hadn't gone unanswered by your superiors. And as usual, they preferred to attack you quietly rather than him head-on. He was banking on the fact that you wouldn't complain, and they were right.

Rufus had already stepped in to help you, and there was no way you were going to see him about it. Especially since you now had a reputation for sleeping with him, which was why he was being so considerate to you. And since this rumor was entirely your fault, it was up to you to fix this problem.

Your train arrived at the station. One of the improvements since you'd been working full-time for Rufus was that you no longer had to arrive early or leave late. He didn't care as long as the work he asked for was done. That's why he hadn't noticed you were working double shifts.

On the other hand, it was harder to escape your creditors. This morning, you had promised Dutch a rent adjustment, counting on the amount you had just been refused. You were going to have to negotiate with him again tonight.

… 

“I need you!” Rufus announced.

That lunchtime you had eaten together and you were finishing the dishes. You put down your sponge and turned around.

“Yes sir, what…”

You gaped at what you saw. Rufus was standing in the living room, wearing a white outfit consisting of knee-length sweatpants and a t-shirt. It was disconcerting to see him dressed like that. Usually, even when he stayed home all day, the most casual thing he allowed himself was to stay in a suit, shirt, and jacket. And yet, strangely, it suited him quite well.

“Are you going to stare at me for long?”

“Yes… well, no, sir. How can I help you?”

“Follow me.”

You made your way to the guest room. He pointed to the bathroom. A basin with bottles and various brushes sat on the floor. A plastic chocobo rested against it.

“D. needs to be washed. Two of us won't be too many.”

“Oh, okay. What should I do?”

“For now, you stay next to the equipment. When he comes, I'll hold him while you hang his leash on the wall. That way, we'll have more freedom of movement later on.”

As he explained the procedure to you, he pointed to the ring hanging on the shower wall. You'd noticed it several times while cleaning, but you'd imagined a completely different purpose for it. Which made you blush. Which he noticed.

“Don’t tell me you thought it was for something else?”

“No !”

He chuckled.

“You have a very dirty mind. I had this system installed only for D…”

However, his gaze was now fixed on the ring. He narrowed his eyes.

“But now that you think about it… Well, there's a time for everything. D., come here!”

Darkstar rushed into the guest room, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw you and Rufus in the bathroom.

“D., come here!” Rufus repeated in a slightly harsher tone.

Darkstar began to walk forward until he reached the middle of the room, then stopped again. He groaned as he lowered his head, stamping his feet in place.

You were completely touched and were about to plead his case to Rufus, after all he wasn't THAT dirty about it when he frowned:

“Darkstar ‘Ténébro of the Nation’ Shinra! Come. Here!”

Oh, when your parent/master used your full middle names it was never good and it was better to obey.

Darkstar finally stepped forward, still with his head down, and joined Rufus. Rufus grabbed his collar and attached a leash to it. He handed you the other end, which you then went to hang on the bathroom wall.

Now that he was no longer in danger of escaping, Rufus petted Darkstar, gently telling him that he was a good boy and that no, he wasn't angry.

“All right, let's go, I'll start by wetting it. As for you... Just try not to let it move too much.”

He paused, laughed, then continued.

“I hope you didn't think the worst was over?”

… 

Indeed, tying Darkstar to the shower wasn't the hardest part. While Rufus was wetting him, shampooing him, and trying to brush him, Darkstar was struggling, moving in all directions, and trying to avoid his master. To keep him in place, you started by holding his collar. Which, given D.'s build and strength, was useless. When Rufus asked you to make an effort, you got down on your knees and started to wrap your arms around his neck. Now you were almost on top of him, using your body as much as possible to counterbalance him. And even then, as soon as D. tried to dodge Rufus, you were the one getting showered.

So you were soaked from head to toe.

“Really make an effort yourself,” you ranted at Rufus, who had just poured water on you again.

“I can't help it if you can't hold it in place.”

“I still get the impression that you're not putting your all into it. You're perfectly capable of anticipating his moves.”

“Really?” He smiled mischievously.

“Yes, Darkstar is moving, but half the time you could have avoided me. If you think I didn't notice, look at that, my clothes are soaked!”

“Maybe you should have changed before you started. Didn't you have a technique for not getting your clothes wet? What was that again?”

When you understood what he was referring to, you squirted him with the foam you had on your hand, shouting:

“Don't remind me of that! I'm so ashamed.”

He hid behind Darkstar to avoid your attack and laughed.

“Yet I haven't seen anything you should be ashamed of,” he added mischievously before picking up the shower head to rinse Darkstar off.

“Come on, hang in there, we’re almost there.”

You don't know if he was talking to D. or you, but it was a very long moment. When it was over, you felt exhausted, wet and dirty. Rufus hadn't been spared, but he was still drier than you, and Darkstar was all clean.

Rufus handed him the chocobo toy, and D. grabbed it and began to chew on it furiously. Rufus stroked it affectionately.

“That's good, my friend. You were very brave. Here, stroke him too, so he understands that you didn't mean him any harm." he said to you.

You reached out and quickly scratched his head.

“Behind the ear, he loves it.”

He grabbed your hand and placed it on D's head. Without letting go, he showed you what to do.

You complied, and D. tilted his head to follow your hand movements. His chocobo, still in his mouth, made "squeak squeak" sounds.

Rufus reached out and unclipped his leash. That was the signal for Darkstar to run into the living room.

It was just the two of you left, crouching in the shower. Rufus looked at the leash in his hand, his gaze moving up to the ring. He seemed to hesitate far too long for your liking before untying it completely and putting it in the basin, along with the rest of his bathroom essentials.

He stood up, stretched, and went to grab two towels from the closet. He handed you one before putting the other around his neck.

While you were trying to dry yourself off a bit (it was a waste of time) he went into the guest room and you heard him rummaging in a closet.

He came back with a pile of clothes. He showed you a pair of black Bermuda shorts and placed them on a chair.

“Here, this should fit you.”

Then he unfolded two T-shirts, both very large. One had a design depicting the Gold Saucer with chocobos of all colors in the foreground. The other had the logo of a bar you didn't know, "The Glabrescent Bar." Two items of clothing you would never have imagined in Rufus's closet. He must have read your mind again because he felt compelled to justify himself.

“I'm pretty sure Rude left one there, but I'm not sure about the other one. It looks like Reno... So which one? Don't worry, they're clean.”

So the guest room was also occasionally used by the Turks. You pointed to the Gold Saucer and he placed it on the chair for you.

“I'm going up to take my shower. Feel free to use this one and change before you get sick.”

You nodded and he walked out of the room, his towel still around his neck.

… 

After locking the bathroom door (too bad if Rufus made fun of you, he'd been looking at that ring way too much) you took a long shower. For once, you were using such a large one, with continuous hot water. You used the bottles there to give yourself a complete cleansing, with face cream and hair mask. As they said in the slums, never turn down a good opportunity, you never know when it will come again.

Once dry, you put your underwear back on before putting on the outfit Rufus lent you. You were swimming in the sweatpants, but you tightened the drawstring to keep it in place. And you could have used the t-shirt as a dress. But it would be fine while your outfit dried. Out of professionalism, you rinsed the shower tray and gave it a quick wipe with a sponge before leaving the room.

Rufus had finished his shower before you. He settled down on the couch with a book in his hand, and D. curled up next to him. You went to hang your clothes in your closet.

As you approached the living room, he stopped reading for a moment and pointed to one of the armchairs.

“Settle down.”

“I think I'll finish the cleaning instead.”

“No, you're done for the day. You can go home if you want, but if you'd rather wait for your clothes to dry, you can sit here.”

"All right."

“You can take a book or put on the TV if you want.”

“Thanks, but I have things to keep me busy.”

You retrieved your notebook from your bag and settled into the armchair. You settled comfortably against the back, pulled your legs up to rest your notebook against your knees.

“Should I stay still?”

You looked at him questioningly, not understanding.

“Aren’t you taking me as a role model today?”

Oh yeah. The notebook incident. No way I was letting you get flustered this time. You started to sketch.

“No portrait today. Neither you nor Darkstar.”

"That’s a shame."

He resumed his reading.

You wondered what to draw. Now that you said you wouldn't do a portrait, you couldn't use Darkstar as a model.

You settled on an interior design. The tranquil atmosphere of this late afternoon made you want to work on a living room design. Your ideal living room, the one of your dreams if you could afford an apartment with more than one room.

After establishing the basic perspective, you drew a soft sofa. Not too big because it was designed for one person, but flexible enough to be able to lie down or sit comfortably. You added a floor lamp for direct light when you wanted to draw or read, and a beautiful chandelier for general lighting. You hesitated to draw a fireplace, but you opted for a stove, which was more practical and allowed you to heat up dishes at the same time. You also had to imagine soft rugs so you could walk on them barefoot, and plants to make the space more intimate.

You realized you were actually having fun. This was what you'd studied for, and this was why you'd originally applied to Shinra. You'd avoided thinking about it these past few years because it was too painful to have given up on your dream, but the pleasure you got from putting your ideas down on paper hadn't disappeared.

You were about to think about designing a coffee table when you heard a voice behind you.

“You’re pretty good.”

You turned your head. Arms casually draped over the back of your chair, Rufus stood behind you, watching you draw.

“When you draw, you are so lost in your own world that you no longer see what is happening around you,” he observed.

You looked at him then looked at your notebook.

“I think I missed design,” you admitted more to yourself than to him, giving a slightly melancholic smile.

He stood looking at you for a brief moment before getting up.

“I’m going to make myself a coffee, do you want anything?”

“No thanks.” You realized what time it was. “I'll go, it should be dry by now.”

He didn't comment and watched you go change.. When you came back, dressed and with your bag over your shoulder, he was leaning against the high table of the minibar, his cup in his hand.

“I left the clothes there, I'll put them in the wash tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he said simply.

“Good evening, sir.”

“Yes. See you tomorrow,” he said, still looking at you from the kitchen.

… 

You were walking leisurely toward your area after the train dropped you off at the station. You were lost in your thoughts. The day had been intense, but you had to admit you had fun, thanks to Rufus. Even the relaxing time in the living room had done you good.

And let's not even talk about the shower! You would have killed to be able to use it again.

A little voice in your head told you that Rufus wouldn't refuse if you asked to use it occasionally, but you also didn't want to overdo it. And maybe it was better to stay away from that ring.

Thinking back to the look on Rufus' face when he realized your misunderstanding about that, you chuckled softly as you walked into your building.

Arriving at your apartment door, you took out your keys to unlock it. Suddenly, you felt a sharp pain in your forehead. You didn't immediately understand what was happening.

It was when you heard a voice near your ear that you realized someone had just violently pushed you against your door.

“You and I are going to talk,” Dutch whispered.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: The Apartment

Arriving at your apartment door, you took out your keys to unlock it. Suddenly, you felt a sharp pain in your forehead. You didn't immediately understand what was happening.

It was when you heard a voice near your ear that you realized someone had just violently pushed you against your door.

“You and I are going to talk,” Dutch whispered.

...

“D… Dutch? You…”

You couldn't finish your sentence, you felt your head bang violently against your door again.

“Shut up. I'm the one talking.”

You didn't answer and waited. Your head was spinning and you felt nausea rising.

“You owe me money. You owe Vito money, and we're tired of waiting. So you're going to pay it back one way or another.”

The implication was very clear. Panicked, you tried to pull away, but Dutch pressed you harder against the wall, one hand on your throat and the other squeezing your wrist behind your back. It was painful, and you were suffocating.

“D… Dutch. Listen. I swear… I’ll have the money soon.”

“That’s what you’ve been telling me for too long. Supposedly, you have a new, better-paying job. But we’re not blind, we can see that you don’t have any money, even less than before.”

“It's due to administrative issues, but I'll get the money and give it to you all at once. Please, Dutch. I've always paid it back.”

“Vito is fed up. He knows very well that he could earn a lot more with you if he put you to work.”

"Let him try, he'll regret it!!" You said, furious. To calm you down, he squeezed your wrist and neck even tighter. Your lungs were burning.

“Sorry, Dutch. What I meant was… I'll pay back more if necessary.”

“The double.”

“What ?”

“You have one week to pay us back, and you’ll pay us double what you owe. Otherwise, you’ll join Vito’s girls. Or, if you prefer, we’ll pay ourselves back by selling your organs. But that would be a waste.”

“Okay, Dutch. Double. I promise.”

He released you. You took a breath, wanting to regain your composure when he knocked one last time against the door.

“One week!”

And this time he left for good. Trembling, you picked up your keys that you had dropped on the floor and opened the door to your apartment.

Once inside, you locked the door. You pushed your table against it. It was more psychological than anything else; if Dutch wanted to break down the door, he could do it easily.

You curled up on your mattress. Your neck and wrist ached, and you wondered how you were going to get out of this mess.

Contact HR again? Even if they released the money, would there be enough?

Ask Tseng? He wouldn't do anything without direct orders from Rufus.

Ask Rufus? It was the most logical thing to do, but you didn't know how, nor did you want to. He'd already stepped in to help you, and maybe he'd had enough. If you caused him too much trouble, he'd end up firing you.

Unable to decide, you remained prostrate on your mattress.

… 

You'd spent the night trying to decide without finding a solution. Perhaps it was the shock to your head that was preventing you from thinking properly. Dutch had given you a week, so you decided to give yourself today to make a decision. And who knows, maybe by then your money will have been transferred to your account.

You quickly rinsed your face and looked at yourself in the mirror. You looked tired, which was normal. A bruise could be seen on your forehead, which you tried to hide with your hair. Since it didn't work, you put a bandage over it. You could just say you'd hurt yourself, which wasn't a lie.

On the other hand, Dutch's fingerprints were clearly visible on the back of your neck and wrist. You rummaged through your things until you found an old shirt, which you put on. You buttoned the collar all the way up; it was enough to hide the mark. You did the same with the sleeves. You would then layer your polo shirt over it, pretending to be cold, and it should work.

You checked the hallway three times to make sure the coast was clear before rushing out, afraid Dutch had changed his mind.

… 

Your subterfuge had worked. Rufus had accepted your excuse about your forehead quite readily and hadn't asked about your outfit.

It just so happened that he had a very urgent video meeting in his office that had been scheduled for early this morning, and he hadn't lingered in the living room. He'd just ordered you lunch and had disappeared ever since.

So you'd cleaned up and done the shopping, and found yourself in the kitchen preparing your meal. You'd opted for a simple oven-baked meat, but you were banking on the sauce you were stirring.

You were lost in thought, still searching for a solution to your problem (reconsidering the underwear theft) when you heard the office door open.

