Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Put it on me."

Rufus ShinRa (whosoldtheworld) wrote in chaosunraveled,
@ 2009-09-21 22:31:00

Entry tags:

finished thread, rating: pg-13, rufus, setting: niflheim, yako

I've sinned a lot, I'm mean a lot // But I'm like sweet seventeen a lot
Who: Rufus (whosoldtheworld), Yako (theculpritis)
When: Morning
Where: Room 307, Niflheim
Rating: PG-13 to be safe
Warnings: Some silliness, some angst.
Summary: So "mom and dad" share a bed. Unfortunately for their mental well-being, when Family Fun Day wears off.

The mattress was lush and the pillows soft, the down of his comforter warm with the heat of two bodies: Rufus' own, and the much smaller one he was twined about. Four years ago he would have woken immediately, the invasion of his space unfamiliar and unwelcome, one night stands removed from his bed and his apartment before the sun could show its face and give the lie of meaning. But he had since faced cramped quarters and cold nights; had learned shared space.

Not quite this close, though, wrapped and wound about another warm body. But in the vague awareness that touched his sleep, like a wisp of smoke inhaled, he thought only to sigh into the hair beneath his lips, burrow lower under the blankets, and tighten his hold.

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theculpritis
2009-09-21 09:36 pm UTC (link)

Yako honestly hadn't felt this safe in a long, long time. If it wasn't nightmares about her father, they were about Sai, or murders, or, most recently, the Black Dream. But, for once, she felt completely at ease, drifting in and out of vague, happy dreams.

There was something warm and firm wrapped around her and she didn't hesitate to wrap herself around it, burying her face to block out unwelcome light. The blonde clung to the receding tendrils of sleep, refusing to return to the land of consciousness. She liked this feeling, and wanted it to last as long as possible.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-21 11:09 pm UTC (link)

It was a while longer before Rufus stirred, mind dawdling in the unfamiliar, hazy grasp of a gradual wakening. Snow blue eyes fluttered open and peered at the wall, unheeding of the spray of blonde hair beneath his nose that could not be his own. He reached up idly to swipe sand from the corners of his vision, bare arm sliding from its home in the curve of a hip and up across ribs, separated from warm skin by thin fabric. That was the moment he registered the presence of another body in his bed.

Rufus jolted back, though his retreat was stopped short as his sweatpants-clad legs tangled with— with— with whose? Petite, blonde hair... female....

"Oh Shiva." Somehow, the name of the voluptuous ice goddess did not comfort him, so he added, for good measure, "Oh, Bahamut...."

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theculpritis
2009-09-21 11:22 pm UTC (link)

Yako let out a soft, displeased whine as the source of warmth she was twined around began to shift and buck. She pressed closer, attempting, despite how futile it was at this point, to hold onto that peaceful, safe feeling. Sadly and all too quickly, she was forced to give up.

Blearily blinking her large dark eyes, she slowly shifted up into a semi-sitting position, legs curled and splayed under her. The large collar of the white dress shirt that had served as her sleep wear the previous night slid down one slender shoulder as comprehension of what she was seeing slowly—painfully—attempted to dawn in her sleep-addled brain.

".....Rufus?" her voice was soft, slightly husky and very confused as she stared at the man beneath her. That...made no sense. Was she still asleep after all...?

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-22 04:55 pm UTC (link)

She extracted herself and scooted away, and Rufus simply sat up and stared, unhappy as her warmth left him. There was still a haze of surreality over his thoughts, the wordless reassurance of his mind that he was still asleep: a confusion not helped in the slightest by the young woman sitting in his bed, in his shirt, the pale planes of one shoulder exposed by the dipping collar, drawing the eye down to softly shadowed curves—

His name, quietly. Not the over-sweet coo of the women he'd known in the past, defiantly tasting the sound of his first name, but a sleep-hoarse whisper, familiarity without presumption. Sleepy sun-brown eyes blinking slowly into focus.

I think Yako is really in my bed.

Problem identified, Rufus ShinRa leapt backward. His legs tangled again, this time with the sheets, and as he struggled to tug them loose the rest of him went over the edge of the bed.

