Title: The Price of Captivity
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Pairing: Rufus/Reno
Theme set: Epsilon
Rating: R

Notes: Written for 1sentence


01. Motion

Reno doesn't watch Rufus because it's his job; he watches because Rufus is beautiful and Reno lives in a world that isn't.

02. Cool

They both have appearances to maintain in public, but when they're alone together at the end of the day, they can let their guard drop and admit they're not as calm and collected as they seem.

03. Young

Reno isn't much older than Rufus, but sometimes all he can see is the scowling teenager he once knew, which might be why Tseng accuses him of being overprotective.

04. Last

Standing down at street level, watching the fire consume ShinRa Tower, Reno had been terrified that the petty argument they'd had earlier in the day would be the last time he saw Rufus.

05. Wrong

Seeing someone as untouchable as Rufus lying in a bed in the medical ward seems wrong, but Reno stays by his side anyway.

06. Gentle

The first kiss is all Reno's fault, an impulsive but gentle brush of lips-to-lips the second Rufus opens his eyes.

07. One

Reno has never been a one-lover kind of guy, but he thinks that maybe, just maybe, he could be for Rufus.

08. Thousand

Someone once offered Reno a thousand gil per day to leave ShinRa and work as a consultant, and found out the hard way exactly how deep a Turk's loyalty can run.

09. King

To some, Rufus Shinra's name is synonymous with 'tyrant' or 'king', but to Reno, it's synonymous with everything.

10. Learn

Reno finds out that Rufus remembers their first kiss exactly two days before Geostigma sets in and ruins everything all over again.

11. Blur

Reno's memories of Healin Lodge are a blur of lips, hands, and clinging to Rufus in those nights when neither of them were sure he'd wake up if he fell asleep.

12. Wait

The most hurtful thing anyone's ever said to Reno is when Rufus, fever-dazed and half-asleep, tells him he'll wait for him on the other side.

13. Change

When the rain begins to fall and Reno sees the black marks of Geostigma disappearing right in front of him, his relief is tinged with worry that once Rufus is well again, everything between them will change.

14. Command

To Reno's utter delight, the first order Rufus gives him once they're home again is to kiss him and not stop until morning.

15. Hold

Rufus insists he doesn't like to be held when he sleeps, but he doesn't protest when Reno curls up behind him and wraps an arm around his waist.

16. Need

Reno's basic necessities are water, sleep, and Rufus, in that order.

17. Vision

Rufus never admits that their relationship means anything to him, but Reno knows it must because he's included in every single one of Rufus' visions of a perfect future.

18. Attention

Rufus asks him one day if he purposely gets himself into trouble just to get attention, and Reno replies that no, he does it because he knows Rufus would probably die of boredom otherwise.

19. Soul

Reno sold his soul to Shinra Electric a long time ago and he wonders if that means his soul, by extension, also belongs to Rufus.

20. Picture

There is, as far as Reno knows, exactly one picture of Rufus smiling, and it's the one he keeps folded and hidden in his wallet.

21. Fool

"You are the most brilliant idiot I've ever known," Rufus says one day, and Reno just grins in reply.

22. Mad

Rufus is beautiful when he's angry, so Reno does everything he can to see that fury as often as possible.

23. Child

"I'm a grown man," Rufus grumbles, but then he sniffles and coughs, so Reno just chuckles and carries him to bed.

24. Now

Once upon a time, Reno and Rufus had gone to great lengths to hide their relationship from the others, but no one seems surprised when Tseng catches them kissing in the second floor conference room.

25. Shadow

Rufus reminds him one night that they'll never be able to make their relationship public, but that's okay with Reno because it's easier to keep people safe when you watch them from the shadows.

26. Goodbye

The first time Rufus refers to his penthouse as 'home' for Reno, the conversation goes something like this: "I'm hanging up now, and I don't care where you found it, you'd better not bring it home."

27. Hide

Neither of them are the type to run away from anything, but there are some mornings when they give in to the urge to pull the sheets up over their heads and listen to nothing but the sound of each other's breathing.