Seem, D. had just been thrown out. You heard movement behind you. Fidgeting too loudly, you put some sauce on your finger and automatically reached behind your back in his direction without turning around.

“Here, lick this and tell me what you think,” you joked, used to D. licking your hand.

Rufus grabbed it and brought your finger to his lips to lick it.

“Not bad,” he replied, “Maybe a little more salt.”

You jumped and turned around, dropping your utensils

“But what are you doing?”

“I obey your orders,” he said with a mischievous smile.

“I thought it was Darkstar.”

“I think I have better taste than him. But I need a second opinion,” he said, leaning towards your fingers again.

You reflexively tried to pull your hand away. Unexpectedly, he didn't have time to loosen his grip. The pain in your wrist, which Dutch had mauled, reawakened, and you couldn't contain a wince, fleeting but not lost on Rufus.

He looked at you, looked at your wrist and silently he unbuttoned your sleeve and lifted the fabric, revealing your bruise.

He narrowed his eyes, and still without a word he let go of your wrist to attack your collar.

You sighed, of course he'd made the connection between your injury and your new outfit. Gently, he moved the fabric around your neck and softly grabbed your chin, forcing you to tilt your head slightly so he could see how far the marks extended.

Still holding your chin, he forced you to look him in the eyes. His face was expressionless.

“Who?” he asked in a soft voice.

“Nobody.” You don’t know why you answered that, it was pure reflex.

He didn't laugh.

“I'm going to assume your head injury has caused you to lose your mind, if you seriously think this is the time to lie to me. Who?”

“Dutch”

“Who is Dutch?”

You couldn't hold his gaze anymore. You looked away.

“My landlord.”

“Did your landlord hit you, twist your wrist, and strangle you?”

“I owe him money.”

“Do you have debts?”

Hearing him say it out loud, you felt a surge of shame wash over you. You realized you didn't want Rufus to judge you, to think you were in debt because of gambling or an addiction, as was often the case in the slums.

You didn't have much left but your pride, and you felt a visceral need to defend it at all costs. Otherwise, you were no better than Pepper thought you were.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” you grumbled, forgetting that a few hours earlier you had concluded that you couldn’t handle the situation alone.

“You really seem to have the situation under control,” he said ironically.

His tone finally got on your nerves. You stepped back, forcing him to let go of you.

“I had the situation under control before I had to blow all my savings on your meals!”

Your brain tried to remind you that it wasn't entirely accurate, but it was too late to turn back.

Rufus looked a little lost.

“What do you mean, my meals? What does that have to do with this?”

“I’m not getting reimbursed for your expenses. They’ve been dragging this out all along to piss me off because they’re mad at you! So I can’t pay my rent! So Dutch has me pinned against the door! And Vito’s going to come after me!”

“Vito? The Vito from Sector 2?”

“Dutch works for him. And soon I will too if I don’t pay him back!”

He took a step toward you, and you reflexively took two steps back. He stopped and raised his hands, speaking softly to you as if he were addressing a wild animal.

“Let me summarize. Since I asked you, you've been paying for the groceries, but HR won't reimburse you. So you haven't paid your rent. And now you're so in debt that that Dutch guy physically threatened you last night.”

You nod your head.

“If you’re here, it’s because you negotiated a deadline?”

“One week”

“How much do you owe them?”

You indicated the original amount.

“And the compensation?”

“Compensation?”

“If he works for this Vito, he must not have been satisfied with a simple promise of repayment.”

“The double.”

Rufus pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath, and frowned.

“Okay. I see things more clearly. Now can you just explain to me WHY you didn't tell me about it before?!!” On the last sentence, he raised his voice, which made you jump. He rarely raised his voice. At least not with you.

“Because I thought I could handle this myself!!” You matched your tone to his.

"So I haven't proven enough that I'm capable of taking care of those I own?!"

“I didn’t want Shinra to think I had special privileges!!”

He burst out into a cold laugh.

“But this entire company runs on special privileges!! It was founded on that! And all the people at the helm of Shinra, myself included, are here because we understand how it works. And that’s why people like you who reject this principle are where they are.”

It was hurtful.

Your anger suddenly subsided, leaving nothing. You didn't even want to yell at him anymore, just want this conversation to end.

Giving him a blank, cold stare you replied in a neutral voice:

“I’d rather be in my place with a clear conscience than in yours. Our pride is all we have left, and you won’t take it from us.”

Your change of attitude seemed to unsettle him. He started to answer you, but you cut him off.

“If you don't mind, sir, I still have some work to do. Are we done?” you asked, your tone still neutral and very professional.

He frowned. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He ran his hand through his hair in an angry manner before turning around and shouting at you:

“Yes, you can go.”

And he went to lock himself in his office, slamming the door abruptly.

… 

You finished scrubbing the counter angrily. Since your exchange, you'd felt sad, then you'd replaced the sadness with anger. It was easier to deal with than the disappointment you'd felt when Rufus had yelled at you. It wouldn't have hurt so much if there wasn't some truth to it; you didn't have the weapons to fight in the company that was Shinra. But it wasn't nice to have said it like that.

Since your argument, Rufus hadn't left his office. The meal was almost ready, the sauce had burned, but you didn't care, serves him right. You quickly cooked another one, hoping it wouldn't be as good.

Your phone rang, indicating that you'd received a notification. It was probably him texting you to say he wouldn't be eating here after all.

Mrs (…), 

We are pleased to inform you that your expense reimbursements have just been validated. The funds have been sent to your bank account and will be available immediately.

We apologize for the inconvenience and wish you a good day.

Sincerely, 

The HR department

You couldn't believe your eyes. You immediately logged into your bank account and saw that the amount had just appeared.

Your phone rang again.

Mrs (…), 

We are pleased to inform you that your overtime payment has just been validated. The amount has just been sent to your bank account and will be available immediately.

We apologize for the inconvenience and wish you a good day.

Sincerely, 

The HR department

You suspected that there was no point in going to check the money was arriving in your account.

Another ringtone. This time it was definitely Rufus sending you a message to cheer you up.

Mrs (…), 

Due to an error on our part, your monthly bonus has not been transferred to the correct bank account since you started. The full amount has been retrieved and sent to your bank account and will be available immediately.

We apologize for the inconvenience and wish you a good day.

Sincerely, 

The HR department

That was enough. You said you'd fix it later, and now he was even intervening on problems you hadn't told him about! You yourself had forgotten about this bonus story a long time ago, how could he have thought of it?

Phone in hand, you headed toward his office. He wanted to resume the argument, you were going to resume the argument. You opened the door:

“I said I’d sort this out myself!”

Rufus, who was sitting at his desk in front of his computer, his head resting on his fist, looked up at you.

A voice rang out over the speakers:

“ What's going on? ”

Oh... He was in a meeting. On video. With President Shinra. You recognized his voice. Luckily, the camera was pointing at Rufus and not you.

Without losing his composure, and still looking at you, Rufus replied to his father:

“Nothing important. She was about to leave.”

“ Oh, I thought you hadn't seen any girls for months. ”

“I'm glad to hear you're keeping a calendar of my hookups.”

“ No need to be vulgar, I have the right to keep up to date with your meetings.”

"That's beautifully said. You could almost believe you were worried about me. If you don't mind, I'll be back in 5 minutes."

“ So be it. Don't hesitate to give her my number if you're done with her, I trust your tastes."

Rufus gave a look of disgust before standing up and walking briskly towards you. He grabbed your waist and rushed you out of his office. He slammed the door behind him.

“Sorry. I should have knocked.”

“Yes, it would have been nice, but it wouldn't have changed much. I would like you to avoid drawing attention to yourself in my father's presence in the future.”

You agreed on that point.

“What did you want to tell me?”

Being confronted, albeit indirectly, by President Shinra had calmed you down. His tone when he made that sexual innuendo was chilling.

“I received the money.”

"That's enough ?"

“Plenty.”

"Good." 

There was an awkward silence. You still didn't dare look him in the eye. Since you weren't planning on yelling at him anymore, you had to pull yourself together and thank him.

“Than…”

“No,” he said sharply. “No need.”

And he went back to his office.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: The Slums

There was an awkward silence. You still didn't dare look him in the eye. Since you weren't planning on yelling at him anymore, you had to pull yourself together and thank him.

“Than…”

“No,” he said sharply. “No need.”

And he went back to his office.  

…

Against all odds, Rufus didn't cancel the meal. And he insisted, as usual, that you eat at the table with him.

At the first bite of your dish he frowned and said:

“This sauce tastes really bad. I hope you stop being mad at me very soon.”

“I’m not.”

The chuckle he gave was a little bitter.

The meal ended in silence. Before he left, you took the opportunity to ask him:

"Sir ?"

"Yes"

“Can I leave early? I'll go get the money to pay Dutch. I'd rather do it as quickly as possible.”

“No worries, leave whenever you want.”

“I'll clear up and go then.”

He got up from the table and walked towards his desk. He turned around and seemed to hesitate.

“Do you need to…” Then he changed his mind. “No, nothing. See you later.”

… 

You held your bag tightly to your chest. You'd gone to withdraw the money and were eager to get rid of it. You'd never had so much gils on you.

Dutch owned a place not far from your house where he hung out when he wasn't beating people up and taking their money. You asked one of his men for it. He looked you up and down, looking greedy, before going to get it.

“What do you want from me? If it’s to negotiate extra time, prepare to get another beating.”

“I’m coming to pay you, Dutch.”

"What ?"

He was amazed.

You opened your bag and dumped the money onto a nearby table.

“As agreed, double.”

He quickly asked one of his men to recount the amount. When the man confirmed the count, he grimaced.

“Well… I’ll tell Vito then.”

“This time was the last, now I will pay on time.”

“Yeah yeah”

He gestured with his hand to tell you to get out of here, and you obeyed without hesitation. Once outside, you sighed. It had gone pretty well; you'd heard that Dutch had a habit of beating up latecomers, even if they paid to teach the others a lesson, but he hadn't.

You had paid off your debts, you had money left in your account, and the evening was barely beginning. You stopped by the restaurant in Sector 2 to treat yourself to a takeout meal; you'd earned it. And even treated yourself to a starter, a main course, AND a dessert.

…

BANG

A noise on your door made you open your eyes.

You looked at the time, it was the middle of the night.

The day before, you'd lain exhausted on your mattress. The feeling of relief after settling Dutch's bills had overwhelmed you. And having eaten your fill of your favorite dishes had brought you such comfort that you'd fallen asleep almost immediately afterward.

You let your guard down perhaps a little too quickly.

BANG

Your door shook, the hinges were about to pop off. You jumped up. Luckily, you'd fallen asleep in your loungewear, an old t-shirt and baggy gym shorts. Near your bed against the wall was an old baseball bat you'd bought to celebrate your move. And mostly to feel safe. It had already been used several times against burglars.

BANG BANG 

The hinges popped and your door flew open. The man who had just kicked it down with his boot entered the room. You waited before knocking, giving him time to stop, size you up, and then charge at you. You didn't attack directly, but took a step back to try to throw him off balance as he tried to grab you, then you struck with all your might. He caught the bat squarely in the head and let out a scream.

“Ow, you dirty whore,” he said, holding his head. “I need help, guys!”

Shit, one-on-one you had your chances, but with multiple players it became complicated. Especially since your bat wasn't the best weapon indoors.

You wanted to try to take this guy out before the others arrived. This rush was a mistake. Rather than wait for him to attack you, you lunged at him to hit him again. He intercepted your bat with his hand and used your momentum to snatch it from your hands. Unable to stop, you could only continue falling towards him, and he took the opportunity to violently hit you in the stomach with the weapon he had stolen from you.

You doubled over in pain and he took the opportunity to give you another blow.

You were in trouble, you had to run. You grabbed whatever you could lay your hands on and threw it at the guy's face to distract him. You got up and ran towards the exit, but the others were already waiting for you. Two men each grabbed one of your arms and pinned you down, forcing you to kneel.

In the now smashed doorway, Dutch appeared.

“D…  Dutch ? “ 

You barely said his name when he punched you in the face, silencing you.

“Shut up. Someone wants to see you.”

And he stepped aside to make room for Vito.

You couldn't believe your eyes. He had moved on his own, and that was rare. And not a good sign.

“So it's you,” he said quietly. “Since you've been making fun of me for so long, it's always a pleasure to put a face to a name. And Dutch wasn't wrong, you do have a pretty face.”

You remained silent, not wanting to be hit in the face again. You simply glared at him.

“I came to see you because I feel like you take me for a jerk. Months without paying me, accumulating debts, and the day I decide it's time for you to join my whores, you magically find the money?”

“No, I just…”

Dutch stepped forward and punched you again.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Vito continued. “You managed to find the money. You know, I know the slums and people like you. To find a sum of money that quickly, there are only two solutions. Either you killed someone, or you sold your ass. If it was the first, I would have known. So there's only the second solution. But honey, if you wanted to be a whore, you just had to come see me, no need to go to the Upper Plate to shake your ass in front of the rich kids.”

“I don’t have…”

One more punch.

“You have trouble obeying, but don't worry, you'll have time to learn.”

Your eyes widened. How'd you learn? You thought Vito was just coming to beat you up to make an example of you but would let you go afterward. Not that he planned to forcibly conscript you.

“I paid!”

“I don't give a damn, my dear. I can decide that you actually owe me quadruple, and if you pay me quadruple then I'll ask you for eight times more, ten times more, a hundred times more until you can't pay anymore. So let's save some time and let it go.”

You started to try to struggle but you were exhausted.

“You still haven't given up, have you?”

He turned and looked around, until he came across a box containing your sketches. He retrieved them and placed them before your eyes.

“Look, I know everything about you. You wanted to make a living from your scribbles, and today, what good are they? Nothing.”

He threw them in your face. The leaves scattered around you.

“So you lowered your standards and started cleaning. All that for what? Exhausting yourself for nothing and ending up getting hit by Dutch. So now you're finally going to put yourself in the place where you should have stayed, spread your legs wide and let yourself go...”

You wouldn't let go. His insulting, hurtful words enraged you, and you tried to stand up. You almost succeeded, but you quickly found yourself on the ground again.

Vito snickered.

“I see you still don't understand, so I'll show you.”

With that, the two men pushed you over and you found yourself on the ground, on your back. You quickly understood what Vito was getting at and tried to kick him. Unfortunately, the man with the bat came up to you and crushed your forearm with his foot. You screamed.

“Keep moving and I’ll break it. And then I’ll break your other one, and your legs until you calm down,” he spat at you.

Vito moved closer until he was on top of you.

“There, you're going to be nice. And if all goes well, I'll be the only one taking care of you. If you make my life difficult, these gentlemen here will also benefit. And if necessary, I'll bring the whole street. Is that a good agreement?”

