Chapter 21: Absence
Word Count: 90,793 (total)
Fandom: Final Fantasy 7 (post Advent Children)
Pairing: Cloud Strife/Rufus Shinra
Rating: Explicit
Midday, when the sun is high and the sky is clear, Kalm’s clock tower is plainly visible from the highest functioning stretch of roadway still standing post-Meteorfall. Cloud sits atop Fenrir, silently searching because it’s the easiest waypoint to utilize in order to find WRO HQ, Reeve’s preferred base of operations.
Once oriented, he fires up the engine again and closes the short distance to the exit ramp that leads down into the winding streets below. The building itself is fairly nondescript, but it stands apart from most structures in Edge by looking like it had a blueprint to begin with and not like it only came to be thanks to tireless remodeling and salvage.
After pulling into the roundabout that leads to the main entrance, he parks the bike and spares it a backward glance on his way through the revolving glass doors. The headquarters staffing may appear scant upon first blush, but he’s come to learn that the building is practically teeming with armored guards at all times, they simply monitor from behind closed doors and deploy minimal security on the ground floor. The overall effect is somewhat eerie, as if it's been made to look purposefully liminal.
Cloud approaches the information desk at the center of the lobby, a perfect circle encased in tempered glass that seems to rise straight up to the ceiling. A single young woman in a pencil skirt mans the computer there, typing away with her deep brown eyes glued to the monitor before flicking them up and flashing him a smile at the last second. She greets Cloud warmly, likely remembering his face from prior visits, and radios Reeve’s security detail before sending him off to the elevators.
Reeve fancies the WRO a more egalitarian, more moral alternative to Shinra, so the headquarters is meant to be more welcoming, less exclusive. However, he still can only be found at the top floor, hidden behind a gaggle of guards and passcodes.
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I want to draw a short comic about a birthday party for Rufus this year but we have no information about his date of birth :(((((
So if it's OK, I would like to read a short story about our dear president's birthday with the Turks, Darkstar and Cloud too ofc 🥰
And if you don't mind, may I draw a short comic based on that story?
I don't mind at all!! Because Advent Children era is when my brain works most flexibly with them, this little moment slots into the NTYC timeline rather nicely. So it could be anytime between chapter 6ish and chapter 15ish. Due to this, I couldn't work in Darkstar, though. But please feel free to add the lil beastie into whatever art you decide to do (if you indeed decide to do it). She can be lying protectively at Rufus' feet in spirit for the story but for real in the comic (you could even just take this scenario and make it OG/Remake timeline if you want, 100% up to you and I will be happy with anything)! 😂
Because formatting is being hateful, I'm putting the blurb below a Read More.
Enjoy!
Cloud slips his cell into his pocket after trudging up the steps at Healen and shooting a quick, curt text to Reno to let him know he's waiting outside. The invitation had been out of the blue and uncharacteristically vague.
The boss wants you here, he'd said.
Tseng??? Cloud fired back.
No, not MY boss, THE boss. Don't play dumb today, pretty boy, just make the appointment, yeah?
Cloud still isn't sure why he agreed, but as Reno opens the door and chaperones him to Rufus' very familiar quarters—babbling incessantly all the while—his nerves start to subside. He can hear voices beyond the door before Reno even cracks it open.
Upon entering, the room is aglow with warm light and voices full of tempered excitement. All the Turks are here and accounted for; Elena and Tseng nurse drinks while chatting back and forth off to the left of the little center table, Rude arranges small, festive bags and packages atop the counter beside the mini fridge.
And there, sat at the table alone with a smile on his face and some tiny confection before him, is Rufus Shinra. He fixes Cloud in place with eyes partially squinted by the force of his grin, offering a little nod and wave of hello.
"Anyway, go say hi to the birthday boy," Reno says, snapping Cloud out of his moment of wonderment at the scene in front of him.
"Birthday?" Cloud grouses, looking at Reno with a little knit in his brow only after Rufus has broken their gaze to ask Rude for something. "You could've at least told me. I got nothin'." Cloud throws both arms out wide in a gesture that reveals just how empty handed he is.
As usual, Reno shrugs off any accusations as he backs away from Cloud and toward his partner.
"Don't worry, blondie, your presence is present enough, trust me!"
With an undeserved snicker Reno turns to meet Rude at Rufus' side. Cloud watches them in the doorway for an awkward moment before summoning the wherewithal to move his feet. As he approaches the former President, the other two slink away to find themselves a drink. Upon closer inspection, Cloud can see that the confection is some kind of cake from an upscale bakery, all perfectly round and encased in what looks like a hard, white and brown candy coating. Probably white and dark chocolate, but he can't be certain.