28. Fortune

One night, after four glasses of whisky, Rufus admits that one of the main reasons he cares about the company's financial well-being is so he can take care of the people who take care of him, and he actually has the nerve to look surprised when Reno claims his lips in a deep, possessive kiss.

29. Safe

The only time Reno feels safe is when he's protecting Rufus.

30. Ghost

They're driving through the city on their way to one of the new reactor sites when Reno spots a boy with silver hair standing on a street corner, and he knows Rufus saw the boy too when he feels warm fingers twining through his.

31. Book

According to the employee handbook, all personnel are required to take a one hour lunch break while on duty, which gives Reno enough time to sneak into the president's office and arrange himself atop the desk before Rufus comes back from his morning meetings.

32. Eye

Reno tightens the knots in the ropes, watches the way sharp hipbones cast shadows on a slender torso as they cant upwards, and realizes that nothing is more beautiful than the look in Rufus' eyes when he's writhing in agony and pleading for more.

33. Never

There are certain things Reno has always sworn he would never do-- wear a tie, eat anything with a name he can't pronounce, and fall in love-- but Rufus is systematically proving to him that 'never' is a relative term, at best.

34. Sing

Reno realizes he's not the only one who occasionally suffers from jealousy when he comes stumbling out of the pub one night with an arm wrapped around Rude's waist, both of them singing at the top of their lungs, and finds Rufus leaning against the side of the car with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed.

35. Sudden

Reno tries to pretend he never planned for things between them to turn out the way they did, but then he takes one look at Rufus asleep on the pillow next to him and knows he's lying to himself.

36. Stop

"Is this alright?" Rufus asks, and Reno nods because he knows that all he ever has to do is say stop.

37. Time

They've never celebrated anniversaries because they've never put a name to what they're doing, so all Reno can do is stare when he comes home to a bottle of top-shelf scotch and a note from Rufus that reads: 'It's been seven years, don't you think it's time we stop pretending?'

38. Wash

"You're a saint, a god, perfect in every way," Reno groans and tilts his head back as Rufus sighs with exasperation and works the shampoo into his scalp with firm, even strokes.

39. Torn

There are times when Reno's convinced he'll eventually have to choose between being a Turk and being a lover, but when he comes home covered in blood and Rufus is there to clean his wounds, he knows the two jobs are one and the same.

40. History

"The first time I met you, I thought you were the most aggravating bastard I'd ever laid eyes on," Rufus says, and Reno laughs when he adds, "I've yet to be proven wrong."

41. Power

Reno likes flying because it gives him the illusion of power and control; Rufus likes flying because it gives him a taste of freedom.

42. Bother

"Sometimes, I think you go out of your way to be as annoying as possible," Rufus says with a sigh, and Reno grins because there's no point in trying to deny it.

43. God

Reno can't remember ever being as relieved as he is on the day they lock the door to Hojo's laboratory for the last time and Rufus murmurs, "We have no business trying to play god."

44. Wall

When Rufus finds out that Reno has destroyed an entire wall of the penthouse with homemade explosives, his only reaction is a resigned sigh.

45. Naked

They've seen each other undressed more times than either of them can count, but Reno has never felt more exposed than when he picks at a loose thread on the sleeve of his jacket and mutters, "I know that's a long time to ask for 'n all, but-- well, I ain't planning to go nowhere."

46. Drive

"I really don't think that's what the e-brake is for," Rufus says, and Reno chuckles as the car skids around another corner.

47. Harm

"How is it that you can take a bullet without flinching, but a splinter makes you cry like a child?" Rufus grumbles, and dives back in with the tweezers, oblivious to Reno's howls for mercy.

48. Precious

"You are," Rufus whispers against Reno's ear, "the most precious thing I own."

49. Hunger

Reno wonders what everyone else would say if they could see Rufus lying on the couch in nothing but his underwear, letting Reno drop one piece of popcorn at a time into his open mouth, and then quickly decides that he doesn't want anyone else to see Rufus that way.

50. Believe

Reno doesn't believe in destiny or fate, but he believes in Rufus and that's enough.