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theculpritis
2009-09-22 08:21 pm UTC (link)

The sudden would-be leap away from her shocked Yako into a slightly more attentive state and she quickly crawled over to the edge of the bed, concern easily overcoming the shock and panic that would have eventually, if a little sluggishly, bubbled up. "Holy crap Rufus, are you okay?"

She peered down at him worriedly, making sure to brace herself with her arms. There as no need for both of them to be sprawled on the ground, after all. After reassuring herself that no, he wasn't bleeding (though he did look rather shell-shocked), the cold talons of situational awareness began to take hold.

This was not her room.

This was not her bed.

This wasn't even her shirt.

".....Oh my god." One hand came up to cover her mouth.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-22 08:59 pm UTC (link)

The air left his lungs roughly when he hit the floor. By the time the stars cleared from his eyes, Yako was perched on the edge of the bed above him, eyes wide and concerned as she asked if he was okay. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Instead he tugged his legs out of the sheets and the rest of his body fell to the floor. He rolled away and staggered to his feet quickly, stumbling back a bit. Immediately he crossed his arms over his bare chest, painfully aware that all he wore was a pair of boxers under black sweat pants. He was bed-mussed, too, pale blond hair floppy over his eyes and ears, and without his layers of clothing (and especially wearing black) he looked smaller, and, he'd been told, younger, and he was barefoot and flushed with shock and embarrassment. Worst of all, however, his scars were on display— most from Diamond WEAPON's blast: long, misshapen wires of skin and patches of burns, lines from hasty surgeries and improperly applied Cure magic, but there was one dark scar high on his arm from Geostigma, where the skin had weakened enough to permanently scar, and one faint pink line across his abdomen from his battle with Cloud Strife....

A shirt. He needed a shirt. Yako seems to be wearing one. His eyes widened over a darkening flush. The way she was leaning, the wide collar of the shirt fell forward and the shadows at the concave of her throat dipped into the region beyond the drape of the fabric.... I can find another one. He swallowed thickly. Except that his closet and dresser were on the other side of the bed, and his mind would not seem to apply itself to the process of getting him there. Instead he stood dumbly, arms still wrapped around himself, and gaped at Yako on his bed.

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theculpritis
2009-09-22 09:14 pm UTC (link)

While a good nine-tenths of her mind was spazzing out over, well, everything about this. the remaining tenth hung back and casually noted the sinew and scar tissue on display. Yako had never, ever scarred, and the disturbingly calm tenth of her mind idly wondered what it was like. This, unfortunately, merely added fuel to the hysterical fire of the other nine tenths.

I'm ogling Rufus. A dark red blush suffused her cheeks, and she shook her head roughly to clear away that damning thought. She hesitantly tried to speak. "I...you—" Yako took a steadying breath. "Did...did we..." She paused, though not due to any bashfulness over completing the phrase. She gasped sharply and whipped her head up to lock eyes with Rufus.

Memories of the previous day flooded back with a vengeance. Kissing Rufus, despairing over Myre's angry words, Lucifer's (definitely not Lulu anymore!) casual insubordination, being marriedand—and—

And snuggling up with her husband after a long, tiring day, more kissing and even whispering one more 'I love you' before falling asleep.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-22 10:08 pm UTC (link)

No! Rufus shook his head at her stuttered question, bangs flopping, not unaware of her watching him— hyperaware, in fact, noting the track of her gaze up his longest scar, running from his ribs just below his left armpit, straight down his side and into the elastic waist of his sweatpants. It ended inches above his knee. The attention made him want to dart away, and the edge of his mind that wasn't utterly preoccupied managed at last to grasp the idea that she was, in fact, not blocking his path to the bureau. He was about to move when she looked up and met his stare.

He remembered too, suddenly. Family— honest to Shiva family, blood and love and everything it was just an illusion though, and the earth-shaking knowledge that he could afford to have people (not just one but three!) that he had cared about more than he cared about himself; remembered confiding in Yako, her loyalties and support beyond question; still recalled a scattering of the make-believe that had formed the backbone of their "marriage:" courtship, and arguments and risk-taking and promises and— he raised one hand to cover his mouth, eyes blackening.

