6: Broken Glass


Just lost to the beat
punching thru your skin
You don't know what to do
but still you wanna crawl
all thru the broken glass

The Imploding Voice by The Smashing Pumpkins

"That's all I think," Rufus said as he looked around him in the room. The last one of his suitcases was just being carried out the door.

"The plane is ready, sir," one of the guards, he couldn't remember the man's name, informed him. "We're ready to go, sir."

Rufus nodded. "Alright then, let's go."

Reno smiled meekly as he held the door open for the young vice-president, then he followed.


The jetplane was the Shinra family's private one, used only by Rufus and his father, never by any of the higher executives unless they were accompanying the President or the vice-president.

It would take it less than an hour to carry the six people from Midgar to Junon. Even though the aircraft was rather small two pilots were in the cockpit. There was always two pilots on a flight with any of the members of the presidential family. Just in case.

The stewardess skillfully manouvered a tray with coffee over to the passengers. She served the vice-president first, offering him the cup with a shiny smile. His lack of interest in her short skirt and long legs did however seem to disappoint her.

Next she served the man with long black hair and a goatee. He seemed to be too caught up in his laptop to even notice a mid-air collision.

She smiled as she once more repeated; "Milk or cream, sir?"

"Black, please," the man said, never taking his eyes off the screen.

The tall-legged stewardess repressed a sigh as she moved onto the last of the passengers. A redheaded misfit who seemed rather out of place next to the two other men. Although this didn't seem to bother him at all.

He smiled and winked at her as she poured his coffee. She laughed politely, as if she was flattered he'd taken the time to say something to her, then hurridly retreating to her lair behind the blue curtain. The smile drained from her face the second her back was turned to them.


Reno glared after the stewardess as she steadily walked down the aisle on her high heels, balancing her tray in the palm of her right hand. He wished he hadn't smiled at her, flirted with her, made her feel special when she certainly wouldn't cast him a second glance if it weren't for the company he was in. He wished he'd told her that it didn't matter how much she wiggled her skinny ass infront of them. He had no interest in girls; never had, never would. Reeve was so absorbed in his work he wouldn't even have paid any attention to a stripper giving him a lap-dance. And the vice-president, who of course was the one she wanted to get on her rusty old hook, he had for the first time in his life rolled over on his back and didn't seem to want to get up again anytime soon.

I'll change that, Reno thought.

He wished he'd told her that non-smoking flights were bullshit.

He hated flying.

Rufus was silent for most part of the journey, staring out of the window, lost in his own thoughts he did not notice Reno cold glare on him.

The only sound came from Reeve's fingers smattering over the keyboard. Fervently moving as if trying to fill the screen faster than the speed of thought.

Reeve was another one in the long row of Shinra employees that Reno couldn't stand. Most of them he looked down on because of the simple fact that the were all ass kissers, sucking up to however was above them in the food-chain which applied nowhere else but within the Shinra Tower. But with Reeve it was different. Reno had never been a believer in altruism, and how could you possible even like someone who was the very epitome of that which you did not believe in?

Reno sat back in his seat, making himself comfortable, taking a better look at the situation he was now in. How could he best use Reeve for his own purposes?

"Please prepare for landing in ten minutes," the pilots voice suddenly sparked.

Rufus's head snapped up, and he fastened his seatbelt again.

"Sir?" the stewardess gently touched Reeves shoulder. "You'll have to turn that off now."

"Oh, sorry." Reeve turned the computer off, but held onto it all the way down to the ground.


"Here's your room," Rufus said and held up the door for Reno to take a look. "It's next to mine," he pointed at the next door.

Reno smiled and nodded all through the little tour of the Shinra Junon mansion Rufus was giving him. Reeve tagged along, taking his time to study all of the antiquities that filled the area of the great hallway and staircase, which contributed to him being left behind as the vice-president and the Turk continued on their way.

"And here's the living room."

"Hm," Reno nodded again, his arms crossed as they stood in what Rufus called the living room. He almost despiced the young VP for so casually showing off his wealth, using terms that wasn't quite right, not really flashy enough. As if he was trying to be like him, as if there was no difference between them. As if Reno might not understand if he used fancy words.