“Hmm, I don’t think so,” said a voice from outside. A cold, sharp voice you knew well.

Vito turned around sharply.

“Who goes there?”

At the sound of the voice, you stood up abruptly with hope. The man holding your arm with his foot saw it as an attempt on your part to escape. In the space of an instant, he raised his foot and crushed your arm. You felt the bones in your arm break and you let out a scream of pain.

A howl that immediately mingled with a dark, ferocious growl. A shadow leaped from the doorway, and the man who had injured you toppled backward. Out of the corner of your eye, you just had time to see him land on the ground before a pair of enormous jaws closed around his neck.

CREAK

The man beside you lay dead, his neck broken by Darkstar.

He immediately turned around to growl at the men still holding you down. They immediately let go of you and backed away.

You stood up, holding your broken arm, and crawled backward until your back was against the wall, facing the entrance.

Vito recovered quickly after Darkstar's intrusion, he turned to Dutch and spat.

“You and your guys are going to kill this monster and…”

Then he fell silent.

“That’s good, you understand quickly,” said Tseng, who was standing behind him, a pistol pointed at the back of his head.

He forced him into a corner of the room, next to Dutch, to clear the way. Reno and Rude entered the room as well. Reno looked around and hissed:

“Wow, that’s not big!”

Tseng pointed at the men who had held you down:

“Take care of them.”

In less than a minute, the two Turks had beaten them up and left them lying on the ground, in a bad state but still alive. Finally, Rufus entered in turn.

Vito choked:

“You? But!”

He ignored him and crossed the room to stand in front of you. He knelt down to get down to your level. His expression was cold.

“So where is your pride now?”

You stared into his eyes. Despite the tears welling up under your eyelashes, you held on without blinking.

A carnivorous smile appeared on his face.

“Still here, good!”

He leaned down and whispered in your ear.

“Hang in there, it’s almost over.”

Then he stood up and turned to Vito.

“We’ll skip the introductions, what do you think?”

“I quite agree,” he replied.

“Good. Do you know why I’m here?”

“I admit I don't really understand. Normally, Shinra doesn't intervene in slum affairs, as long as it doesn't directly affect you.”

“It is. But her.” He pointed at you without looking at you. “She works for me. Personally.”

Vito's face lost all color.

“I didn’t know that! She worked for Shinra, we knew that, but we didn’t think she worked for you.”

“You were wrong.”

“If we had known. Of course we would have left her alone. I hope you realize that.”

Rufus didn't answer and continued to glare at him, frowning. He began pacing around the room, picking up some of your papers from the floor and looking at them silently. His actions created tension in the room. You knew it was intentional. Vito waited for his verdict, trembling with fear. Your arm was throbbing, and you wanted it to end. Darkstar stretched and sat next to you, pressing his body against yours and providing some warmth. From here, he seemed so tall. You rested your head against his side.

“I'm a little bothered,” Rufus finally said. “On the one hand, I'm dying to put a bullet in your head for threatening to rape my precious employee. But I don't want to start a gang war by disrupting the status quo between Shinra and the slum organizations.”

He let out a low growl of frustration, which Darkstar joined in with with a deep, low growl.

“So you will live, Vito. But I want you to be aware that there will never be a second chance. Touch what is mine again and you will regret the quick death I spare you today.”

“This won’t happen again! You have my word.”

Reno and Rude got the two men they had beaten up to their feet and pushed them toward Dutch and Vito.

“Ah, one last thing,” Rufus said, raising a finger. He pointed at Vito’s men. “Which one of you is Dutch?”

Dutch raised his hand, shaking.

“It’s me, sir.”

In a flash, Rufus pointed his rifle at him and shot him in the head. He turned his head toward Vito.

“Status quo or not, it’s only because you didn’t have time to lay a finger on her that you’re still alive. Pick up your corpses and get out.”

The crooks didn't need to be asked twice and left the room at full speed.

Rufus turned to Tseng:

“Secure the entrance, make sure they don’t come back.”

Then he addressed Reno and Rude:

“You two, get her things.”

Everyone obeyed. Reno rummaged through your closet and pulled out your old gym bag. He began to retrieve all your clothes and put them in it.

“It won’t be too long,” he commented.

Rude knelt down at your level and asked you:

“Is there a place where you put the most important things?”

You understood what he meant.

“I have a cache under my mattress, the third floorboard from the bottom, the one with the moon-shaped stain.”

He nodded:

“I’ll take care of it, don’t worry about anything.”

He gave way to Rufus, who held out his hand to help you up. You took it and found yourself on your feet, unsteady. He held you and spoke to you in a low voice.

“Listen. We're going to get out and go to the car. I need you to hold on and walk unaided all the way there. Do you feel up to that?”

You didn't even feel like walking down the hall, but you nodded.

“Let’s go. Join us when you’re done,” he said to the Turks.

He went ahead and joined Tseng at the entrance. You tried to follow him despite the pain. You were hurting everywhere, especially your arm. In front of the building's exit, Rufus pointed down the street.

“The car is over there.”

It seemed extremely far away. He rushed off, accompanied by Darkstar. You followed, and Tseng brought up the rear.

You quickly understood why Rufus insisted that you walk on your own. From the outside, it looked like you were being dragged away by the Turks. Tseng even pushed you once or twice in the back to make you move faster. Vito's presence and the sound had gathered a crowd that was watching from afar what was happening. By refusing to help you walk and by appearing not to care about you, Rufus stopped you from giving the impression that you were working for him, or even more so. Shinra sellouts weren't very popular in Sector 2; it was better to appear to be in trouble with the Turks than to be on their side. By doing this, he was preserving your honor. And he knew that Vito wouldn't say anything, because he had made too much of a fool of himself in the affair.

Gratefully, you drew on the last of your strength to finish your walk. Arriving at the car, Tseng walked past to open the door for Rufus, who got in. Then he pushed you inside. It was a sort of limousine station wagon, which meant there were two rows of seats facing each other, leaving plenty of space inside.

Rufus gestured for you to sit next to him and Tseng took the seat opposite you. Darkstar settled on the floor between the benches.

As soon as he closed the door, Rufus turned to you and placed his hand on your cheek. His expression had softened.

“You were very brave. One more effort and it’s over.”

You thought you had already made a lot of effort so far and that we could perhaps stop there, but he continued:

“Tseng, take care of his arm.”

He complied and dropped to one knee, took your arm and began to feel it. This reawakened your pain.

"It's broken, in several places," he said. You thought to yourself that there was no point in feeling it; you could have just asked.

“Can you do something?” Rufus asked.

“It's a little late for a healing spell. Unless I put the bones back in place first. Then it should work.”

Sorry? Hadn't you suffered enough today? You tried to get your arm back. You felt Rufus move and grab you. He slid around your back and wrapped his arms around your waist, trapping your good arm. Pinned between his legs, pressed against his chest, you couldn't move. Tseng, meanwhile, held your broken arm, continuing to feel for the right grip.

“I begin,” said the Turk.

Rufus brought the hand that wasn't holding you up to your face.

“Go ahead and bite with all your might, it’s designed to resist D.”

You understood he was referring to the leather glove he was wearing. So you bit his hand, closing your eyes in apprehension.

CRACK

Your body trembled as Tseng pressed down to reset your bone. The pain was unbearable.

CRACK

You clenched your jaw even harder, sinking your teeth into the leather. Rufus tightened his grip even more.

CRACK

Tears escaped from your closed eyelids and streamed down your cheeks.

“It’s over. I’m casting the spell.” Tseng said before a green aura spread around your arm.

The pain instantly subsided. Your body relaxed. If it weren't for Rufus's presence, you would have collapsed to the floor.

“Will you give me my hand back?” he whispered softly in your ear.

Oh, right, you were still biting him. You loosened your grip. His free arm joined the other around your waist. He settled more comfortably against the back of the seat, pulling you with him and forcing you to curl up against his chest.

There was movement near the car, the trunk opened and closed and Reno and Rude climbed in the front.

“Okay, boss, we got everything back,” Reno said.

"We'd better go, things are getting a bit hectic," Rude said.

“Let’s go,” Rufus ordered. And with that, the car started up.

Rocked by the rolling of the car, warm against Rufus, you could no longer keep your eyelids open. You had tucked your feet under you, bracing your knees against Rufus's legs.

Your brain was replaying the day's events, and this little rascal took the opportunity to remind you of what Rufus had told you the day before. His voice echoed " And that's why people like you who reject this principle are where they are. " For some reason you then thought about what Pepper had told you." Because it disgusts me that someone from your filthy neighborhood like you can work here. It's an abomination" Then it was Vito's words that took over.” So now you're finally going to put yourself in the place where you should have stayed “. Exhausted you asked yourself:

“Is it really that bad to want to be more?”

Sitting on the seat opposite you, Tseng replied, “No.”

From the front of the car, Reno and Rude answered “No” at the same time.

Rufus didn't answer, and hugged you even tighter.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: The Penthouse

BANG

You sat up quickly, looking around. On edge, it took a moment before you realized the sound was coming from your mind. No one was trying to force their way in.

You couldn't recognize your apartment. First, you were on a bed, not a mattress on the floor. Second, the room was much larger. It was different, yet strangely familiar. You turned on the lamp on the nightstand and saw more clearly. The room seemed so familiar because you had cleaned it countless times. You were in Rufus's guest room.

You were still in your outfit from yesterday. Someone had bandaged your forearm, but it was much less painful than the day before. The same went for your injuries; Tseng's healing spell had slightly softened them.

You looked at the time, it was morning, you had slept through it all.

You managed to get up and walked around the room. Leaning against the bed was your baseball bat, which reassured you.

Someone had placed a box on your bedside table. It was the one in which you had hidden the few photos you owned, as well as your most precious memories and possessions. Rude hadn't lied and had taken it upon himself to retrieve it. You grabbed it and found a hiding place for it in the closet.

Someone had placed your gym bag on a chair. All your clothes were inside, and you retrieved clean underwear and a pair of shorts. You realized that in the middle of your things, someone had added the two t-shirts Rufus had once offered you. This time, you decided to take the one with the weird bar logo, Rude's.

You headed to the bathroom and turned on the water. Once under the stream, you finally allowed yourself to cry for a long time, releasing the stress accumulated during the argument with Rufus, the terror you had felt the day before when Vito had threatened you, and the pain of the blows. You slid down the wall and remained crouched, your hands clasping your knees. The water running down your face mingled with your tears, and the noise of the shower drowned out your voice. It felt so good.

You stayed underwater for a good half hour before deciding to get out. You wrapped yourself in a soft towel and took the time to dry yourself off before getting dressed.

You sat on your bed for a moment longer. You didn't dare go out; you didn't know what you would say to Rufus if he was there. Thanks, probably. Knowing him, he must have already known you'd been awake for a while.

You gathered your courage and headed for the door. If you'd managed to stand up to Vito yesterday, you could handle an interaction with Rufus.

Once in the hallway, you headed toward the living room. No one there. In the kitchen, the coffee had been brewed and was waiting warm. A bag of pastries had been placed on the table, and next to it a note:

I'm in my office. You might want to be alone. Take your time and let me know when you want to talk. There's no rush.

R.S. 

It was so thoughtful that tears welled up in your eyes again. You quickly wiped them away. You went to the kitchen to get the tray and quickly placed two cups on it, along with the bag of pastries. Then you walked over to the office and knocked softly on the door.

“Come in,” Rufus answered you immediately.

When he saw you arrive with your tray, he got up from his desk and quickly took it from your hands to put it on the table.

“How is your arm?”

“It's okay. I'm almost pain-free.”

“You'll have to keep the bandage on for a while, Tseng said it would help with your motor skills.”

You look at him questioningly. 

“Is this the hand you’re drawing with?”

Yes, it was true, at the time you hadn't thought about it, but he had.

He reached his hand up to your face and rubbed the area under your eyes with his thumb. It must have been red and swollen, no way to hide the fact that you'd been crying, but he didn't comment further.

As a silence began to fall between the two of you, you pointed at your tray.

“Can I have breakfast here?”

“Sure. But I thought you might want some peace and quiet.”

“No. I don’t want to be alone.”

He nodded and pulled out a chair to sit next to you.

“You have work to do. You don't have to stop for me.”

“I do,” he said before pouring himself one of the two cups you had brought.

You sat down and grabbed your bag of pastries. You started digging into them, keeping the bag on your lap. At one point, you noticed Rufus looking at you, smiling, and you reluctantly offered to take one.

“That’s nice of you,” he said, helping himself.

“Hmm, you’re welcome,” you mumbled.

You then noticed that there was only one pastry thief in the room, one was missing.

“Where is Darkstar?”

“I left him with Tseng.”

You frowned. Rufus never parted from Darkstar unless he had to.

"For what ?"

“I thought you might be uncomfortable in his presence. Since he killed a man in front of you.”

"You too."

“Do you want me to go with Tseng?”

A small laugh escaped you.

“No. You can stay here. And Darkstar too.”

It's true that Darkstar had shown you a side of him you didn't know existed. But it would be a lie to say you didn't know he could have a lethal side. He was Rufus's pet, and he had been trained to defend him.

“Very well, I'll send a message to tell him to bring it back this afternoon.”

"Perfect."

“I'll ask him to bring something to eat while he's at it. Do you have any special requests?”

You thought for a moment and then you ordered.

“It’s very precise.”

“These are the dishes I treated myself to yesterday to celebrate being debt-free. It’s my favorite meal, and I don’t want it to be forever associated with a bad memory.”

“Perfect, we’ll make sure it doesn’t then.”

He left you for a moment to go make his phone call, then came back looking a little more serious.

“What’s going on?”

“Tseng just informed me that your apartment burned down last night.”

You absorbed the information. It made sense, as soon as you left, Vito must have sent his men to seek revenge and reassert his power. You wouldn't be surprised if Dutch and his man's bodies were found amidst the ashes.

You thought about your things, thankfully Rufus had had the presence of mind to ask Rude and Reno to retrieve them. You only regretted the drawings and sketches that had been scattered on the floor and those that had remained on the walls. Perhaps this was a sign?

You shrugged.

“It’s inevitable. I guess it’s Vito.”

“Of course it’s him.”

“By the way, how did you know? That he was coming to see me?”

“I know men like him. When you said you were going to pay him back everything at once, I suspected he wasn't going to let that slide. Too much frustration for a crook like him.”

You remembered when you asked him if you could take the afternoon off to go pay.

“That day. You hesitated to ask me something. Was it to accompany me?”

“Yes, I sensed a problem. But after what I told you, I knew you were going to refuse. So I made the mistake of preferring to wait, and as a result, I arrived too late; you were already hurt.”