Wasn't he confused enough right now? Shoulders hunching, Rufus took a deep breath of his own, shook his head again and broke from her stare. He forced himself to walk around the bed, toward the dresser.

"We did nothing." His voice, at least, was steady.

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theculpritis
2009-09-23 01:12 am UTC (link)

"Hey, hey, Ruu— promise me something? By the time we're married, tell me where every one of these came from, okay?"

They were lounging on a beach, after she had pulled off the impressive miracle of convincing him to take some time off. She admired the way the sunlight caught and shattered off the sparkling band he had proposed with, as she drew one slim finger down the slightly discolored band of flesh that started high on the left side of his ribs—

Yako swallowed hard and lowered her eyes, letting out a slightly nervous hiccup of laughter. "Well. That's not...not exactly...entirely accurate." A rather heated set of make-out session away from the prying eyes of the 'children' jumped to mind.

She opened her mouth, attempting to say something, anything— but nothing came out. She couldn't apologize, really, nor did she really want to delve into the possible ramifications of the previous day. And there was no way that Yako was telling him he was her first kiss.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-23 01:40 pm UTC (link)

She was right: overlaying the fraudulent memories were the honest ones, the ones from just yesterday. It had not been a loveless marriage, he thought, frowning.

They rounded the corner, out of sight, and Rufus swept in front of her, maneuvering her backward into the wall. He planted one hand to either side of her and canted his head to the side, searched her face, the milk-warm eyes he knew so well; leaned in....

Without speaking, Rufus crossed the rest of the way to the dresser. His awareness of Yako played as heat over his skin, like he was walking around a mini sun, the skin turned toward her warm. He swallowed again and scanned his own movements quickly, making certain his urgency did not show; turned to find a shirt, the heat that was Yako wrapping around to his back.

Some old instinct, one kept so long he'd forgotten it, made the left half of his back itch fiercely. He remembered, abruptly, the other reason he didn't let people see him shirtless: the gold and white koi fish, fierce but a bit time-faded, that swam determinedly upward from his lowest rib to the shelf of his shoulder blade. Unmistakable proof inked permanently into skin that Rufus ShinRa was not quite so well-behaved as he would have everyone believe. So many secrets on my skin.... Rufus was able to stifle the quiet, self-pitying groan that built in his throat, but not the urge to flick a glance over his shoulder, to see what Yako had made of the discovery.

"Swimming against the current, hm?" A small hand trailed up his spine, making him shiver. The touch drifted, as usual, to the scales of his tattoo, tracing the graduated half-circles with a nail, and he sighed shakily into the grass under his folded arms. Smirked, playful. "Not so easy as I make it look, you know."

Rufus winced.

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theculpritis
2009-09-23 08:09 pm UTC (link)

Her gave was fixed on the brand and she gnawed at her lower lip, trying to stifle the flow of memories that never happened from overtaking her. A soft, shaky breath was exhaled, when the faint pain in her temples receded, though, as if the Yako ShinRa of yesterday was rebelling against being repressed, a single, final one spread over her mind's eye.

"Koi, hm?"Her lips curved shyly, touched that he trusted her enough to share this with her. "I like that...Say, do you know what 'koi' means in Japanese? I think that meaning is kind of applicable here too..."

Her cheeks positively flamed as she remembered that. It had lead up (in an incredibly roundabout way) to her finally saying she loved him, for the first time. And that reminded her of the sheer number of times she had said those words—and felt the sweet pang of sincere devotion that accompanied the words. Yako ShinRa had truly adored her husband, moody and secretive as he was.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-23 09:14 pm UTC (link)

"Please let's forget this?" The words left his lips before he'd thought them through, head bent over the open drawer as he pawed blindly for a shirt. When he thought about it, he found the idea of forgetting preferable to... to knowing how sensitive the backs of her knees were, or that he'd proposed by dropping the ring, sans box, on her stomach one morning and then pacing around the room arguing with himself until she'd woken enough to understand what he was saying.

It was a minute before he realized he was just shuffling aimlessly through the contents of his bureau. Grabbing the hem of a t-shirt, he tugged it free and pulled it on, whirling around to face her and feeling only slightly less exposed.

