DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL

No explicit NSFW, but some could be interpreted that way. Alter as necessary!

SOFT

“Your hands are so warm.”

“Ah, that feels good…”

“Wait… are you braiding my hair?”

“Is it okay if I lean on you?”

“Just hold me for awhile. Please.”

“You don’t mind me touching you there, right?”

“Oh! I didn’t mean to fall asleep leaning on you.”

“Don’t stop stroking my hair…”

“Be gentle with me.”

“Y’know, I could go for a back rub right now. Just saying.”

“Please… Kiss me, even if it’s just this once.”

“I bet I’m strong enough to pick you up.”

“Can I use your lap as a pillow?”

“Touch me. I don’t care how. I just need to feel something right now…”

“I could kiss you all over.”

“That tickles!”

“Mind washing my back for me?”

“I didn’t know you were the cuddling type.”

“I love how soft your lips are.”

“Don’t get up just yet, I’ll miss having you next to me.”

“No one’s kissed me like that in a long time.”

ROUGH

“Ow! That fucking hurt!”

“Keep talking, and I’ll seriously slap the shit out of you.”

“You stepped on my foot!”

“Did you do that on purpose?”

“Please be more gentle next time…”

“Don’t squeeze so tight!”

“Hey, don’t touch me there. It hurts.”

“Did you just bite me?!”

“Next time I’ll hit you like I mean it.”

“Is that the best you’ve got?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I’ll make you bleed.”

“You really can’t take a hit, can you?”

“Hey!! What was that for?!”

“Shit, are you crying? I didn’t mean to do it that hard.”

“That stung a little. Go easy on me next time.”

“Don’t tell me you can’t handle a little sparring.”

“You almost knocked me over!”

“I won’t stop until I hear you scream.”

“That’s gonna leave a bruise…”

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39. because i am running out of time.

It was with a relieved sigh that Melissa closed the door to the one of the rooms, stepping into the hallway and back into Rude’s watchful and concerned gaze. The kidnapped girl, Elena, had been returned to her care, mostly unharmed – only a few rope burns on her wrists which would be gone over the next few days. The madame had made sure she had bathed, eaten something and then gave her something for a good night of sleep – Shiva knew she would need some assistance to sleep in the next few days.

Pulling the silk robe around her body a bit tighter out of habit, Melissa motioned to the end of the hallway and Rude followed, none of them making any noise despite the girl probably being unable to hear anything – and then she let the Turk into her own room, making sure they were both out of sight and earshot of everyone else before she allowed herself to sink to the floor with overflowing relief.

Now, it wouldn’t have to do – she couldn’t fall apart in front of her staff, but Rude had seen her at her worst – her still bandaged hand was proof of that. The Turk took a few steps back, lowering herself to her level so he could examine her properly with a worried gaze, but Melissa tranquilized him with a genuine smile. “It’s all right. I’m just… Beyond relieved this nightmare has ended.”

He nodded, offering her a hand – and the woman took it, pulling herself back up and looking up to the Turk. He had apparently single-handedly resolved the hostage situation in less than 24 hours, with no visible wounds to show for it – there were some stains on his jacket upon close inspection, but he appeared unperturbed – probably not his blood, then, which made Melissa’s guilt lessen a bit.

Odin knew the extent of the danger Rude had exposed himself to for a bad call on her part – asking for nothing in return.

“How can I repay you?” she asked, both hands going up to his face – digits went up, trailing over his skin until they found the glasses – but she didn’t dare removing them. Not that Melissa wasn’t curious or hadn’t seen him without that accessory a few times – but she respected the reason for him to wear it indoors. But then the Turk himself removed the pair, folding it and tucking it safely in one of his jacket pockets.

“You don’t need to repay me,” he said in an even tone, his voice a bit lower than normal – and only then Melissa realized she had almost whispered herself. There were few distractions around them this time – no music, no chatter from the patrons, no food – and even if they were downstairs during a normal night shift, the madame doubted she would be drawn to anything else but him, “I did it because it was the right thing to do.”

“Doesn’t change the fact I feel indebted to you,” to Rude in particular this time, not the Turks – he had taken his personal time and interest on this matter, and Melissa knew it, “And no self-respecting queen can allow a good deed to go unrewarded. People would talk,” she added with a smile, and he chuckled in response. Melissa then stood on the tip of her toes, her fingers gently bringing him down a few inches to meet her halfway…

…But before they were close enough for a kiss, the distinctive buzzing of a phone interrupted them. Both needed a moment to first identify the source of the noise and then Melissa was the first one to pull away with a chuckle of her own, Rude then proceeding to retrieve his mobile from a different pocket and taking a couple of steps away for a bit of privacy to talk.

His conversation, however, as short – a couple of questions answered and a promise to be somewhere else within a few minutes, what suggested work. Well, when one lived as a Turk, the madame supposed, there was hardly off-duty time given the times they were going through.

“Melissa,” he said while turning around, his hands smoothly storing the mobile away while picking up his shades and putting them on once more – full-on traditional Rude attire was back in place. He walked over to her and then gloved fingers raised the woman’s face very gingerly, ensuring eye contact for a while, “I am sorry for this, but I’m afraid I must go. Work calls,” he added, although he hardly needed to explain himself – and the woman nodded, having assumed as much already.

His thumb slid over to the right, caressing her cheek softly – and then Melissa used her own hands to pry his digits away, giving them a soft squeeze in a wordless incentive before stepping away and opening the door to the hallway.

“I understand. Thank you for everything, Rude,” she said when he went past her, but he stopped and gave her what felt like a particularly piercing look, even if it was partially mitigated by the sunglasses.

