mini fic for @chaieos // weiss & rufus
as the sun descends beneath the distant skyline and the horizon darkens, weiss watches for the last time as the once bustling pavements and human infested waters dwindle until no one is left ━━━━ the endless tide swallowing the final echoes of conversation, and unhurried footsteps. marine life returns, reclaiming what was always theirs; from the windowsill he sits upon, he can see that much. the planet doesn't sleep, not truly, and yet its most vile creations do, retreating behind locked doors and artificial comforts the moment darkness settles overhead. nature, patient as ever, wastes no time reclaiming the silence they leave behind.
they've been here for three nights now, and will embark come sunrise, the immaculate yet to enjoy anything this resort has to offer. a place shinra's little heir spent most of his summers, or so he'd been told, and a sight weiss had spent his twenty years of life completely ignorant of. the smell of salt was relentless, assaulting, the bustle and sun the only things he found familiar. everything else felt foreign ━━━━ the endless stretch of glittering coastline, an atmosphere that seemed so painfully detached from the world he'd been shaped to survive.
❛❛ don't like the sand between your toes .ᐣ you should take a dive in the sea. ❜❜
still stood in his deepground uniform, pristine despite the heat and sea breeze, weiss had given him a curt look before refusing. it wasn't a matter he was interested in, too often was the white brother allowed to experience what this planet had to offer while black remained without. there had never been fairness between them, only carefully measured privilege disguised as necessity. if the restrictor wasn't here to forcefully make weiss, he was opting out, free will remaining a thing he was rarely allowed to dictate. rufus unable to force him even if he tried.
he had instead remained stood on the weathered brick, leaning against the metal railing preventing fools from falling the few feet to the golden sand. weiss had enjoyed the sun for what it was, the breeze too he supposed, even if the unfamiliar ocean air still felt strange brushing against his skin. rufus slung off, changing into one of the countless outfits he'd brought along and doing exactly what he said weiss should.
mismatched hues had flickered down, only to meet a pair of bright blues staring right back at him. a grin had spread effortlessly across rufus' features as the woman at his side leaned in closer, her laughter carrying faintly across the shoreline before being swallowed by the crash of distant waves. immaculation stood, returning to the hotel where he remained until now. beach side, were any threats to arise, he was close enough to justify the distance, close enough to intervene without ever needing to pretend he belonged amongst the holidaymakers below.
a mixed - bred dog is louder than the footsteps outside, the rapid clicking of claws briefly drowning out the tapping of a card against an automatic door system. the door pushes open with the same familiar squeak it's made several times before, its tired hinges protesting despite the luxury surrounding them. weiss makes no move to offer a warm welcome, allowing the cooling air to continue rolling into the room from the window, pointedly neglecting a fancy air conditioner able to preform the same task. the same goes for all the accommodations in place ━━━━ an oversized bed, polished furnishings, expensive artwork, stocked minibar, and every needless indulgence carefully selected to satisfy wealth and status. all of it was there for shinra, not the immaculate. every luxury treated with the same detached indifference he afforded everything that wasn't required for battle. the resort could boast every comfort the surface had to offer, yet none of it belonged to him, nor did he have any desire to pretend otherwise.
❛❛ you're so boring. ❜❜
rufus had so boldly proclaimed upon returning that very first evening, his voice carrying the same effortless arrogance that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. after rinsing the lingering grains of sand from his skin in the ensuite — because apparently even leisure required a certain standard of refinement — he emerged only when he deemed himself presentable enough to entertain conversation. he then proceeded to collapse onto the bed with his ridiculous inside-clothes rule still firmly intact, even in a place far removed from the tower's rigid expectations.
for a while, he simply allowed himself to sink into the comfort of the mattress, entirely unbothered by the silence that stretched between them. weiss, in no particular hurry to indulge him, offered no response. only when he noticed the older's attention had shifted, pale eyes quietly watching him from across the room, did his calm reply come.
❛❛ should i be in the water like you, talking to women .ᐣ ❜❜
his lips slowly curled, rufus' pulled.
❛❛ you could be talking to me. ❜❜
and oh, how amusing that was. how utterly, disgustingly twisted weiss found the entire situation, especially knowing exactly how his brother would react. nero would writhe in absolute disgust, horrified by the very thought of this arrangement, of being summoned not for some simple, disposable task on shinra’s behalf, but instead to act as a glorified protector for their precious little prince.
were weiss to refuse, or even allow something as simple as his ( confiscated ) blade to render through pale flesh, well . . . shinra had already made it painfully clear that they were more than willing to punish nero whenever weiss dared to indulge in the consequences of disobedience.