Years. It had taken him years to learn how not to hurt her— he wasn't a gentle person by nature, wasn't expressive, kept aloof, and yet he'd been willing to learn what was needed, for her. And she had learned to read him, when he could not say what he meant. But those were years that had never passed, trials they had never faced. She was pretty and she was young and she was in his bed and his shirt and warm and a lovely shade of red, and he had memories of her that he should not, and there was nothing casual about what he recalled, but— there is no Yako ShinRa.

I have no loving wife.

"I—" He cleared his throat, angry as it closed off his words, and couldn't meet her eyes. "I believe that would be best."

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theculpritis
2009-09-23 09:24 pm UTC (link)

"I don't think I can," Yako said honestly. "But...we could try to ignore it?" She was still in the habit of toning down their words—both hers and Rufus'—so that they weren't impossible promises or created misunderstandings.

She rubbed a hand over her face, stomping down on the urge to just curl up under the covers once more and fall back asleep. No matter how familiar or warm or comfy the bed was it wasn't hers and she didn't belong there. Some small shadow of what she had been yesterday wanted to cry, from both that realization and Rufus' words.

The fingers of her left hand twitched faintly, still adjusting to the feeling of having no ring adorning a place that she had felt, for a lifetime that was only a day, where it belonged.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-24 10:22 pm UTC (link)

"There is not so much to forget," he snapped, ignoring the nudge of false memory that said it was better to tread softly with Yako, ignoring the nearly painful desire to stop, and puzzle out how to do this without hurting her. "And now that day is o-over they will fade quickly." He cleared his throat, took a steadying breath, and spent a moment gathering his composure. She'd learned all of his tells; eventually, she could read him so well they often didn't need words. But that had never happened.

"If it is impossible for you to forget, then yes, you will ignore it." One hand swept through his hair, fingers shuffling the sleep-floppy mess in a futile attempt to establish order. He would have to shower and comb it wet before it would calm down. He forced himself not to shuffle his feet like an idiot, and settled for crossing his arms over his chest again. Yako, his mind insisted, had seen him in worse states of dishabille. But that never happened, either.

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theculpritis
2009-09-24 10:33 pm UTC (link)

"To forget is to forget to evolve"

This was no spurious memory; Neuro had said it to her, and she had kept to it as best she could. Yako felt a flash of irritation; Rufus had no reason to speak in that tone, to all but order her—he hadn't earned that. Not truly. Yako ShinRa had sworn to love and obey, but Yako had only ever been subservient to a sadistic entity with acidic green eyes and a hunger just as cutting as her own.

Outwardly, she didn't so much as twitch, opting instead to paste up her default smile. "I'll certainly try." Her eyes slid shut pleasantly, so the falsity of her expression wouldn't bleed out. It alarmed her, slightly, that somebody had the tools to see through it if she wasn't careful.

Shifting, Yako dangled her legs over the edge of the bed, before pushing off to stand. She stretched, reflexively, and tousled a hand through her own mop of messy gold, before moving towards the dresser. "I'll just grab the clothes I brought here yesterday and get out of your way."

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-24 11:21 pm UTC (link)

He nodded, satisfied... mostly. One of the many memories he didn't have was telling him that that was not a good smile, but Rufus examined it and saw nothing wrong with it. She seemed perfectly amenable to the idea. The "idea" being to forget my family.

They are not my family. I am not even attracted to the woman who is supposed to be my wife.

Yako stood, and when she stretched, the hem of his fine but overlarge white dress shirt lifted to barely reach the tops of— long legs, a quick flash of material fun to snap, if he caught her unawares —he backed up hastily, heels and elbows hitting the bureau, and shifted his eyes to where her knuckles barely protruded from the long sleeves, swallowing, dragging a hand through his hair, again. He would not be able to wear that shirt again without remembering....

There was a notable delay before he even realized she'd spoken. "I'm— yes?" he tried, hoping that was an appropriate response.

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theculpritis
2009-09-24 11:43 pm UTC (link)

Yako immediately realized her faux pas when he all but leapt backwards. Heat flooded to her cheeks, as she sharply yanked the hem of his shirt down, mortified. She was used to wearing shorts or sleep-pants, and hadn't even thought about what she was doing.