“No – thank you.”

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29. as a promise

The walk from Sector 5 to Wall Market was hardly an unknown path for Melissa – but it was one she always treaded with care and looking as inconspicuous as she could to avoid any potential trouble. She had gone over to the Leaf House to deliver some fresh baked goods, additional clothes she had procured for the upcoming winter and a few books one of the house mothers had requested for the children.

It was with a light heart that she returned to her domains – she loved visiting the orphanages and helping with the material necessities they had to the best of her abilities. As someone who had relied so much on the kindness of strangers, she knew she had to give it back – and it always made her feel like she had a purpose to have endured for so long.

Such thoughts had distracted her for a while – and when a hand tapped her on the left shoulder, she had to stifle a startled scream to avoid attracting more attention. But it was just Rude – and he appeared profoundly sorry to have scared the madame, bowing his head and apologizing shortly after.

“No, no. It’s quite alright Rude, I am… Scared by default when I am by myself here,” she explained with a smile – and with the Turk by her side, she removed the sunglasses she had on herself and lowered the hoodie as well – she was in full undercover attire, jeans and sneakers completing the most unusual look for the woman, “I am surprised you recognized me.”

“In all honesty, I saw you speaking with the Leaf House personnel, but then we went through separate paths. I have only now caught up,” and Melissa nodded, feeling slightly more relieved that her cover wasn’t so shabby. Now she was accompanied by the Turk, however, it was as if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders – and even making conversation came more easily now.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you about the newest additions to our menu. Remember the steak you had with Reno once, and which we were out for a good few months? We finally found a good supplier from Junon and we came up with a new sauce for it. We also have some novelties for desserts,” she elaborated on with a certain proud tone to her voice when they crossed the Wall Market’s west entrance, their steps making for the inn almost automatically.

“I will make sure to relay the news to Reno,” he added with a smile, accompanying Melissa until she was safely delivered to the doors of her own establishment. As soon as she made her way towards the entrance, she noticed the Turk did not accompany her – and turned around, a frown on her features.

“You’re not coming inside?”

“Oh no, not now. I am here to investigate something at the colosseum. I just wanted to make sure you would get back safely,” he explained with a short bow and it was a bittersweet moment for her – it was endearing that Rude had gone out of his way to escort her, but she found herself longing for his company for a few moments more.

Perhaps the Turk had noticed the way she had reacted to the news, for his next action was a step forward - just sufficient to bring her within his reach and to pull her left hand upwards, gloved digits steering it high enough for his lips to place a soft kiss on her knuckles.

Melissa watched the entire exchange with a fascinated glint in her eyes – Rude had gently bowed to her as if he was paying his respects to the sovereign of a distant kingdom and effectively nullified their height difference for such brief seconds, silently stepping away when he was done.

“I promise I will return once I am off-duty.”

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4. where it hurts

The dressing room felt strange whenever it was empty – without the excited chatter of the girls, the chaotic ambience of everyone getting ready for the night and the overall exchange of information and tips prior to the shift beginning. It wasn’t a place meant to be silent.

And yet, there wasn’t another soul but for Melissa, arms crossed over her chest and staring at herself in one of the mirrors that her employees used to prepare for work. She hadn’t been there in years – she had already forgotten how it felt to get into that costume, to apply the make-up with the others, to weave the flowers into the hair.

But it was still a reality for the girls working for her – technically under her protection. And the crumpled paper note on the table below reminded the madame just how often she failed in that regard. It didn’t matter how many panic buttons she had installed in the rooms, how detailed she was when running background checks to hire security – she wasn’t good enough.

Maybe she would never be – maybe she should just give it up and accept that she had picked the wrong man to have a war with, because there was no fairness in anything Corneo did. Kidnapping one of her own and demanding her to keep her door closed unless she wanted innocent blood on her hands had been a low blow – and it had hurt like hell.

There was no way she could receive anyone that night – and she had ensured no patrons were admitted inside and that all the girls and staff had the night off. It wasn’t like she could focus anyway, knowing a poor soul was terrified and under Shiva knew what sort of torture because of her employment relationship.

With a pained scream, Melissa then punched the mirror – and she probably didn’t realize how much anger she had been harboring within because she ended up breaking it, a series of curses following that irrational act and making her double over for a moment, seeking to find anything to wrap her hand and suddenly being offered a white handkerchief.

Melissa turned around, startled – but calmed in an instant when she saw Rude standing there, a look of concern on his face – even with the sunglasses on, his eyebrows gave away his feelings about what he had just witnessed, and he wordlessly moved to first take her bloodied hand into his, inspecting for any cuts before wiping most of the excess away with gentle motions and then producing a second clean one from a suit pocket for the madame to wrap her hand until they could get some ice and clean it under running water.

“Your men only allowed me inside because I had I needed to speak with you, but I understand the inn’s closed due to a girl being in the Don’s custody,” his words were careful – and Melissa felt watched, as if Rude was gauging her reactions. The way she tried not to flinch from the pain on her hand, however, apparently gave him the answer he needed.

“I’d have come sooner if I had known this had happened,” he said, motioning towards the exit of the dressing room, only then releasing the gentle hold over her wrist; “Let me get that looked at and you can tell me what you know. I’ll start looking into this tonight,” the Turk said and as Melissa trailed after him while he took charge, a smile appeared on her lips – it was a feeble one, but nonetheless conveyed her amusement at the fact Rude knew the layout of the inn well enough to tend to her wounds when the roles had been reversed.

Well, that and the fact that he had spoken in the singular form, too – he wasn’t going to help her because he was a Turk; he was getting involved because he cared.

[ff7]

FF7R: Rude of the Turks