“You were right: that day I wouldn’t have accepted… What’s going to happen now?”

“You’ll stay here for now and Shinra will find you a new apartment.”

“Thanks to the special privileges,” you added bitterly.

"Yes."

“Of course.”

Rufus repositioned himself so he was facing you and looked you in the eyes with a serious expression.

“I meant what I told you that day. It wasn’t the right time to say it, but I remain convinced that I was right, that this is how this world works, and that when you play the game, you can go far.” You were about to reply, but he raised his finger to interrupt you and add, “But I also have a lot of respect for people like you who don’t want to believe in this system and fight against it.”

“If I summarize your thinking, we are stupid but you find it admirable.”

He burst out laughing.

“No, I’m just looking forward to you proving me wrong.”

The look he gave you was full of determination; he truly meant what he said. Was that some kind of apology? You decided to take it at that.

After this exchange, Rufus went back to his office while you remained seated cross-legged on your chair, arms crossed on the table and head tilted resting on it, you spent the end of the morning watching him work in silence.

Around noon, Tseng arrived, looking rather annoyed (which was rare for him) and announced that this was the last time he would have to manage Darkstar and food shopping alone at the same time.

…

Since your assault, Rufus had decreed that you would stay at his place until you found a new apartment. He had also decided that until then, you would be considered on paid leave and therefore would not have to work. Except that this apartment situation was dragging on and on, and a week had passed since then.

And you started going around in circles. That's how Rufus had found you earlier that evening, tidying the living room, and how the argument had started. Cushion in hand, you pointed at the penthouse door.

“So if I’m not allowed to tidy up, let me go for a walk to stretch my legs. I can’t stand staying inside anymore.”

“There’s no way, you’re staying here. Vito might still want revenge, so we have to be careful.”

“So I just have to go for a walk with D. I’m safe with him.”

“We already said you wouldn’t work!”

“It’s not work, I like being with D.”

“In that case, I’ll come too.”

“I was just told I didn’t have to work!”

He growled in annoyance and you savored the point you had just won, even though you knew he would eventually get his revenge.

“You can just go see John if you’re bored.”

“No. I spend so much time there that last time the old goat from the 2nd floor asked when my orientation internship ended.”

“Mrs. Finnigan is a very honorable woman.”

“She’s a fucking gossip!”

“We can also present things that way.”

You put your pillow down, fluffing it up, and grabbed another one.

“But you have a habit of tidying up when I’m talking to you!”

“Listen, I’m happy not to work, but it’s piling up and when I go back to work, I’ll have three times more work on my hands.”

“Oh, but if you want, I can have someone come and clean up in the meantime. What was your friend's name again, Pepper? I bet her bathroom cleaning outfit is even better than yours…”

He didn't have time to finish his sentence. The pillow you were holding had just landed right in his head, and you were the one who threw it.

He gave you an outraged look.

“I… It just went away… Sorry, I…”

The pillow you received in return made you tip over onto the couch.

"Now that's going to pay off!" you shouted before grabbing some ammunition and toppling over the back of the couch, avoiding another projectile. Your battle lasted a few minutes without either of you being able to gain the upper hand. On all fours, you crawled until you found yourself with your back to the end of the couch. You leaned down slightly to see where he was. Standing in the middle of the living room, he was scrutinizing the place where you had disappeared. He hadn't seen that you had moved. You waited for an opening, which was offered to you by Darkstar. He had just arrived to see what was going on. Rufus turned his back on you:

“D. move aside.”

You jumped up, cushion in hand, to attack him. In a flash, you felt a hand close around your wrist, another around your waist, and you found yourself lying on the ground, Rufus holding your sword arm above your head, one knee on the ground, his other hand resting next to your face.

He had set a trap for you by making you believe that he could be distracted.

You tried to get up, but he leaned over you to stop you from moving. He lightly squeezed your wrist to force you to let go of your pillow.

“I won,” he said, flashing a triumphant smile.

You fixed your gaze on his, challenging him:

“I don't think that's the official rule for winning a pillow fight.”

“And what is the rule then?”

“The other must give up.”

“So I’ve already lost,” he whispered.

He continued to look at you silently. Neither of you moved. Your heart pounded in your chest and your eyes were lost in the blue of his gaze. He still held your hand above your head, his thumb gently caressing your palm.

“I think I'm going to kiss you,” he said, breaking the silence. “If you don't want to hit me.”

You didn't move and continued to look at him silently.

He leaned down gently, and your lips met. You closed your eyes, savoring the moment. His hand came to rest under your neck, his thumb caressing your face. Yours clung to his arm, and above your head, your fingers intertwined.

Your lips parted and you took a breath before they met again. It was more urgent, more feverish. You parted your lips and your tongues immediately met, deepening the kiss. The sensation was intoxicating. He let go of your hand and ran his back down your arm. His hand brushed against your chest before reaching your hips and slipping under your shirt. He caressed your bare skin and you felt a wave of shivers run through your body.

As he moved from your lips to kiss the inside of your neck, his hand under your shirt gently caressed the tips of your breasts, creating friction with the fabric of your bra. You couldn't help but moan.

As he continued to caress your chest, his other hand slipped lower. He skillfully unbuttoned your pants and his hand slipped into the opening to caress you between your legs..

You couldn't hold back a cry:

“Ah… Sir , I…”

Rufus froze. Then he withdrew his hands. You had just realized your mistake. The words had escaped you, and it was too late. Your cheeks flushed, and you bit your lip.

Rufus still had his face buried in your neck, and you heard him let out a frustrated groan. You closed your eyes. A few seconds later, you felt Rufus's body move away from you, leaving you lying alone on the carpet.

"I'm an idiot," you murmur. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: The Bar

You closed your eyes. A few seconds later, you felt Rufus's body move away from you, leaving you lying alone on the carpet.

"I'm an idiot," you murmur. 

…

You stood up, straightening your top and buttoning your pants.

You took the time to gather up all the cushions and put them back in place, more to allow yourself to gather your thoughts than out of concern for tidying up. Then you went in search of Rufus.

He had taken refuge in the kitchen. He was sitting on one of the high chairs near the minibar, a glass of alcohol in his hand.

“I'm sorry,” you say, as you step into space. “It just came out.”

He gave a mirthless smile.

“I guess so. I knew it would be a problem, you working for me, but I thought… Well, let's forget about it.”

“I don’t really want to forget.”

“You can see that would be complicated.” He sighed. “It's just that sometimes, for one night, I just wish I were only Rufus.”

He took a sip.

“Just for one night, huh?” you whispered.

You stared at him for a moment before turning around and heading to your room. You grabbed your gym bag and emptied it onto the bed. You rummaged through the pile of laundry you'd just created to pull out your special occasion outfit. Black pants with holes at the knees and rhinestones glued to them, reminiscent of constellations. Your top consisted of a simple black tank top embroidered with gold and silver thread. It was rather short and easily revealed your stomach when you moved, but it paired well with the straps of your bra that were sticking out. You topped off your outfit with a hoodie whose patchwork of colors stood out perfectly thanks to the rest of your sobriety. You quickly looked at yourself in the mirror. Your evening wear was ready.

When you left the room and returned to the kitchen, Rufus was still there, looking at you, his glass in his hand. You walked over to the apartment door and opened it.

“I’m going out for a drink,” you said and found yourself outside on the landing, slamming the door behind you with your hand on the handle.

You counted 10 seconds in your head before going back into the penthouse.

You almost burst out laughing when you saw Rufus's completely lost expression, but you had to keep playing along if you wanted this to work.

You walked into the kitchen. You took off your hoodie and tied it around your waist, then you turned to the cupboards and poured yourself a glass of alcohol.

Finally you joined Rufus.

“Can I sit down?” you asked, pointing to the high chair next to his.

He nodded, still not understanding what you were getting at.

“Thanks. I don't really like drinking alone, and since I saw that you were too, I thought I'd keep you company.”

You climbed onto the chair and leaned your elbows on the countertop. You tilted your head to the side and gave him your best smile.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Rufus,” he replied, smiling back at you.

There he was, starting to understand your little game and getting into it.

"And you ?"

You gave him your first name and held out your glass.

“Nice to meet you, Rufus.” He clinked glasses and you took a sip.

“What do you do for a living?” you continued.

“That’s a very indiscreet question.”

“I like to know who I’m flirting with.”

“Because you’re flirting with me?”

“Of course, otherwise why would I have accosted you?”

“Interesting, I'm just an employee at Shinra.”

“Is that true? I hear they pay well there.”

“Not when you're at the bottom of the ladder. But don't worry, I've got enough to buy you that drink.”

“That's very kind.” You took another sip.

“And you, what do you do for a living?”

“I design interior plans. I work freelance. My last project was a VIP room for the Gold Saucer.”

“I’m impressed. You must be around some nice people, what are you doing in a godforsaken bar like this?”

“That's where I prefer to go to meet interesting people. And I'm glad I did; good-looking guys like you aren't exactly commonplace.”

“I return the compliment, you look great.”

The look you gave Rufus was feverish. As you held your drink and openly flirted with him, your other hand reflexively rested on his. You played, rubbing your fingertips in circles on the back of his hand. The simple contact sent shivers of desire through you.

You were the one who had started this little game, but you were losing control of it. He was looking at you with his head slightly tilted, his eyes narrowed, and an enigmatic smile on his lips. He wasn't moving, but his gaze held so much promise. You understood that he wouldn't go any further without your consent and that he was just waiting for one thing: for you to take the lead.

You stopped stroking his hand and leaned toward him, leaning on his thigh, stroking it with your thumb as you did so. You brought your face close to his and whispered in his ear:

“How about you finish your drink and take me home?”

… 

You were in the hallway near the stairs leading to Rufus's room and he had just pressed you against the wall to kiss you greedily. From the moment you whispered your salacious proposition in his ear, he slowly drank his glass in one gulp, devouring you with his eyes, then he put it down and threw himself on you to kiss you. You paused in the living room to take off his jacket and he took the opportunity to unfasten your hoodie.

Now against the wall his hands wandered down your back while yours got lost in his hair.

Your lips parted and you looked towards the stairs.

“So this is where you live?”

“Yes, you’ll see, it’s not big but very comfortable.”

“Then hurry up and take me there.”

The climb was long and sensual, punctuated by pauses where your lips met. Arriving upstairs, Rufus turned on the light and gently pushed you into the room until you stumbled onto his bed.

“Welcome to my home,” he said, approaching and unbuttoning his shirt.

Sitting on the bed, you watched him do it, enjoying what you saw. Soon, he was shirtless. He leaned towards you and helped you remove your tank top. For a moment, you had doubts. You thought about your body, striped in places with scars and the recent bruises that hadn't completely disappeared yet. It couldn't have been a very pretty sight, and you clumsily tried to hide them with your hands, blushing slightly. He paused, looking at you before grabbing your face with his hands.

“You're so beautiful,” he said before kissing you tenderly. He grabbed your hands and gently forced you to remove them. “Don't be ashamed of anything,” he added, kissing you again.

His hands slid over your breasts, caressing your nipples through the fabric and then they were replaced by his lips.

A moan escaped your lips as his hands moved down, caressing your stomach and reaching your pants, which he unbuttoned.

When he nibbled one of your breasts, you arched back in pleasure, and he took the opportunity to remove your clothes. You were now in your underwear on his bed. He sat up, looking at you greedily, and began to remove his own pants.

You propped yourself up on your elbows so you could observe him. He was magnificent.

Meeting your gaze he gave a mischievous smile:

“Do you like what you see?”

“Yes,” you breathed, unable to lie to him at a time like this.

His smile widened. He was now in his boxers and you could see how excited he was.

He moved closer to the bed again and placed one knee on the edge, leaning towards you when suddenly he seemed to think of something.

“Shit,” he said, resting his forehead on your shoulder. “Condoms.”

“What about condoms?” If that was part of the roleplay, it’s very unsettling.

He growled.

“They are downstairs, in your room.”

“Don’t you have any upstairs?”

“No, I never bring… I don’t have any here.”

It's true that every time he brought home a one-night stand, the next day you had to clean the guest room. Since he'd stopped doing it a while ago, you hadn't paid much attention to it.

He hugged you tightly as if he was going to have to leave you forever.

“Okay,” he kissed the hollow of your shoulder. “I’ll be back, but in the meantime.”

He grabbed your hand and brought it to his lips, nibbling the pads of your fingers. Then he gently guided it to your crotch.

“You just have to start without me,” he said sensually before disappearing.

Your whole body was burning with heat and it was your turn to let out a frustrated groan.

You let yourself fall back onto the bed and closed your eyes, moving your hand slightly. Your fingers brushed yourself through the fabric of your panties. You shuddered with pleasure. Still staying on the surface, you continued to stroke your pussy, gently, imagining that instead of your hand, there was Rufus's. You imagined his eager gaze, his narrowed eyes, and his small smile on his face. The fabric beneath your fingers was starting to get damp. You gasped, dying to go further but forcing yourself to hold back. You wanted more, but most of all, you wanted him.

Where was he, anyway? It took him a while to come back. You turned your head toward the entrance and realized he was there, leaning against the edge of the door. His arm holding the condom box he'd gone to get dangling from his side. His eyes were fixed on you, his pupils dilated with excitement, his mouth half open, as if hypnotized by what he was watching.

He still didn't move.

“R… Rufus?” you moan, calling out to him.

Your voice brought him out of his daze and he went to sit next to you on the bed, leaving his box on the nightstand.

“I'm here,” he said, leaning down and kissing you. “Need help?”

You nodded a little too enthusiastically, making him chuckle. His hand took the place of yours. He slowly slid it under your panties, and you felt his thumb gently stroke your clit. The sensation was electrifying.

He positioned himself more comfortably between your legs and gently removed your panties.

“So you were waiting for me?” he said, caressing the inside of your thighs.

“Yes,” you breathed.

“Then I must not disappoint you.”

Starting at your knee he left a trail of kisses up your leg before kissing your clit, gently at first then more greedily.

You arched your back in pleasure and your hands came to rest in his hair. Your fingers moved feverishly in time with the waves of pleasure that came with his licks. You felt a finger gently push into you, and you let out a moan of pleasure.

“Ah.. Si …” You stopped just in time before you made another stupid mistake. But of course he had heard you.

He lifted his head and brought his face closer to yours, staring at you.

“What were you going to say?”

"Nothing"

He pulled his finger out before pushing it back in. Your eyes widened.

“Were you going to say ‘ Sir ’?”

“No”

His hand moved again, he pushed himself even deeper.

You tilted your head back, mouth half-open. You wanted to close your eyes, but Rufus's free hand came up to grab your chin and force you to look at him again.

“What is my name?”