"A nice surprise," that velvet voice pours out syrupy sweet, sweeter than any birthday cake could ever hope to be.
Cloud levels him with a heavy but almost apologetic gaze.
"Hm? Wish I knew ahead of time so I could've brought you something but I think some details got lost in the invitation..."
Rufus only smiles, stifles a laugh. It's hard to tell whether he knew Reno tracked him down, or if it was his idea to begin with. That's not surprising, though.
"Would you like a taste?" he suddenly asks out of nowhere, gesturing to the cake on the table.
Cloud ignores the baser meaning behind the question and leans over the table to get a good look at the cake, making a bit of a show of it. He's not a die hard lover of sweets, but it looks good enough. He does notice there isn't a single candle is in sight, though. Feigning contemplation, he folds his arms over his chest, rests his chin on a fist.
"Before the birthday boy? Nah. Besides...your friends here seem to have forgotten the candles," he teases, only now realizing how much of their relationship has progressed without him even knowing Rufus' birthday. "How old are you turning, anyway?"
Rufus again only reacts with the slightest curl to the corners of his lips before reaching a graceful hand forward. He lifts a heavy cake knife from beside the platter on which the fancy little dish sits. With deft and nimble fingers he cuts through, but pauses before completing the slice.
"Wouldn't you like to know..."
If NSFW scenes are okay, then I'd love to see an art of Rufus and Cloud's car sex scene or the bathroom sex scene at the gala! If you do SFW scenes, maybe an art with them sleeping together in bed or the scene where Rufus and Cloud share a hungry, deep kiss from the end of Ch. 18?
thanks for the asks, anon! I went with a nsfw one so I cannot post in full on tumblr. enjoy the preview and click here for the full on my Bluesky!
This originally linked to my Twitter which has since been deactivated, so the new link to view the full piece is on Bluesky! <3
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Oooh, if you're accepting stuff for the OTP + Character Ask thing, then for Rufus/Cloud... Let's go with 3, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 36, 38, and 39. Lmao, I know that's a lot. Please, thank you, and sorry. XD
Yes, yes, yes! Still doing!! I'll answer the first ask or two and put the rest under the cut so this post doesn't get too long.
3. Are they into PDA? Who initiates most?
I think it's pretty obvious that Rufus is the one who initiates PDA, but only when he feels especially bastard-like. I do think he'd naturally draw the line in situations that would make Cloud genuinely uncomfortable (like in front of his friends/family/comrades), but strangers? Eh, who cares? Mostly, though, Rufus likes to be almost caught, it's the tension of possibly being seen that excites him, it's watching Cloud squirm that amuses him most. If Cloud is drunk, he'll act physically possessive without much pretense at all.
12. Who prefers calling to texting (& vice versa)? Bonus: Who is so bad at texting it made the other think they weren’t interested when they first started hanging out? [This could be hypothetical as much as real].
Rufus would rather call. It's the business man in him. Real businessmen don't text important shit. It's also bad form to put things in text. Too formal, some things are better communicated verbally (this may be the fact that I work in a law office speaking). Cloud is the one who is abysmal about texting at first. If Rufus is inwardly concerned that Cloud isn't interested, he'd keep it to himself.
13. Stay home/go-out? What are their date nights like?
Irritatingly lavish because Rufus plans them all. This is not Cloud's forte. He barely wants to be seen in public, let alone seen in public with someone who loves to be seen in public. A night in would be perfectly fine with Cloud. Still, I can't see this as being planned by anyone other than Rufus, and the "night in" would be a "night in a 5 star suite complete with room service and wine that costs almost as much as the room itself."
17. Who is more competitive?
Tie. They're both so bull-headed. Have you played the game(s)?! Have you heard these two men throw insults (flirt) back and forth?! This is what makes the ship so much fun!
18. What are they like when they’re drunk? How do they act together? & when 1 is drunk, while the other one’s sober?
Cloud - fewer words, if you can believe it, but no filter. Will say the mean things and the soft things and the sweet things. Holds a sour face. Bebi-shaped (always).
Rufus - horny and somehow even more elegant. Difficult to tell except for the slight flush to his cheeks. His smile reaches his eyes more.
19. What do they fight about most often? (Alternative: what was their biggest fight?)
Which one of them is a bigger liar.