"The bar," Rufus strolled over, picking up a bottle of whiskey. "You want a drink?" he asked, holding up the bottle for Reno to see.

He smiled, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Sure, on the rocks, if you've got any ice here that is."

"Um, check the freezer, will you?" Rufus bent down behind the counter and came up again with three whiskey glasses. "Reeve might want one as well." Then he added, just loud enough for Reno but no one else, if there had been anyone else in the room, to hear. "He sure as hell could need it anyway."

Reno grinned. "Found the ice. You know, I'd have thought you'd have an ice-machine for sure. It's like some sort of survival thing for rich people."

It had the effect he wanted; Rufus chuckled and looked sideways at him through blond strands of hair.

"No, we actually manage to stay alive without one, remarkable as it might sound."

"No shit?" Reno scooped up some of the ice he'd achieved in breaking loose from the rest. Rufus pushed the glasses over to him, sliding them over the black glass surface. He caught them galantly, one by one, and filled them with ice.

Just as Reeve entered the room Rufus filled up the glasses with whiskey, handing one of them back to Reno again and brought one for himself and Reeve with him over to the table in the middle of what he called the living room. He made himself comfortable in one of the big, burgundy, leather armchairs.

Reno too flopped down into one of the armchairs, a lot less gracefully than Rufus had though. He pushed his feet up on the table, something that obviously bothered Reeve. He didn't care, there was no need for him to act all neat and tidy around the young Shinra, to him he was the unruly Turk anyway. They had a history, not 'the war of Wutai' sized kind of history, but nevertheless a history. And it was not to be neglected or misplaced somewhere in the past. Reno would make sure of that. And it gave him some right to act casual around the heir to the Empire.


The conversation went slowly. Rufus tried his best to engage both Reeve and Reno, but without any success. Reeve was only interested in talking about work, discussing things that might come up on the meeting the next day, or talking about one of his ongoing projects back in Midgar that hadn't been given the support it needed to be accomplished. Rufus answered politely, and as good as he could, although work was not precisely what he wanted to talk about.

Ever since he'd become vice-president he found it harder and harder to have a relaxed conversation. All everyone ever seemed to want to talk with him about was Shinra Inc. He wished he could tell them all that this was his free time and he simply didn't want to talk about anything concerning the company. But aparently there was no longer a visible line between Rufus Shinra and Shinra Inc. When it had been erased he did not know.

It had been much easier if it was just Reno and him. They'd get drunk, talk about nothing, just bullshit really. They'd have a laugh and he'd go to bed, perhaps feeling a little bit refreshed before attending that goddamn meeting which demanded his presence in both body and mind. He sighed, a whole week wasted. When he could have been with Tseng instead.

It took him a moment or two, no, more even, before he realized that when he'd though about him going to bed, it was him alone. Not with Reno, or possible even Reeve, like it would have no doubt been before. Damnit, Tseng, he thought, do you even know how much you've changed me?

"Well," Reeve coughed into his fist, as if wanting to draw the attention to him. Rufus wondered if he'd looked that far into his thoughts. "I should be going to bed know. It's getting late." Reeve excused himself and left the two remaining men alone in the room.

"So," Reno sighed, "what about you? Tired? Drunk?"

"A little bit of both I'd guess." Rufus smiled into his drink. He'd already decided that would be the last one for the night.

Reno tipped his head back against the hard back of the armchair, he guessed he must feel the same as Rufus right now. "That's good," he smiled.

"Mm," Rufus closed his eyes momentarily then suddenly, as if he'd found some new strenght, he stood up. "No," he said, "as much of an intelligent conversation this seems to be heading for, I think I should start thinking about getting to bed as well." When Reno looked up at him, as if wondering if there'd been some kind of suggestion or invitation in that last sentence, although clearly there had been none, Rufus quickly added; "I need to make a call before it's too late."

No prize for guessing who that call is to, Reno thought bitterly.