Coughing slightly, and dropping her gaze to the carpet self-consciously. She stopped in front of him and gently gestured for him to move over a smidgen, before opening the second-most top door. She quickly picked of the sparse number of neatly folded garments, hugging them to her chest.

Feeling incredibly awkward, Yako stepped back, moving back towards the door and bed. "Well, then. I'll just...be going back to my room then."

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-25 11:19 am UTC (link)

Rufus stepped out of her way, eyes turned away, berating himself for actually skittering back at the sight of ~~his wife's~~ a woman's undergarments like some awkward, mooning teenager. From the tops of his eyes he watched her pull her clothing out of his drawer and clutch them to her like a safety blanket.

She's leaving me. It was a lie of memory, but it caught like a spark in a dry grass field. Before she'd gone more than a few steps he darted around her into her path, hands held up, eyes wide, wait... wait!

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theculpritis
2009-09-25 08:31 pm UTC (link)

Yako stared up at him, shocked at the intervention. Then it sank in; that desperate, worried look—That didn't belong to Rufus. Not this Rufus anyways. She let out a soft breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, blonde head bobbing slowly.

It would affect Yako ShinRa's Rufus that way. There had only been one single, horrible time, early into their marriage, when that Yako had nearly done it. Rufus had been negotiating with a very attractive prospective business partner, and she had decided that she wanted to 'negotiate' a very different deal.

That Yako had walked in, intending to surprise him for their anniversary—and had gotten a very bad shock. For the good of the deal, Rufus hadn't shoved away the other woman, and by the time he caught up with her she had locked herself in the master bathroom of their house.

Yako grimaced slightly; she had been doing okay with the memory-suppression until just that. Shaking her head lightly, she lifted her chin. "Yes?" she inquired politely.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-25 11:00 pm UTC (link)

Rufus didn't have an answer, not for the word, nor for the question in her eyes. One part of his mind was formulating a plea for her to stay, while the rest was cursing himself up and down. So much for "forgetting." Fool. He shook his head and backpedalled slowly.

No one came into his office unannounced, but Yako had wanted it to be a surprise, and as the President's wife she had certain freedoms that others did not. He'd tracked her all the way back to the house to explain—

Rufus ShinRa did not explain himself. He shook his head, and realized his hands were still up, placating. Suppressing a scowl, he lowered them.

"Nothing." What are you doing? Don't let her leave! His fingers twitched to reach out to her. With a tug at the hem of his shirt, stopping his hand before he swept it through his hair, Rufus nodded that he wouldn't try to stop her again.

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theculpritis
2009-09-25 11:56 pm UTC (link)

Yako simply nodded, understanding that it had really been more of a reflex from the previous days event. Either way, she kept her gaze trained on the carpet. If she looked him in the eyes again, the remnants of Yako ShinRa might overwhelm her.

"See you around." She offered a quick smile and padded out into the hallway. Once the door closed behind her, she roughly shoved away the vague sense of despair and quickly, quietly, dashed all the way back to her room.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-26 10:02 am UTC (link)

Once the door closed behind her, Rufus fell against the wall and scrubbed his face with his hands, dragging his fingers through his hair and sighing heavily.

His plans had never included a family. Not a wife, certainly not children. Not a daughter he adored, doted on in his quiet way, nor a son he gave for and lost for and still wished the world for. No. The people he ca— concerned himself with wore sleek black suits and called him "sir;" they didn't walk around in Rufus' shirts, all long legs and the hint of curves. So forget these "memories." Focus on what is real. Focus on what you want.

He wanted his company, his city, his Turks, his life back. This place was holding him static, away from the complexities of business and rebuilding. Away from ShinRa. And he was ShinRa. And what did he have to show for months of being here? Construction projects revitalizing the economy? A new, gaia-friendly energy source that he could mass produce and sell to the public? A functional business plan and loyal employees?

Oh, no. He had a single love-sick Turk who wasn't behaving properly, a sadistic "master" who was not his son, all new enemies he didn't understand, and a screwed-up memory of not one but two lives he'd never led. A woman he hadn't slept with was wearing his shirt and leaving his bed, leaving his room, she's leaving my life—

Forget it all. Focus on what you want.

Rufus laughed shakily and slid down the wall.

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