22. Love languages? How do they get around differences, if any?
I think Cloud's love language is pretty clearly Acts of Service. He can't help but help. For Rufus, I would lean toward Quality Time. At least in the case of Cloud, he knows he needs the right hook. He finds ways to make sure they're alone, repeatedly, without interruption. He is not at all feigning attentiveness. And at least in terms of NTYC, they get around differences primarily by Fucking. It can be very cathartic and can really re-frame whatever things you were arguing about beforehand, LMAO.
25. (a lil sappy, but..) What do they like about each other?
Hmm. I think Cloud likes the directness, even though there are times Rufus is clearly playing a game. He likes that he can say whatever he wants without really having to worry about stepping on Rufus' toes or hurting his feelings. Rufus likes having a worthy opponent in Cloud. By many definitions of the term.
27. Craziest place they had sex?
Bathroom at a heavily attended private event. This is in the story but I also just think it tracks for the ship, generally.
29. First date? (Give as much or little detail)
Something suitably over the top that would make Cloud flush the entire time. Something that included a private car and an expensive dinner, maybe an illustrious night at the theatre because Rufus is important enough to get box seats. Everything is a competition, after all, and if Cloud is shocked speechless, Rufus is pleased. He's winning.
30. Pet names? Yes or no?
Rufus would absolutely use pet names (again...he's ruthless). Cloud? No. Absolutely not. Unless things uttered milliseconds before climax count as "pet names."
31. How do they spend their anniversary?
Alone. I don't know if either of them are sentimental enough to put much stock into an anniversary.
32. Who’s so affectionate they can’t stop touching the other?
Probably Rufus, but I don't know how much of this is genuine affection or that desire to claim and overwhelm. It's probably still motivated by affection, he just tells himself otherwise. You have to fuck Cloud into submission for him to start feeling comfortable enough to get touchy-feely.
36. Who is more protective?
Cloud. No one on the planet is more protective than Cloud.
38. If/when they have kids, what is their parenting style (or pets-who does what)?
Cloud is practically already a co-dad, so I think we kinda know his parenting style. Or, I like to indulge myself in writing MORE about it. I think his mother was probably a wonderful parent and that he was quite close to her, so that's what he'd emulate to the best of his ability. Patience, protection, never a raised voice.
Rufus...aaaah, yikes. That's tough. I don't think he has much use for children. Can't picture it. I would like to believe he'd want to be a better father than his own, but I think his fear of failing would create a self-fulfilling prophecy, of sorts.
39. Do they get along with the other’s family? If not, how do they deal with the other’s family?
Well enough. Cloud is combative with the Turks because old habits die hard, but in the end they'd have each others' backs, right? I believe so. And Rufus will be perfectly cordial to anyone who is important to someone who is important to him. He takes that sort of thing seriously. He values loyal people.
What happened to Dark Star? I haven't seen Advent Children for years, so I'm assuming Dark Nation is out of the picture, but is Dark Star in the picture at all for Next Time You Call?
To be honest, my assumption when I began NTYC was that Dark Nation was dead, and so the line from chapter one directly references the fact that Cloud killed him:
He dreams instead of Rufus Shinra...the way he snarls as Cloud cuts down Dark Nation in a single violent swing of his sword.
I just saw Advent Children again before the release of Rebirth when it was enjoying a limited run in theaters, and Dark Nation was nowhere to be found. I'm assuming his survival (and rebrand as Darkstar), is a dyed-in-the-wool retcon. I'm totally okay with that. Rufus surviving the end of FF7 is the first and most major retcon that I can remember, and I never once was assed about it. He's such a great character, it would've been a shame if he met his end that day on the top floor of Shinra HQ (like his disgusting father...no thanks).
I never thought to include Dark Nation past the events in the original game, so I can't. I don't want Rebirth to change too much of the fic's foundational canon. It will only make it more difficult for me to keep things straight going forward, and I don't want the fic to end up having an obvious pre-and-post Remake series identity crisis. With the exception of utilizing Remake/Rebirth's beautifully expanded maps and locations, and the occasional harmless background tidbit (like learning exactly how/when Cloud left Nibelheim through both Traces of Two Pasts and Rebirth), I'm going to predominately defer to the canon that existed right up until 2016.
This was a great question, and definitely something that stays on my mind now that so much more attention has returned to FF7 in general. I think the thing that will probably affect me and my depiction of Rufus in NTYC going forward is the knowledge of just how strong his connection to his lil beastie was, because of the fact that I wrote it in such a way as to make Cloud directly responsible for killing the man's dog...yikes...
Maybe he'll get Rufus a puppy, someday, who knows? (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