"Hey, it's me." Rufus sank into the chair in his bedroom a little bit further, almost imagening the soft stuffing to be his lover's embrace.

"Rufus?" he heard Tseng's voice at the other end of the line.

"Yeah, were you asleep?"

"No, I just had a shower, that's why it took me so long to get to the phone."

Rufus smiled a little, his fingers idly playing with a pen he'd picked up from his desk. Tseng straight out of the shower was starting to become a regular sight to him. One that he'd never stop taking pleasure and delight from. He could see Tseng infront of him, dripping wet, wearing nothing but a blue towel.

"Has everything been going alright?"

"Mm," Rufus grunted, almost annoyed at Tseng for disturbing the fantasies he was having about him.

There was a short silence, then Tseng asked; "And Reno, has he been... behaving?"

Rufus tensed, just a little, and he was almost glad that the dark haired Turk wasn't there to see it. "Yeah, he's been fine." He wondered if Tseng knew about what had once happened between him and Reno, if he knew about that one night they'd spent together. Maybe Turks gossiped just as much as the other departments. He would tell him one day. When it seemed significant. Right now he wasn't sure. It wasn't like Tseng had asked him for a list of the people he'd slept with. It wasn't like he'd asked him anyting about it at all. Maybe he didn't care, maybe they weren't that serious. But he hadn't asked Tseng anything like that either, and he was serious. Perhaps somethings were best left untold. Or unknown. What if things got awkward between Tseng and Reno if he told him? He didn't want that, it would surely not lead to anything good.

Damnit, Rufus. It was one night, a long time ago, long before Tseng and you... It just didn't matter anymore.

"The flight was good I assume. No crash or mid-air collision or anything?"

Rufus sighed. "Damnit, Tseng, your interrupting my daydreams about you."

"Daydreams? Isn't it a bit late for those?" he could hear Tseng chuckle.

"Alright then, wet dreams, if you'd like that better." Rufus shrugged even though there was no one there to see it.

Another soft chuckle reached him. "Much better," Tseng said. "Would you mind telling me about it?"

"Well," Rufus dragged the word out, "it is kind of private."

"I thought I was a part of it, doesn't that give me the right to know?" Tseng sounded amused.

"I kind of like being able to do whatever I want with you," the pen Rufus had been twisting between his fingers suddenly flew across the room, landing in the opposite corner.

"Like what?"

"Oh," now it was Rufus's turn to chuckle, "like having you cuffed to my bed."

"Me? In handcuffs?"

"Those with pink fluffy stuff, you know." Rufus could practically hear Tseng frown at the other end. He laughed at the picture he was drawing in his mind.

"And I suppose you'll be wearing leather boots and a whip."

"Now that's an idea," Rufus purred.

"I," Tseng started, his voice just a little lower that before, almost seductive, "like the idea of you pinned between me and the bed, or maybe a wall. Both of us naked, of course. Kissing," a small hiss seemed to escape Tseng and it made Rufus shiver to hear that familiar sound, "touching, stroking softly over warm flesh."

Rufus's hand traveled up his chest slowly, then down and in under the shirt, then up again. He felt a bit shy about touching himself. It was usually not his first solution to feelings like this, he could always find someone that would be more than willing to share his bed for an hour or so. But that was not what he wanted anymore.

"Tseng," he whispered, his fingers itchingly resting on his belt buckle. The words the other man uttered encouraged him to go on. He could almost feel Tseng's heavy breathing play over the small hairs of his neck.


He still held the whiskey glass in his hand, although it was empty now. Sitting alone in his bedroom he had nothing for company but his own thoughts. And the moans on the other side of the wall. Rufus's moans. And some occasional word. The kind of words you'd exchange with a lover.

Reno curled up against the wall, pulling his legs up so that he could bury his face in his knees. Clasping the glass hard with both hands, so that he would not be able to cover his ears.

The breathing on the other side was getting faster, almost uncontrolled.The moans seemed loud as thunder, echoing in the room, bouncing between the walls. Painfully close.

And then, a last desperate cry. A name. "Tseng."

The glass broke as it hit the wall.


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