“R… Rufus”

A second finger joined the first.

"Again."

“Rufus !”

He amplified his movements.

“Stronger.”

You shouted his name.

You felt close to ecstasy. Rufus's fingers sank inside you. His thumb stroked your clit, bringing you closer to your breaking point.

You were out of breath. He pressed his forehead to yours.

“I never want you to call me anything other than my first name again, understand?”

You nod your head.

“Swear it”

"Yes"

“Yes, who?”

“Yes Rufus”

He kissed you wildly as you reached your orgasm. You clung to his neck and let yourself be carried away by the sensations of pleasure.

His arms wrapped around your torso and he held you close as your body recovered.

Your lips parted. Your breathing had calmed a little. You cupped his face and placed a furtive kiss on his lips, then on his jaw. You trailed kisses down his neck.

He chuckled.

“You seem to have enjoyed it.”

“No, I shouted to please you.”

He chuckled, squeezing you even tighter.

You placed your hand on the back of his neck and brought your lips to his ear, nibbling on the lobe. He let out a groan of pleasure.

You whispered:

“But I’m sure we can do much better.”

He gave a carnivorous smile.

“Well, there's only one way to find out. Let's start by freeing you from that.” He said, unhooking your bra before kissing your breasts.

Little by little, you felt the heat between your legs return, you wanted more.

You released him and leaned over to the bedside table to grab a condom. Rufus chuckled at your impatience and took the opportunity to remove his underwear. You were both sitting, kneeling on the bed.

You looked between his legs and bit your lip impatiently. He despised your expression :  

“Are you okay?” he asked, a little worried, stroking your cheek.

In response, you looked him straight in the eyes and tore the lid off the package to take out the condom.

He chuckled and let you slip the protection over his member. You took the opportunity to stroke him slowly and he closed his eyes, throwing his head back with a groan of pleasure.

You pushed yourself up to position yourself above him, one hand on the back of his neck and the other positioning his member between your legs, near your entrance. Like you, he placed one hand on the back of your head and the other on your hip, helping you keep your balance. His fingers caressing your skin, he didn't impose anything, just waiting for you to set the pace.

You slowly slid down, savoring the feeling of his member penetrating you. You took your time, going down a little and then back up, allowing your body to adjust. The pleasure made your entrance wetter and wetter, and the penetration was easy and smooth. Rufus had closed his eyes and was letting himself be carried away by the sensations. You sometimes felt his fingers tighten more feverishly on your skin as if he was having trouble holding back, but he didn't force you to go faster.

You were almost there, Rufus was almost completely inside you when you stopped, standing up, almost completely pushing his cock out. The moment he opened his eyes to see what was happening, you let yourself fall back, letting out a moan of pleasure as you felt his cock fill you completely. The grunt of pleasure he gave mingled with your voice. His hand pressed on the back of your neck, forcing you to lean down, and he kissed you passionately.

You began to move your hips. At first, he let you, then he began to move in time with yours, amplifying the sensation of penetration you were feeling. For a moment, there was only the sound of your bodies joining together and your moans getting louder and louder.

You felt your orgasm coming.

“Rufus, I'm going to… I” you moan, digging your fingers into his hair.

Suddenly you felt yourself tipping backward. Rufus used his arm to keep you from falling too hard. Now he was on top of you, one hand on your raised leg and the other on your hip, setting a frenetic pace.

The intensity of the position hit you, him going deep, reaching your pleasure zone. You reached your orgasm, screaming his name. He groaned in pleasure and continued his hip thrusts until you felt him tense and reach for you. Your name was on his lips as he buried his head in the crook of your neck and kissed it, gently nibbling at your skin. He gave a few more thrusts as you fell unsteadily onto the mattress, burying your head in the pillow and relishing the soft buzzing in your head from your pleasure.

This time it was Rufus's turn to kiss your neck, along your jaw, before gently cupping your chin to guide your lips to his. It was gentle, almost chaste compared to the intensity of the moment you had just experienced.

Rufus removed his protection before joining you in the bed where you hadn't moved. He took you in his arms and pulled the covers over the two of you. You looked up at him, resting your head on his arm, savoring the feel of his hand stroking your hair.

His locks fell over his face in bangs. You reached out and tried to tuck them behind his ear, but it didn't work; they fell back over his face.

You smile:

“I did really well to come to this bar tonight.”

“Me too,” he said, smiling back. “And it’s just getting started.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: The Bedroom

BANG BANG

You opened your eyes, scanning your surroundings, then quickly closed them again, taking a deep breath to regain your composure. Since Vito's attack, you'd gotten used to being woken up by the sound of your door creaking under the blow of boots, and you were able to regain your senses much more quickly. All you had to do was list concrete facts: I'm fine, there are no other knocks, I'm in my room at Rufus's hom...

Except it wasn't your room. It wasn't your usual pillow, nor your usual sheets, and someone's arm was around your waist. The memory came back to you: you were in Rufus's room, and you had slept together last night. Several times. Intensely.

He'd been right when he'd asked you to say he was "very talented," it wasn't bragging. You hesitated for a few seconds before taking a selfie to send to Pepper. In the end, it was partly thanks to her that you were here. The idea made you giggle softly, and you felt Rufus's arm move slightly. He groaned a little and settled back comfortably against you. You remained silent, listening for a noise or a sign that he had woken up, but nothing, he was still asleep.

You glanced at the alarm clock on the table; the morning had barely begun. What were you supposed to do? You and Rufus had agreed that this would only be a one-night stand. Perhaps he expected you to be back in your room by the time he woke up. It made the most sense, given that he wasn't just Rufus anymore; he was your boss again.

You began to slowly slide your leg towards the edge of the bed to extricate yourself from under the sheets when you heard a sleepy voice:

“I hope you’re not trying to sneak out.”

“No.”

He chuckled. His other arm joined the first and he pressed himself against your back, holding you close.

"Stay."

His hand began to caress your stomach, gently before moving down your thigh. With a gesture of your hand, you stopped him.

“What are you doing?”

“I pick up where we left off yesterday.”

He buried his face in your neck and began to trail kisses along it.

“Didn’t we agree to just one night?”

“I don’t remember signing a contract,” he replied, brushing his other hand against your breast.

You began to have difficulty concentrating on the conversation. Your senses were heightened and your skin so sensitive.

“It was a tacit oral agreement.”

“We can renegotiate. I'll ask Tseng to make an amendment,” he whispered in your ear before caressing its outline with his tongue.

You clenched your legs, trying to contain the heat pulsing through them.

“L… leave Tseng out of this.”

“Hmmm, you’re right, I can take care of this myself.” His hand managed to escape yours and wandered between your legs. His fingers brushed against your already wet folds.

“Let me increase our tacit agreement… orally.” He whispered.

Shit. How did he make it so sexy? You loosened your thighs slightly, and he took the opportunity to deepen his touch.

“So we would extend… for the morning?”

“Do you really want to talk about this now? I don't mind because when I’m touching you there.” He followed his words with actions. “I think I can make you agree to any terms.” He resumed kissing the nape of your neck.

You wanted this, of course you had from the start. To be honest, you had wanted this before he even woke up, but you didn't want those moments to be ruined by remorse on his part once the pleasure was over.

“But sir ,” you moan.

OUCH

You felt his teeth sink into your skin and pinch you.

You jumped and turned around to face him.

“Am I dreaming or did you just bite me?!”

He grabbed the back of your head and forced you closer to him. He narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowed.

“What did I say yesterday? I didn't make you shout it enough, did I?”

You were so close, you placed your hand on his chest to try and maintain a little distance.

“But that was just for yesterday.”

“I don't think I told you it was only for yesterday.”

And with that, he leaned down to grab your thighs with his arms, tipping you backward. Your pillow cushioned your fall. You tried to get up, but Rufus used his strength to anchor you to the mattress.

"Ruf… "

The words you wanted to say were lost in a moan as Rufus began to attack your pussy. You felt his tongue caress your lips, teasing your clitoris before pushing inside you. It was intense.

OUCH

He had just bitten your inner thigh. Before immediately resuming his dance around your clit. Your heart rate accelerated. It felt so good.

OUCH

He bit your other thigh.

The chain of pleasure and pain was driving you crazy. You moaned louder and louder. You didn't know you were capable of making such noises; you no longer recognized the sound of your voice. The pleasure was mounting more and more.

Rufus stopped.

His face still close to your pussy, he gave you a sideways glance. He wore a sadistic smile.

“My name?” he asked softly.

No, he wasn't going to do that?

“Rufus what is…”

He licked your clit, immediately building up the pleasure again, but stopped again before you reached orgasm.

“RUFUS!” you shouted in outrage.

“Hmm, that’s better, but yesterday you were shouting it too, and yet this morning you had already forgotten it.”

He leaned forward again. Pleasure again. Frustration again.

“Rufus...” Damn this time your voice was close to a sob. “Rufus!” You tried to move your hips but he held you still.

“Please…” There you were, begging him now.

Very gently, he grazed your clitoris with his teeth. It was too much. Far too much of a sensation. You gave up.

“I swear. Rufus, I swear.”

“You will never call me sir again, alone or in public?”

“But how am I going to do it?” you sobbed.

“That’s not my problem. Every time you forget, I’ll make sure you remember. Obviously, last time you didn’t come hard enough.”

To emphasize his point, he ran his thumb over your clitoris. It was so sensitive that the direct contact of his finger created a new surge of pleasure.

“My name?”

“Rufus !” 

“Do you promise?”

“I promise Rufus.”

“And this game will never end?”

“Huh? No!”

“I thought I could get you to agree to anything, but I failed. I'll just stick with the name then.”

He stroked your clit again before kissing it. This time he was going all the way. His hands tightened on your thighs as he flicked his tongue at you, pushed it inside you, and then returned to teasing your clit. Unsure and afraid he'd stop, you moaned his name louder and louder, without stopping. Finally, release came. The intensity took your breath away, tears welled up in your eyes, and you screamed his name.

You floated in a sweet torpor, reveling in the ripples of pleasure that continued to hit you in fits and starts.

Rufus's grip on your thighs loosened. He moved to sit against the headboard, legs spread, and settled you into his arms.

You still felt fluffy and you let yourself rest against his chest as he gently stroked your legs, waiting for you to regain your senses.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.

Well, the sadistic Rufus had given way to the attentive Rufus. That suited you too.

You groaned in response. You'd shouted too much; your throat was stinging a little.

The hand that had been stroking your leg moved up your arm, brushed your hair, and rested on your chin. He gently lifted your head, forcing you to look at him.

"How are you ?"

“Hmmm, is this where you're concerned?”

“Would you have told me if it was too much?”

“Yes. Would you have listened to me?”

"Of course." 

“Then everything is fine.”

You gave him a smile that you wanted to be enthusiastic, but you were still exhausted by the sensations you had felt and he was probably a little weak.

He leaned down and kissed you tenderly. The mixture of flavors between yours and his was electrifying. As he pulled back to let you compose yourself, you moved your head forward to keep your lips on his.

He placed his hand on your cheek to push you back slightly. He whispered your name:

“We can wait until you rest a little.”

You didn't want to.

“Rufus…” 

“There is no urgency.”

“Rufus…” 

"What ?"

“Kiss me.”

Putting your words into action, you wrapped your arms around his neck and waited. He hesitated only a few seconds before obeying and kissing you again. You could use your teeth too: you nibbled his lips to make him open his mouth, and your tongues met in a passionate kiss.

Between two breaths he sighed:

“I want you so much.”

"I know."

“No, I don’t think you know how much.”

“I've been glued to you since a while ago. I can feel your excitement perfectly.”

“So, ready for the next part?”

“I’m just waiting for that.”

He chuckled before resuming your kiss. Gently, he rolled over, pulling you onto the mattress with your back to rest. You were grateful; you didn't necessarily have the strength to straddle him this time.

He slipped on a protection before positioning himself between your legs. His hands rested on your breasts, caressed them before moving down your ribs, caressed your stomach, and rested on your hips. Slowly, he entered you. You closed your eyes, savoring the sensation of him inside you. He began to establish a slow rhythm. You moaned softly, still with your eyes closed. His hand continued to slide up your leg, until it reached under your knee. He lifted it and placed it at his own hip and amplified his movement, still slow but deeper.

The pleasure mounted, you moaned louder and louder, burying your head in the pillow trying to contain all the sensations that assailed you.

Rufus leaned towards you. Feeling his breath close to yours, you opened your eyes to lose yourself in the blue of his. He thrust his hip harder than the others, and a small cry of pleasure escaped you. He smiled and started again. Once again, you couldn't hold back your voice. He quickened his pace, and his grunt of pleasure joined your moans. You clung to his shoulders, each thrust sending waves through your body; you were close to your climax. This was also the case for Rufus; his gaze was feverish, unruly strands of hair fell onto his face, in addition to his usual ones. You ran your hand over his face, then through his hair to make it even more messy.

He narrowed his eyes, letting you know he'd figured out your little trick, and pushed further, harder.

Your eyes widened as you reached your orgasm, your body twitching with waves of pleasure. Rufus buried his head in the crook of your shoulder and joined you with a hoarse cry.

You stood like that for a moment, without moving. Then you gently began to stroke his hair.

“Hmmm.” He groaned contentedly before pulling away. He quickly rearranged himself and settled back into your arms, pulling the blanket over you both.

“Go on,” he told you, resting his head. You did so.

His breathing began to become heavier, his body relaxing. If he hadn't been staring at you lasciviously from the start, you might have thought he was falling asleep.

“Rufus ?”

“Hmmm ?”

“Aren’t you getting up?”

“Don’t want to.”

“But you’re not working today?”

He stood up to grab his phone from the nightstand, quickly tapping on the screen and tossing it back into place before settling back into your arms.

“Not anymore.”

You laughed softly.

“It’s still early,” he said, playing with his finger around your belly button. “Stay here with me, and later we’ll go have breakfast.” He seemed to think before adding, “Outside if you want.”

That was a strange proposition. Did he remember you saying you wanted to go out, or was it a coincidence?

You realized he was looking at you, his expression questioning, waiting for your answer.

“Will we take advantage of this opportunity to have that discussion you’ve been avoiding since this morning?”

“Hmmm if you want…” he grunted.

“So yes, that’s a good program for me.”

He leaned back against you, looking satisfied.

It felt nice and your eyelids were starting to close. It was still early and you could afford to fall back asleep a little.

You felt a weight sink at the foot of the bed.

“D., you come down right now,” Rufus growled.

“No, it’s okay, he can stay,” you said sleepily.

“D., you can stay,” he relented.