❛❛ about .ᐣ ❜❜
❛❛ i don't know. you're the nature freak. tell me something i don't know. ❜❜
darkstar trots into the room beside rufus, perfectly aware of her place and far too well trained to question it. she moves past weiss without hesitation, her paws making quiet sounds against the floor as she searches for somewhere comfortable to settle. she finds her place between the two of them, a silent presence caught somewhere between her owner and the stranger she had slowly grown accustomed to.
inevitably, she would end up curled against whichever side of the bed rufus claimed as his own, as she always did. for now, however, she seemed content with this temporary arrangement.
not immediately bothering to rid himself of the salt and sand still clinging stubbornly to him, weiss's gaze drifts back towards the empty waters beyond the window.
❛❛ it's empty now. ❜❜
obvious, perhaps, but for someone raised within a place where day and night held no true distinction, the sight still carried a strange unfamiliarity. somehow, the clubs that continued their obnoxious service long after darkness settled made more sense to him ━━━━ though it was not something he would ever willingly admit to the blonde.
a snarky remark never comes. neither do the expected footsteps moving closer. weiss doesn’t bother glancing behind him, already capable of hearing every subtle shift.
❛❛ we should go. ❜❜
at that, weiss chuckles, the sound quiet and amused, white locks shifting slightly with every movement as he finally tears his attention away from the shimmering surface of the water.
❛❛ haven't you had enough .ᐣ ❜❜
❛❛ nope. ❜❜
❛❛ don't come here enough. ❜❜
rising from the window, he doesn’t close it behind him. they were far too high up for anything besides insects to find their way inside.
a grin slowly spreads across the shorter man’s face as he realises that after three days of the same monotonous routine, the same predictable dance repeating itself, there was finally a different answer. finally, he had gotten his way.
commanding darkstar to stay behind, she releases a quiet sigh, though weiss finds it difficult to feel much sympathy towards the creature. after all, he had spent the majority of his existence locked away, isolated from the world. she would survive a short absence, especially for a trip he had no intention of entertaining for longer than a few minutes.
the journey downward remains silent. the elevator waits exactly where it had been less than a minute before, almost as if anticipating a return. it's rufus who reaches forward and presses the button, a small action that, for reasons weiss cannot quite understand, continues to endlessly amuse him.
such were the struggles of having a bodyguard who knew how to fight but failed at navigating.
cool outside, a drastic change from the sweltering heat that had summoned so many to the water. drawn to it now for an entirely different reason, they make their way down worn stairs. weiss watches rufus for a moment as he slips off the carefully chosen shoes he had bought specifically for this trip, before those golden rimmed blues move to the endless stretch of foamy waters. the moon's light illuminates every ripple, casting silver across the shifting surface as gentle waves breathe against the shore. though the ocean looks a different colour than it does in the day, weiss decides he likes it more like this. nero would too.
❛❛ so, want to get in .ᐣ ❜❜ rufus leaves his shoes abandoned beside the bottom step, his footsteps carrying him across the shore and further into the darkness. past weiss. certainly not having enough wasn't a lie, already leaving behind the loose, sinking sand in favour of the firmer ground where the water reaches out to meet him.
watching him go, weiss remains momentarily still, his gaze following every movement as though trying to understand the appeal of something so simple. he answers. ❛❛ not particularly. ❜❜
an annoyed little sound slips from the blonde's lips, quiet yet exaggerated enough to make his displeasure obvious. he continues onward anyway, refusing to be deterred, until the water completely surrounds his ankles. the soldier moves until his boots border on the wet sand.
❛❛ you're missing out ❜❜ he's knee deep already, the ocean curling around him as he turns, casting a glance back towards the white haired man with a smile resting easily upon his lips. someone already knows they've won. still, he bides his time, unwilling to admit how much he enjoys watching weiss hesitate. he loathes his own curiosity, the way it constantly drags him toward things he cannot fully understand. even if he never left the depths of his home, one day weiss would possess the memories of everything to ever live — and yet he still craved first hand experiences. still reached for moments that belonged only to him, moments untouched by borrowed thoughts or inherited feelings. felt something he couldn't quite name, a strange ache that lingered, lamented the fact nero might never be able to. promised himself he would find a way to show him anyway.
❛❛ on water .ᐣ ❜❜ he raises a brow, knowing the eyes of a human wouldn't be able to see it from this far in the darkness, but he's certain the doubt is clear enough in his tone. rufus merely hums, turning his back.
one step forward, and not even a moment later does the water reach him, spilling over the leather of his boots. he can't feel it, the material shielding him from the chill as he settles for simply observing. before taking another. feet submerged, the mako in his boots lights up, glowing beneath the water for a moment before darkening once more.