As D. settled in more comfortably, you drifted off to sleep, forgetting that you still hadn't decided how long this little game would last.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: The Upper Plate

You looked in your sport bag, wondering what to wear. As usual, Rufus had been serious when he suggested they go out to eat, and while he left to take a shower and get dressed, you went downstairs to do the same.

And now you were wrapped in your towel, wracked with doubt. Should you dress normally? Put on a classy outfit? Put on your work clothes? You rejected the last option; it wasn't the right time since you hadn't officially ended the role-playing game; he'd get angry again. But you also didn't have an outfit worthy of a renowned designer, so you found yourself in a bind. There were women's clothes in the bedroom closet, remnants of outfits abandoned over time by the various occupants, but you refused to touch them. It wasn't jealousy; it was a matter of principle.

You felt like throwing everything away and putting on Reno's chocobo-kitsch t-shirt when thinking about the Turk gave you an idea.

You put on the pants you'd worn for your date with Rufus, but this time with a simpler white t-shirt with a moogle drawn on it on a green background. You'd won it at the fair at the Leaf House, an orphanage in Sector 5; it had been made by the children. Finally, you pulled a black blazer jacket out of your bag that you'd been saving for job interviews. The Turk touch. It allowed you to dress up your outfit by giving it a touch of class without going overboard. It would go perfectly with your sneakers.

You left the room, Rufus was already waiting for you in the living room. Obviously, when you already had an outfit that fit you perfectly, tailor-made, and that you wore almost every day, you wasted less time figuring out what to wear.

He caught your gaze and raised his hands in appeasement:

“I didn’t make any comments about how long it took you to get dressed,” he pleaded.

“But you were going to,” you replied, narrowing your eyes.

He approached you:

“No, I was going to tell you it was worth the wait, it suits you very well,” he said with a charming smile.

The liar. You'd seen the outfits lying around his closet; of course, he was used to better than a makeshift outfit. You shrugged and headed toward the entrance.

“Well, shall we go?” you asked.

An arm grabbed your waist and you found yourself pressed against Rufus. He leaned down to whisper in your ear:

“I feel like you don’t believe me, do you want us to cancel the outing so I can prove to you how much I like your outfit?”

His hands moved down to your pants to play with the belt button. He skillfully removed them and unzipped them. His hand slipped inside, gently caressing you.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of taking it off you.” His breath tickled your ear.

“Hmmm, if you want to take it away from me, it’s because it’s not that good.”

“You really have the answer to everything, maybe I’ll send you to do an internship with Tseng so you can join my legal department.”

“Really, you need to stop talking about Tseng when you touch me, it’s getting embarrassing.”

He burst out laughing and pulled his hand away before buttoning your pants again.

“Come on, let’s go.”

He let go of you and went to open the door, inviting you to leave. You, Darkstar, and him found yourself in the elevator. You expected him to press the button leading to the garage, but this time he chose the lobby. Once outside, he headed for the exit, D. and you following in his footsteps. From his counter, John stood up as he passed to greet him:

“Good morning, Young Master.” Rufus nodded in response. John looked in your direction and mouthed, “Have a nice day, Honey!” followed by a wink, and you nodded back, making a heart shape with your fingers.

“So we’re going on foot?” you asked Rufus once outside.

“It’s not very far and it will give D. a walk. Why did you think I might be incapable of walking?”

“No no,” you replied, a slight smile on your face when you heard him chuckle.

… 

You're not sure if Rufus had planned to walk beside you on the way to the restaurant, but it was a waste of time. It wasn't the first time you'd walked the streets of the Upper Plate district, but it was the first time you weren't pressed for time or the desire to get home. As soon as you left the main street, you stopped at every shop window. And since Darkstar had decided he was staying right next to you, Rufus found himself in front, constantly having to stop with his arms crossed behind his back and wait for you to finish. Surprisingly, he showed a lot of patience for someone who was used to everyone following him without questioning his orders.

“You should have told me if you wanted to go shopping, we would have eaten first,” he joked after yet another stop in front of a materia store.

“No, no, it’s fine, it’s just that I’ve never seen so many. Look, they arrange them in jars by color, it looks pretty!”

Seeing his skeptical expression, you dismissed the matter about the shop. But it didn't take you more than a few steps before you stopped in front of another window, that of a leather specialist.

“Look D., what a beautiful necklace, it would suit you!” You said, pointing to a beautiful black leather necklace, the stitching of which was made of gold thread, with a pretty embroidered pattern in the same color, making the whole thing very elegant.

This time, Rufus deigned to look with you at what you were showing. Obviously, when it came to Darkstar, mister was interested. Your gaze continued to scan the display case, and you pointed to another object, a pair of mittens made of the same leather as the necklace, also embroidered with gold thread.

“Hey, look, you two could be a match!”

“Are you offering them to us?”

“I can't afford it. And if I have to choose one, I'll take the necklace for D.” you joked.

He moved closer to you and whispered:

“If we’re going to match, we’ll have to find something for you too. A necklace perhaps?”

“That would be a repeat of D., find something else!” you replied, undeterred.

However, your mind reminded you of the bathroom ring, and you felt yourself blush, imagining the combination of the two objects. You preferred to get back on the road rather than have to explain your mental ramblings to Rufus. He might find the idea a good one, and you were starting to trust him enough to make it interesting.

“I know what you’re thinking…” Rufus crooned, walking alongside you, his hands behind his back.

Shit. 

…

“I think I'm going to starve to death,” Rufus complained.

You'd calmed down on the window shopping, but Darkstar had taken over, sniffing everything in sight. You weren't making any progress.

“Stop, you hardly eat anything in the morning. You just drink coffee.”

“I think you are in a very poor position to make this kind of remark, given the appetizers that served as your meal.”

“My sandwiches were a decent size,” you grumbled, annoyed.

“No, if I hadn’t intervened to make you eat a decent meal from time to time, you would have died of hunger by now.”

“Oooh, Mr. Shinra employee with a decent salary criticizing slum dwellers who save money, how original.” You scoffed, quickening your pace to walk past him.

Behind you you heard him chuckling.

“I saw the amount you were saving for your meals in your notebook. At some point, it’s no longer saving money; it’s suicidal behavior.”

You raised your arm over your shoulder and gave him a glorious middle finger before turning your head to stick your tongue out at him and smile.

BANG BANG

The noise made you jump. You didn't understand; it was broad daylight, you weren't supposed to hear it. Or maybe this time it was true. Automatically, you backed away until you were pressed against the wall, looking around for the source of the noise.

What's wrong?

Was Vito crazy enough to attack you in the alley? On the Upper Plate? You heard raised voices coming from one of the side streets. Shit, he'd brought men?! Your heart was beating fast, too fast. Your breathing began to quicken.

It's nothing, look over there at the crates, they've fallen.

The crates? Yes, there was a delivery truck in the alley, and some crates had spilled onto the ground. And two men had been arguing since the accident. The noise was coming from over there. The men shouted louder, and Darkstar growled.

D., don't add anything!

Why was he growling? Had he sensed danger? What if the truck was a diversion?

He just senses your fear and it worries him.

Too much information, your head was buzzing, your ears were ringing, and sounds were becoming more and more distant. Your vision was becoming increasingly blurry. The pain in your chest was so intense that it was rising up into your throat. It was tightening, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.

Someone grabbed your arm. You wanted to scream, but you couldn't. Just as you couldn't fight back, the pain cutting off any chance of escape. You let yourself be dragged into a narrow alleyway off the main street. You were pushed against a wall. You closed your eyes, anticipating the blows to come.

You felt someone lean over you, placing their forearms on either side of your face.

If only your throat could loosen enough so you could scream, beg, do something. If only you could find enough breath to run away. If only your heart wasn't about to explode.

(...) Come on, focus. Look at me. (...)

Someone was calling your name. You heard your name lost amidst the limbo of fear that surrounded you.

(...) You're having an anxiety attack. It's nothing, it will pass, you just have to concentrate on my voice.

A voice. You knew that voice. Rufus. Yes, it's true, he was with you. If there had really been a problem, he would have intervened. If you were really in danger, he would have done something.

Come on, open your eyes. You can do it.

You forced yourself to obey his voice. You focused on him, as if following a lighthouse through the fog. You managed to unclench your eyelids. Rufus's blue eyes were looking at you, worried. He had pressed his forehead to yours and was holding your head with his hands.

“That's good. You're back with us. Now I'd like you to breathe in and out. Just breathe in. Can you do that? Just breathe in.”

You did so.

“And out.”

You blew.

“There you go. You're doing perfectly. Keep going, breathing in and out. You'll see the pain go away.”

He was right. You continued to breathe, slowly, following his orders. Your throat gradually loosened. Now he was stroking your temples with his thumbs. Your chest pain had subsided, just as he had promised.

“Are you feeling better?”

You nodded. He kissed your forehead.

"Good."

“What happened?”

“You had what is called a panic attack.”

Oh, right. It actually made sense now that he said it. All this over wooden crates was ridiculous.

“You experienced a trauma. And you stayed indoors for a while right afterward. The shock was too sudden today. We should have taken the car and taken it one step at a time.”

“You seem to know what you're talking about…”

“I know a little about confinement... and trauma, so to speak…”

His tone gave you the impression he didn't want to say more. You didn't ask any more questions. If one day he wanted to tell you more, he would.

“We’re going home.”

“No !”

You didn't want your stupid panic attack to ruin a morning that had started off well.

“We can come back another day.”

“No… We didn’t come all this way for nothing. It’s going to be okay.”

“I'll call a car. We'll get takeout and…”

“Please. This is awkward enough, but if it also means we're not going out… Please, Rufus…”

He stared at you with a frown. He took out his phone and started typing. You lowered your head in disappointment; it hadn't worked.

He stopped mid-message, sighed, and put his phone back in his pocket.

“If I see any sign of it happening again, I'll cancel everything. And you can always beg, I won't change my mind. Okay?”

You nodded.

“And you swear to tell me if you start to feel bad?”

"Promised."

“And no more wasted time looking at stores.”

You hesitated a little before reluctantly accepting.

“So let’s go, we’re not far away now.”

He headed towards the alleyway exit where a slightly worried Darkstar was waiting for you. You took a deep breath before following them.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: The Tea Room

The end of the journey had gone smoothly, and you had finally arrived in front of the restaurant. It was located on the corner of a building. The entire facade was glass, with an impressively high ceiling. The decor was industrial-style. From the outside, you could see bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling at varying lengths, casting a soft orange glow. You immediately recognized the restaurant's logo; it was the same on your morning flaky sweets..

The doorman opened the door for you and Rufus, being a well-mannered person, stepped aside to let you in first.

A waiter arrived eagerly:

“Mr. Shinra, it's nice to see you.” He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. 

“Would you like me to show you to your private table?” 

He seemed hesitant, as if your presence called into question the need to use that special table.

“Obviously,” Rufus replied coldly.

The waiter, sensing he had made a mistake, hurried to show you to your table. As you followed him, you asked Rufus in a low voice:

“But do you come here often?”

“No, it’s the first time.”

“And you still have a private table?!”

“Of course.” He replied with a small smile.

Okay, that was something else you couldn't fathom. Did he get a private table at every restaurant on the Upper Plate? Just the most famous ones? Did that extend to the slums?

The waiter led you to an elevator. Of course, the private table was upstairs. The space was superb. Brick walls, large wooden tables surrounded by soft benches set in alcoves allowing for a certain privacy. And to adorn the whole space, large potted plants or plants hanging on the walls.

The server escorted you to your table, which was obviously the most beautiful, the most comfortable and the most secluded.

“It’s superb,” you commented to yourself as you sat down.

“Hmmm, you can do much better,” Rufus replied, sitting down as well.

You looked at him unconvinced. What did he really know? Or maybe he was just in role-play mode, which suited you too.

“It’s a shame I didn’t bring my portfolio, so I could have offered them my services.”

He gave you a strange look, you could almost say resigned. Then he smiled as usual:

“That wouldn’t have been possible since I’m going to negotiate an exclusive contract with you.”

“Oh, you’re getting ahead of yourself, who says I’m going to accept?”

He gave an eerie smile and leaned down to whisper in your ear.

“Don’t think that because you won the pillow fight you can beat me on that front. When it comes to business, I never lose; I always get what I want.”

You swallowed. From what little you'd seen, he was right; when he was in business mode, he was ruthless.

That's when the poor waiter came back with his notebook to take your order. He realized too late that it wasn't the right time to intervene, and he stood frozen in front of your table, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Rufus gave him a sideways glance and took great pleasure in waiting as long as possible before standing up. He waved at him.

“We are listening to you.”

“M… Mr. Shinra… Madam… We offer our brunch menu, available in sweet or savory. What would you like?”

He looked at Rufus who looked at you.

“Ladies first, what do you want?”

You were a little embarrassed, the waiter hadn't brought you a menu and you had no idea how much it was going to cost.

“Do you make individual cakes?” you tried.

Rufus intervenes:

“Of course, I'm the one offering, since I'm the one who initiated this interview. So sweet or savory?”

“Savory please.”

The server took note.

“As for a hot drink? Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cappuccino, macchiato, Liège?”

"Uuuuh... Cappuccino?"

“Perfect. And for you, sir, sweet or savory?”

“Just a black coffee.”

You glared at him. After the scene he'd made with you in the street, he was just having coffee like usual.

He chuckled before adding:

“You will also bring two baskets of pastries, one large and one small. And a bowl of water for D.”

The waiter didn't bother to understand the joke. He quickly took note and left you alone again.

“So where were we?” Rufus asked you, crossing his legs and resting his arms on the back of the seat, leaning his back against it casually.

He was so in his element, unlike you who couldn't decide whether or not this place was too fancy. But if there's one thing you knew how to do, it's adapt.

“We were going to talk about the limits of our game,” you said, crossing your legs in turn.

“False. We were negotiating your design skills.”

“Si… Rufus… Timeout. We need to agree first. Until when?”

“Do we really have to?”

“I need it.” You wanted to add that it was mainly to avoid getting too emotionally involved in this story, but you didn't dare.

Rufus abdicated:

“Okay. I suggest we continue our… game… until you get your apartment and go back to work.”

“It’s still vague, you haven’t been able to tell me when I’ll get it. From what I know, you could very well make it last as long as you want.”

“That's true, I can only promise to let you know immediately when it's available. But nothing more. Take it or leave it.”

You think. In the end, he gave you a choice. You could just as easily decide that this night and this morning of sex were enough and end it all now. But did you want to?

“As for the “Si…” I mean, the forbidden word. The rule will also end after the game is over.”

“Rejected. It has nothing to do with it. You made a promise, and I intend to hold you to it, even afterward.”

Given his determined tone, you couldn't go back on that.

"All right."

"For ? "

“For everything. Unless one of us explicitly asks to stop, we'll continue until I return to work. As for the forbidden word… we'll see.”

He burst out laughing.

“Oh yes, you’ll see what awaits you if you say it again. If it doesn’t come through pleasure, perhaps we can try teaching through punishment?”

He didn't have time to explain what he was imagining because the waiter returned at that moment, placing the dishes you ordered on the table. The savory plate was enormous, filled with bacon, sausages, beans, and eggs. He placed a carafe of fruit juice, which was obviously included in the menu, and then your coffees.

On top of your cappuccino, the bartender had reproduced the Shinra logo on the foam.

“Ass-kissing,” you whispered, low enough for only Rufus to hear, making him chuckle.

Finally he put down the two baskets of pastries.

“The smaller one is for D.” Rufus pointed at him. “And I hope you’ll agree to share the bigger one with me.” Rufus asked.

You didn't want to, but you had to be honest; you couldn't finish everything alone. You nodded reluctantly.

You dug into your plate. It was delicious. Rufus helped himself to the basket, and you forced yourself not to glare at him. D. had already finished his portion, and he too was eyeing yours.

Before drinking your cappuccino, you took the time to stir the Shinra logo with your spoon so that not a single trace remained.

“Are you having fun?” Rufus asked, still smiling.

In response, you smiled back at him before taking a sip.

“Sorry, I forgot that you were a loyal employee with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.”

“That's the least you can do when you work for the best. It's up to you to join us and find out.”

“But what would I have to gain from it?”

“Many benefits, especially in kind.”

“Really? Tell me about this benefits?”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if I showed them to you?”

You looked him straight in the eyes, a small smile on your lips. Helping yourself to the basket, you deliberately made yourself appear to consider his suggestion.

“Well, it’s envisaged…”

“But I was right, this is indeed the Shinra Heir we have here!”

You turned your head to see who had just interrupted you. The woman in front of your table was stunning. Tall, with black hair that flowed down to her lower back. A quick glance told you she was rich. Her outfit, her makeup, her way of speaking—she was part of a world you couldn't possibly understand.

“Well, you're not saying hello? For someone who's been missing for several years without any news, that would be the least you can do.”

Rufus had straightened up. His legs were still crossed, but his arms were now resting on his knees. He was still smiling, but his gaze had grown colder.

“Hello Victoria.”

“It's rare to see you here, it's even a first. What made you leave the comfort of your apartment?”

“As you can see, I'm on a talk.” He gestured slightly in your direction. She turned her head and seemed to notice you for the first time.

“Ah… Personal or professional?” She looked you up and down and gave you a small, mocking pout. “Professional, it seems.”

Ouch, that was annoying. But it wasn't the first time you'd been talked down to, and you didn't let it show.

“You see, Victoria, I'd like to convince this young woman to give up everything and work for me. She's a very talented designer, and it would be a waste to let her go.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about it.” Her tone suggested the complete opposite. “But how come your face doesn't ring a bell, if you're so famous?”

It was Rufus who answered for you again.

“Because if you had my talent for finding rare gems, Victoria, your company would be the most renowned on the continent, not mine.”

She snorted in annoyance.

“Still as sharp as ever. Well, there was a time when you were warmer.”

“A bygone era.”

“That remains to be seen, it's up to you to revive certain memories.”

Now she was flirting with him. You felt annoyed and clicked your tongue.

The two of them looked at you as you crossed your arms, your gaze cold.

“Are you planning on wasting my time for much longer? I agreed to this interview with you because you promised me convincing arguments. If I wanted to see bad flirting, I would have gone to the theater.”

This time you really got Victoria's attention. She looked at you, her head tilted to the side as if you were some trendy new attraction.

“Oh, please excuse me. Since you seemed busy devouring your breakfast, I thought I could disturb you for a moment.”

“And you were wrong. But that's okay, everyone can make mistakes.” You looked at Rufus, smiling. “Even you, it seems.” He lowered his head to hide his growing smile.

She flinched. Even-steven.

“I see. I'll leave you then.”

“Yes, do that.” You replied coldly.

She leaned across the table toward Rufus, letting her hair slide down the back of her neck to fall over her breasts. She was good, very good.

“Well, you have my number. Call me sometime.”

She got up and took a pastry and bit into it.

So there, war was declared.

For a moment you thought you were growling at her, but then you realized the sound was coming from Darkstar. He was starting to bare his fangs.

Victoria jumped.

“What’s gotten into him?”

“He doesn't like people touching what belongs to him,” you replied, looking at her hand that was still holding the cake.

“But Darkstar, you know me…”

Darkstar continued to growl. She gave in and placed the pastry on the table.

“Hmmm, he's always been a little wild.”

You took the cake and handed it to D. who gently caught it, licking your fingers.

“I guess it depends on the person…”

You flashed a knowing smile and settled back into your seat, coffee in hand.

The exchange was over. She snickered.

“Well, see you next time, if you’re that good we’ll probably see each other again.”

“I doubt it, I only work with the best, not the second.”

“See you soon Rufus.”

“Goodbye Victoria.”

She gracefully returned to her table, where her friends were waiting. She looked at you and said something that caused laughter from everyone at the table.

You clicked your tongue again. A muffled noise brought you back to your senses. Rufus was trying to control a fit of laughter.

You glared at him.

“What?” he said, smiling.

“What was that?”

“Victoria.”

“An ex?”

“Her father runs a large company. He sees mine, and… it was agreed that I would also see his daughter.”

“An ex then.”

“You can imagine I had a few.”

“Of course, I was even the one who did the decorating of the room at one point. But with her, it was more than just a one-night stand.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The way she spoke to you. It was very familiar.”

“Hmmm maybe it lasted longer than with others.”

“It shows. She still loves you.”

He burst out laughing, which took you by surprise.

“What’s so funny?”

“She doesn’t love me.”

“That’s not the impression she gave.”

“No, she's just upset because I'm the one who ended our relationship. She's part of the elite. These people don't love, they own.”

“You yourself are part of this elite.”

He looked at you silently before shrugging with a smile.

“No, I’m just a simple Shinra employee.”

You chuckled at his response. The serious conversation was over. You settled back into your seat, eating a roll and taking a sip of coffee. You didn't remember it having such a bitter taste.

… 

Breakfast had ended without a hitch. You had just left the restaurant when his phone rang. He grimaced as he looked at his screen and asked you to give him a few moments to answer.

You took a few steps down the sidewalk and your gaze was drawn to a shop window. It was filled with sumptuous evening gowns. It must have been a nice feeling to wear an outfit made of such soft-looking fabric, but at the same time, it must have felt very vulnerable with so little material.

“Want a dress?”

Rufus had finished his call and joined you.

“Hmmm no, what would I do with it?”

“Just have the pleasure of wearing it? And taking it off?”

You snickered.

“I'll leave that for the 'Victoria'. What's up?”

Rufus looked upset.

“It turns out my request for time off this morning was denied. We have to go home, a car is coming.”

No sooner had he said this than a car drove up and parked on the street. Tseng got out and signaled you to come over.

“He looks angry.” You muttered to Rufus. 

“It's possible I had a very important meeting this morning and left him to fend for himself, without even telling him where we were going.”

“I think I'll walk home with D.”

“No way. You're not leaving me alone with him.”

Rufus pushed you from behind to the car where Tseng silently let you in, slamming the door behind you.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: The Office

Tseng had dropped you off at the apartment after making sure Rufus would go to his office for his meeting, then he left.

Arriving upstairs you took off your jacket and shoes.

“This might take a while, make yourself comfortable.” Rufus stroked your cheek. “Try to relax today, okay?”

“I'm not tense.”

He chuckled.

“It's been a trying morning. Between your anxiety attack and your jealousy fit, your nerves must have been really strained.”

“My WHAT ?” You couldn’t believe your ears.

Rufus smiled.

“Don’t you remember? The crates on the way.”

“I'm not talking about that. What do you mean, a jealous fit?!”

“If you had seen the way you were glaring at Victoria. I didn't know you were so possessive.”

“In your dreams! I’m not jealous at all.”

"Really ?"

“Yeah, really!”

“Very well.” The look he gave you didn't bode well. Far too much malice. “We'll discuss this later then.”

He placed his hand on the back of your neck and guided you to his lips. You closed your eyes and let yourself go, savoring the moment, opening your mouth to let his tongue caress yours.

It was he who broke the kiss.

“I really have to go,” he sighed.

"Really ?"

“Neither you nor I want the Turks to show up and drag me to the meeting room. I'd better get this over with as quickly as possible.”

As if to confirm his words, his phone rang and he picked it up:

“Yes? Of course I'm coming.” His tone was cold and annoyed. He placed his hand on your chin and stroked your lower lip with his thumb. “I understand you can't do without me, try to survive a few more seconds while I log on if that's not too much to ask.”

He removed his hand and walked away towards his desk, D. at his side.

… 

The morning had gone by very quickly. You had watched a movie lying on the couch. Rufus had dropped by quickly to eat lunch (a meal delivered by John because you had fallen asleep on the couch during your movie) and had gone back to lock himself in his office.

To relax, you had decided to take a long shower, had just put on a pair of shorts and Reno's chocobo t-shirt (your chocobo t-shirt now) and you were drawing quietly sitting in an armchair.

Your cell phone rang, a message.

I'd do anything for coffee!

You put your phone down and continued your drawing.

A few minutes later it rang again.

Really anything!

You laughed and waited a little longer. Another ring.

Give your price.

You picked up your phone and quickly typed:

I want a "forbidden word" joker. To use whenever I want.

Silence, then notification.

Granted. 

You stood up and put your notebook on the table. You poured two coffees and went to the office. You knocked on the door.

“Come in”

You opened the door, letting D. escape.

“Leave him, he needs to move.”

You closed the door behind you and approached his desk.

He stood up to meet you and retrieved his cup. He smelled it and took a sip.

“It cost me a lot, but it was worth it.”

You shook your head at so much nonsense and changed the subject.

“So are you taking a break?”

“Yes, I have finished the main part, I just have some files left to read and validate.”

“That sounds very boring.”

“It is.”

He placed his coffee on the table and approached you. Reaching for your cup, he took it from your hands and placed it next to his own. Then, grabbing your waist, he gently pushed you towards his desk.

“Luckily I planned a little distraction…”

Okay, it was a trap.

“That’s why you granted me a wish so quickly…”

“Of course.” He whispered in your ear. “It was actually a pretty good deal.”

He reached out and nudged your shoulder. You toppled backward and landed in his chair. He narrowed his eyes and gave a predatory grin.

“You had a lot of fun on that chair… When you were playing with D. From that day on, I swore to myself that I would have fun with you too on it.”

He leaned on the armrests and leaned down to kiss you.

“Wait!” You broke the kiss. He took the opportunity to kiss your neck. “How did you know about the chair?”

“The cameras.” He ran his hands under your shirt and stroked your skin. “Hmmm, no underwear?”

You shuddered.

“You’re the one who told me to get comfortable… Wait, what cameras?”

He reached your navel and traced its outline with his tongue. He chuckled, which tickled your stomach.

“Do you really think I leave my apartment unattended while I'm gone? There are cameras monitoring strategic areas: the entrance, the office, the bedroom. They're not filming all the time and I'm the only one who has access to it; they're turned off when I'm there, and I have to turn them on for them to work…”

With his teeth he grabbed the drawstring of your shorts and pulled to undo the knot holding it together.

“But if you thought you were hiding things from me, know that I know when a young woman is having fun on my bed… Or on my office chair…”

He grabbed the edges of your shorts and pulled them down your legs until they fell to the floor. He placed his hands on your knees and pressed down a little, asking you to spread them, which you did.

“As for the first one, I've already taken my revenge.” He slid his finger along your slit until he reached your clit. “And I'm about to make you cum on the second one.”

You closed your eyes and leaned your head back, leaning against the back of the chair. You couldn't even be angry; Rufus was the heir to the Shinra empire, so of course his apartment was secure.

His tongue brushed against your clitoris, and you let go of the camera thing to focus on the present, the pleasure you were about to receive. A second lick and a moan escaped you. On the third, he took the opportunity to push a finger into your pussy. It felt good. Your hands, resting on the armrests, contracted reflexively. He began a slow, deep movement, and heat rose to your cheeks.

He suddenly reached out and pressed a button on the side of his chair. It tilted back slightly. You let go of the armrests and held onto the top of the backrest with both hands. He took the opportunity to insert a second finger into you and intensify his movements.

A moan escaped you.

“This time you're really going to have fun in this chair.”

He sped up, it was too intense. You were close to release.

“It’s too much…” you breathed between moans.

“Do you want me to stop?” He had automatically slowed down.

“No… Rufus… no, don’t stop.”

He leaned over you, his hand joining yours on the armrest. The added weight tilted the chair further. The new angle between his fingers and your body was the spark that ignited your orgasm. You buried your head in the crook of his shoulder and let yourself go. He continued his movement, slowing down little by little as your body wracked with spasms of pleasure.

He removed his hand and gently stroked your clit with his thumb, whispering soothing words in your ear.

It's going to be okay. I'm here. Remember to breathe.

The chair tipped forward again, you lost your balance and feeling yourself falling you reflexively wrapped your arms around his neck.

“I’ve got you,” he joked, grabbing your waist. 

You wrapped your legs around his. Your faces were pressed together, forehead to forehead. Your unfocused gaze clouded by the pleasure lost in his blue eyes where you could see his pupils dilated with excitement, you struggled to catch your breath.

“Isn’t it better when your heart races like this? When your breath catches in pleasure and not in fear?”

Yes, it was much better.

“It’s a shame you and D. didn’t do more mischief behind my back.”

“Hmmm, we can arrange something, go away for a day and see.”

“I am tempted.”

You were about to kiss him when a bell rang. Rufus leaned you back against the chair and picked up the phone on his desk.

“Yes? Yes, that's right. Tell her to come up and start.”

He hung up.

You looked at him questioningly. He had a strange smile on his face. The word devilish came to mind to describe him.

“Who should come up?”

“I thought about what you told me. About the housework piling up, so finally I asked for someone to be sent this afternoon.”

You really didn't like the way things were going, his smile grew wider and wider.

You heard the apartment door open and a voice you knew only too well:

“Hello, is anyone there? I was asked to come and clean.”

You couldn't believe your ears.

Pepper

Startled, you watched Rufus turn to you. He raised an eyebrow questioningly and in a soft voice he said to you:

“It shouldn't bother you. I hear you're not jealous at all.”

What a bastard! What a dirty bastard! What a dirty little bastard!

He was gloating, and you wanted to hit him so hard. Not out of jealousy, just out of principle. You got up from the chair and put your shorts back on.