❛❛ any unknown facts .ᐣ ❜❜
their gazes snap back together, and weiss finds rufus smiling, one brow lifted in quiet amusement. each passing wave splashes against his thighs, leaving trails of water that shimmer beneath the moonlight.
he's certain if he thinks on it, he could conjure something ━━━━ from a past SND dive or the memories of someone he's stolen. someone who got to live this at their own pace, someone who had experienced the world slowly, naturally, without needing to search through another person's mind for the answer. who likely never thought twice. for a change, weiss doesn't particularly want that. doesn't want his own senses to be drowned out, overwritten by the impressions and emotions of another.
his head shakes slightly with the answer. ❛❛ not this time. ❜❜
the laugh that escapes the blonde's lips isn't what coaxes weiss forward. deeper into the endless expanse of water until he can feel it seep into his shoes and begin to nip at the white fabric of his pants. coat getting thoroughly drenched where it drapes at his legs. all uncomfortable sensations but nothing he hasn't felt before, nothing that truly bothers the large man.
there's some effort put into keeping his features impassive despite the surprise that crosses him when rufus returns. the water lurches with the sudden movement, disturbed as he comes closer, a wet hand reaching out to grab weiss's dry one. tugged further into the murky depths, while the moon is able to make the distant waters shine, weiss allows the mako embedded in his clothing to alight once more. he fails to ignore the way it causes rufus's lips to turn upward even further, amusement and something softer hidden within the expression.
the sand beneath them is compact but still too soft to truly provide stability when rising onto the tips of his toes. rufus instead lets go of his soldier's hand, choosing instead to lift it and bury his fingers within a white mane. leverage. pulling him closer, attempting to meet him halfway. a failed attempt yet weiss takes half a step forward to help. the distance between them disappears. still damp from being here not long ago, rufus presses against weiss's warmth within the cold waters, the contrast between them all encompassing as their lips meet.
+ bonus .ᐟ .ᐟ
a pale brow raises, watching the momentary pause weiss has once they part, the smallest flicker of surprise crossing the immaculate’s usual smug expression. enjoying the last rays of warm sunshine, he'd gone for a ( what was supposed to be a ) last dip before leaving the beach ━━━━ only rinsing his feet off with the shower heads costa del sol had conveniently lined the beach. salt undoubtedly still lingered upon his lips, ones the immaculate had just run his tongue across, an unfamiliar taste. probably wasn't expecting the taste. it most certainly didn't require a genius to figure out he'd never visited the ocean before. and well, with all the grief weiss enjoyed causing the future president, no one could blame him for the smirk upon his lips or for what he was about to do. if anyone dared to question it, well, when had rufus ever cared for the opinion of others that didn't directly influence his grand future or current plans .ᐣ their thoughts were nothing more than background noise.
his hands cup, dipping into the chilly water — a drastic contrast to the warmth that still clung to weiss' skin — lifting some out and up. it spills freely, slipping between his fingers and catching the moonlight before disappearing back into the sea. weiss peers down at the strange action before rufus finally explains: "here, try a sip."
finger tips brush against soft lips, weiss listens ━━━━ something he should do more often. the fact that he actually does is perhaps the most surprising thing of all. a majority of liquid slips from his grasp as his wrists are grabbed, held, but the taller is clearly able to get some. the gesture is almost absurdly gentle compared to the usual sharp edges, though rufus' intentions remain just as teasing. now he truly can't help his clear amusement, a quiet laugh threatening to escape as he watches the reaction unfold, doesn't get the chance to demand weiss to spit it out or warn not to swallow.
"tastes better than the stuff you drink"
better than coffee. better than the stagnant water provided in deepground too, the crumbling depths never free from shinra's notorious waste dumping.
"you actually swallowed .ᐣ"
he sounds surprised, genuine disbelief slipping into his tone despite himself. weiss smiles. where he holds rufus' wrists, he lowers them, tugging him closer and bridging the distance between them once more. the movement is effortless, leaving little room for protest or escape. though they hardly share a proper kiss, for the moment the blonde dares to open his mouth and invite the weapon further, what he didn't swallow is shared ━━━━ and promptly coughed up.
breaking free, a hand promptly coming to rub at his now wet chin, bright blues glare up. the sharpness in his gaze returns immediately, though the faintest hint of amusement betrays him.
"ugh."
"should've known."
"it's good to share."
the words are delivered with the same smug confidence that always seems to accompany weiss.
those same blues suddenly roll, the slightest smile biting at his lips easily hidden behind his hand still rubbing at them.