In a low voice you pointed at him:

“How dare you?!”

He sneered.

“For someone who isn't jealous, you seem to resent me.”

“This has nothing to do with you. You know how she treated me.”

“Yes, that’s all that bothers you.”

"Of course."

“So you wouldn't mind if she flirted with me.”

You gave him a sideways glance.

“Of the two of us, I don't think I'd be the most embarrassed if she flirted with you.”

He narrowed his eyes, his smile still plastered on his face.

As you were talking you could hear Pepper bustling around humming.

“But she… she’ll find my things… in the bedroom. My notebook in the living room!”

Rufus shrugged.

“Who cares? She's not supposed to know who they belong to. Do you really think she knows you well enough to know they're yours?”

He wasn't wrong. You were fuming, but the best thing to do was just let her do her job and leave.

While you stood at the door listening to what she was doing, Rufus sat back down at his desk and began reading his files.

You heard her cleaning the bathroom and then the bedrooms.

“I hope she steals some of your personal stuff.” You whispered, speaking clearly enough for him to understand from his desk.

He chuckled.

Her time in the living room was a little brief because D. amused himself by scaring her.

Suddenly, you heard footsteps approaching the office door.

Shit. 

Of course she was going to want to clean the office. And the light must have been showing through the door, she knew someone was home.

You backed away and ran back to Rufus's office. You had reached him when Pepper knocked softly on the door.

“Sir? I’m here to clean. Would you like me to tidy your office?”

You looked at the door. Then you looked at Rufus. And back at the door.

He wasn't going to, was he?

He whispered, “So we can flirt?”

Oh no. Oh no no no.

“Come in,” he said imperiously.

The doorknob lowered and the door opened a crack. You just had time to throw yourself under the desk before Pepper entered the room.

“Hello, Mr. Shinra. I've been asked to come in as a substitute. May I take charge of the office?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

From your hiding place under his desk, you punched him in the knee.

He chuckled.

“Any problems, sir?” Pepper simpered.

“Nothing, get to work.”

That's it, hurry up, you weren't going to stay here all day.

“Take your time,” he said, and you punched him in the knee again.

You heard Pepper bring in her cart and start mopping the main table.

This was going to come at a price. You could imagine the smug grin he must have had on his face. If only you could at least take it off.

Then you had an idea. You had your revenge. He wanted to play? You were going to play.

You shifted so that you were between his knees. You giggled, imagining him wondering what you were about to do.

Careful not to bump yourself, you stood up and began unbuckling his belts, then unbuttoning his pants. Your earlier foreplay had already begun to take effect; a nice bulge was visible through his underwear. You ran your finger over it.

His throat cleared. 

“Would you like a glass of water, sir?” Pepper asked.

“No, it will be fine.”

Still far too much control in his voice. You lowered the edges of his underwear to free his member. As with his underwear, you stroked its entire length with your finger.

“So, how come you’re the one replacing my cleaning lady?”

But sure, chat with her while you're at it.

Your tongue replaced your finger and you licked his entire length from bottom to top.

“Our boss asked who wanted to replace (...) and since we have always been close, I volunteered.”

Liar!

You blew gently on his glans before taking it in your mouth. He flinched.

“That’s very kind of you, miss.”

She couldn't hear it, but you knew his tone wasn't usual. He was trying to remain calm, but he was starting to falter.

You began to move back and forth. Every now and then you stopped your blowjob to stroke his member with your hand, then you resumed.

“It’s normal, it’s important to help each other among colleagues, Sir .”

By the way, why did she have the right to call him Sir and not you? Hearing this word you nibbled his glans.

He jumped. From where you were sitting, you heard him rustle the paper in his hand.

"Are you doing well Sir ?”

You nibbled again.

“Don’t worry about me, just continue with what you have to do.”

You continued your movement, playing with your tongue on his tip that you had manhandled a few seconds before.

“I'm almost done Sir . It's quite easy, it's obvious that you like order, Sir , the room is barely dirty.”

He understood the rule and almost managed not to jump when you nibbled him again.

You were enjoying it, almost sure he probably wasn't smiling so much anymore.

You started to intensify your movement trying to make him reach his orgasm but he held on and still didn't come.

“Would you like me to do your desk too? Sir ?”

You poked him with the tips of your canines.

“No, it will be fine.”

“Perfect then… Shall I leave?”

Hmmm, her tone was too questioning for your liking. You didn't like it at all. You stopped completely, waiting to hear Rufus's answer.

“You may go. Have a nice day.” He tried to mask his raspy voice with an icy tone.

You heard footsteps and then the door opened and closed.

No sooner had she slammed than Rufus pulled you by the arm from under the desk.

"You !"

His eyes, intoxicated with pleasure, flashed and you offered him your most innocent look.

“You started it.”

“And I intend to finish,” he said, turning you around and slamming you onto the desk. You held yourself back with your hands to avoid having your face pressed against it. With a brutal gesture, he pulled your shorts down to your ankles before sliding his leg between yours, forcing them apart. He roughly opened a drawer and took out a condom, ripping off the edge with his teeth before slipping it on.

He leaned over you and whispered sharply in your ear:

“Keep your fingers crossed that she doesn't come back because I won't stop no matter what.”

He guided his cock to your entrance and pushed in deeply, his body pressing you even harder against the wood of the desk. He placed his hands on your waist for a better grip and set a fast, deep, eager pace.

The foreplay on the chair and the excitement of kissing his member had made you wet. You'd been ready for him for a long time.

You gritted your teeth to keep from making too much noise, afraid that Pepper hadn't left yet, but moans of pleasure were already starting to escape you.

Rufus also growled as he thrust into you.

The sound of your two bodies colliding. Your moans mingling. It all made a deafening noise in the silence of the office.

His hand suddenly rested on your chin and lips, lifting your head so you could see the front door. His soft voice echoed in your ear.

“What if I call her back? Maybe she’s still here?” he said before nibbling your earlobe, sending a jolt of pleasure through your body.

While talking to you he continued his movement.

“Could she witness your orgasm? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate revenge?”

You shook your head.

“Really? I think I'll do it anyway.”

You moved your head to slightly pull away from his grasp and bit his hand, sinking your canines into his leather mitten.

“Okay, fine, I won't call her. But in exchange, I'll go even harder. Does that suit you?”

You nod your head.

“Bite harder if you need to.”

Putting his words into action, he began to thrust his hips powerfully at a frantic pace.

For the second time, you reached orgasm. You let go of his hand to scream, and he placed it on the back of your neck, amplifying his movements. You laid your head on the desk and let yourself be carried away by the sensations.

Rufus gave a few more thrusts, hard, pulling out almost completely before pushing back in deeply, then you felt him tense up and he collapsed onto your back, resting his face on the back of your neck. He groaned your name.

You remained slumped on the desk for a few moments, him still inside you, before he came back out to remove and throw away the condom. You leaned on the desk to get up.

Rufus finished buckling up his pants. He bent down to grab your shorts and pull them back into place. He retied the cord before grabbing your waist and sitting you down on his desk. So you were almost at eye level with him.

Settling between your legs, his hands still on your waist, he kissed you. Just like before, you wrapped your legs around his waist.

You ran your hand through his hair before grabbing a handful and pulling it back so you could look him in the eyes.

“Pepper… Never again!”

He smiled mischievously.

"Why?" 

“Because it seems like I might be a little possessive,” you admitted.

He chuckled before kissing you passionately.

Bonus

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: The Guest Room

You were sitting on Rufus's desk, one leg tucked under your butt and the other dangling in mid-air. After fucking you on the desk, Rufus made you sit on it while you gathered your thoughts, and you decided not to come back down.

You'd stolen a tablet from Rufus, and while he'd gone back to work, you'd launched a game that had been installed on it by someone you didn't know. It was fun; you had to use some kind of slingshot to throw little stylized chocobos at barricades and burst nasty little tomberry. 

You still resented him for the nasty trick he'd played on you, so every time he reached out to grab something, you'd beat him to it and push it out of his reach. Occasionally, you'd also kick his chair with your foot while he was reading his files to make his arm shake.

“Aren’t you tired of it?” Rufus asked, looking at you over the report he was reading.

“What are you talking about?” You swiped your finger across the screen to launch a chocobo.

“You know very well what I'm talking about.”

“Hmm, you see I'm playing "Angry Chocobo," what else could I do?”

He didn't respond and refocused on his report. You reached out your leg and kicked his tablet.

His hand shot out and grabbed your ankle, knocking you over. Within seconds, he'd thrown his report onto the corner of the desk and lunged at you. You were now back to the desk, your hands clasped over your chest, holding your tablet, with Rufus leaning over you, one hand flattened inches from your face, the other still pulling at your ankle, forcing your thigh to rest against his lower back.

“Now that’s enough.”

“I lost my game because of you.”

“I only have a few more files to finish. Will you keep quiet, or should I wear you out first if I hope to have some peace?”

“That's what you tried to do earlier and it didn't work.”

He leaned closer to you, rubbing his pelvis against yours. You closed your eyes for a moment, enjoying the contact.

“I think you’ll go join D. in the living room while I validate these reports.”

“Okay, okay. I'll leave you to your extremely serious work for Shinra, which urgently requires your presence.”

You tried to get up, but Rufus hadn't moved an inch. His hand on your ankle was still holding you.

“I have to finish this today,” he said. His gaze seemed troubled.

“Yes, I understood, I said I was leaving you.”

You tried to move again but still no reaction from Rufus who continued to look at you while holding you down on the desk.

“If you want me to stop bothering you, you’ll have to let me go.”

He seemed to regain his senses a little and leaned down again, brushing his lips against yours.

“These are extremely important files that can't wait. I have to finish them.” He was clearly trying to convince himself. “And you're keeping me from concentrating.”

His lips touched yours and he kissed you greedily. His tongue was already caressing your lips so that you would part them, which you did immediately. You let go of your tablet and wrapped your arms around his shoulders, one hand immediately getting lost in his hair. His hand that was holding your ankle moved up in a caress to the hollow of your knee. As it settled there, he took the opportunity to pull you closer to him, anchoring your hips deeper and deeper between his loins. You could feel his excitement rubbing against your crotch.

There was a small ding from his computer, a sound indicating that he had just received a message.

He stopped, glanced back at his screen before resuming the kiss where he left off.

When his office phone rang, he didn't even bother to pause. His hand was now caressing the top of your thigh.

He only broke your kiss when his cell phone started ringing too.

He groaned, let go of you, and picked up his phone.

“Yes… No… I could finish if I wasn’t bothered every 5 minutes by messages… Well, you just have to summarize it for me and I’ll validate it… No, you’re going to do it properly… Because I’ll know soon enough if you’ve summarized it badly…”

You stood up from your table and grabbed your tablet. You gestured to Rufus, indicating that you were going out. Still on the phone, he nodded before continuing his conversation with his back to you.

You jumped down from the desk and headed for the exit. Something stopped you in your tracks: Rufus, still busy on the phone, had grabbed your wrist and was stopping you from going any further. With your arm outstretched, you wanted to question him, but he kept looking away, continuing his conversation.

You pulled lightly once, twice, and after stroking your wrist with your thumb, he let go.

… 

You were in your room, having showered and changed into something a little more appropriate for dinner, and you were rearranging your things. While Pepper had been diligent in the other rooms, she'd done a terrible job in yours. The bed was poorly made, there was dust everywhere, she'd stuffed your clothes haphazardly into your bag, and the shower had barely been rinsed.

So you had spread all your clothes out on the bed and were folding them properly to put them back in your bag.

It wasn't practical, but you preferred it to putting them in the closet. Rufus had already offered to use it, but you refused. The idea of putting your things with all the ones abandoned by his conquests over time made you uncomfortable. You hadn't phrased it that way, but as usual, he understood because he simply told you that you could throw everything away if you preferred. It was a waste, and you refused, so you managed using your bag and your chair.

You heard the office door open. That was it, he was done for the day. As usual, he was going up to his room to take a shower and change before heading back down to the living room for the evening.

Once you've finished tidying up, you went to the kitchen to get yourself something to drink when you heard an exclamation coming from Rufus's room upstairs.

“Is everything okay?” you asked.

When there was no answer, you climbed the stairs. The door was open, and you announced yourself by simply knocking. You found Rufus in front of the bathroom. He had time to take off his jacket and tie. When you reached him, you saw what he was looking at. On the bathroom mirror, Pepper had written her phone number in lipstick and illustrated it by kissing the surface, imprinting the mark of her lips on it. She had retrieved the box of condoms from the nightstand and placed it under the mirror. The message was unambiguous.

It was hard not to burst out laughing, especially seeing Rufus's expression, half-outraged, half-disgusted.

“If you want to write down the number I promised, I won't be jealous.” You snickered.

“Very funny… Your colleague seems to have forgotten to be subtle.”

You went to open a cupboard and took out a cloth and some cleaner, you sprayed the mirror and started cleaning up Pepper's work.

“It was worth bringing her here if I have to replace her anyway. Between my room and this,” you commented. “Anyway, you allowed her to realize her biggest dream… well, her almost biggest dream, it was only logical that she take advantage of it.”

“Why are you talking about your room?”

“Nothing serious, the tidying up wasn’t done properly. But hey, she just made my bed badly, while who knows what happened to yours…”

You gave him an amused look and, having finished cleaning up, you left the room while he wondered aloud:

“Wait… What do you think happened to my bed?”

You settled  in the kitchen and started chopping vegetables to make a salad. You were in a better mood. You heard him come into the living room, his phone to his ear.

“Yes. You're changing everything. What do you mean you can only do it tomorrow? Yes, you can be sorry about that.”

He hung up annoyed and came to join you in the kitchen. He stood behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his head on your shoulder.

“I called the dry cleaners, they’ll come and change all the bedding. And Tseng will come by to do a security check too.”

You continued your preparation without letting yourself be put off.

“So?”

“They can only come tomorrow…”

You giggled.

“You are hard on me.”

“It’s entirely your fault, I remind you.”

"I know."

He started kissing your neck, you tilted your head to give him more freedom.

“Can I sleep at your place tonight?”

You put down what you were holding and spun around to face him.

“Do you want to come sleep at my place?”

“So far we’ve only been to my apartment…”

“That's true, and at your job too. A date at my studio then…” You took a moment to think. “You know what, what if I invited you there for dinner?”

“That sounds like a great idea. I'll go pack my bag then.” It was always disconcerting how quickly he got into your game.

“In that case, I'll take care of everything and we'll meet at my address.”

While he went back upstairs... to pack his bag?... You started on the meal again, switching to plan B. You took some soft slices of bread from the cupboard and started making sandwiches, which you wrapped up. You retrieved a tray and loaded it with everything you needed.