Techno begets bad dancing.

It's been a hell of a long week. Reno hopes never to be called on a business trip like that again- Tseng's had him cooped up in a place with no means of communication outside the conference center, for security purposes, and no way OUT of the conference center- everything's been piped in to meet an employee's basic needs, excepting what Reno likes to call 'real needs'- communication, entertainment, wiggle room for rule breaking. The human being is a social machine, and the classic doctrine of all work and no play is a drastic understatement for him. By the time Tseng inhaled in order to call the trip quits, Reno was already throwing his suitcase into the chopper and adjusting his headset.

As exhausted as he is once he lands the helicopter, he's more interested in appeasing his real needs than catching up on sleep. When he stopped by his little apartment to chuck his luggage on the couch and change into something less work-ish, he debated calling his partner Rude and inviting him to go out to town with him. After Reno combed his hair as well as he could and decided that anything more than jeans, a black tank and boots were too fancy even for nightclubs, he even flipped open his phone and dialed the man, only to hang up a couple of rings later. Reno will flow with anything you call him, even grinning in the face of something like 'slut,' but he's just as bad as a grade schooler when it comes to holding a torch for someone. A man like him doesn't handle his own infatuation very well, ironically, which is why he walks on eggs when it comes to his partner. He'd rather Rude snap his neck and kill him than dash his picket-fence daydreams with negation, which is why he shows up alone tonight at Shiva's Fan, where he'd tried to get Rude to come drinking with him once and it turned into a great big awkward silence. Needless to say, that never happened again. When he does get into the dancing, he hardly pays attention to the girl he's picked up for it. He only wishes it were someone bigger and better.

Rude stands in front of Reno's apartment door waiting for an answer. He'd called Tseng to check up on things and had been informed that the Director and his partner were now safely back in Midgar. Rude looks at his phone again to be sure it isn't on silent or malfunctioning. He had expected his partner to call, come by, SOMETHING. Anything to let him know that the redhead had gotten back safely. Rude can't decide if it irks him or not that Reno blew him off. He knows that it is partly because of his unrequited feelings for the smaller man, feelings he had never and would never show for fear of driving Reno off. The man had become more than just the best work partner that he'd ever had, he had also become the one thing Rude really looked forward to each day. Rude looks back at the door and knocks again but after a few minutes with no answer, he decides Reno must have gone out somewhere. He turns and starts for his car, the phone feeling very heavy in his hand before he finds himself suddenly dialing Elena. He checks with her to see if she's heard from Reno and then calls Tseng when his little sister is of no real help. Tseng merely informs Rude that he's not Reno's babysitter and that he should check all the nightclubs in town and look for the one where a fight has been started. Certainly Reno would be there. Rude sits in his car and tries to run the map of Midgar through his head. There are FAR too many nightclubs for that. Besides, he doesn't even know that he wants to admit why talking to Reno is suddenly so important to him. He just...he just wants to know Reno got back ok. Rude stares hard at his phone before finally dialing Reno's cell. He feels foolish for doing it but he can come up with some lie if need be.

Reno finally calms down, a little- but only after a half hour straight of moving to whatever's been coming through the speakers. He even goes as far as chatting up the girl from the floor, testing his own waters to see if he feels like going home alone tonight or not. He doesn't know what it was about the business trip that soured him, but he finds himself shaking her off within minutes of starting the conversation, finding his interest waning, if it was even there to begin with. By the time his phone starts ringing, he's had a couple of drinks and found himself a real looker to dance with- nice enough on the eyes, tall, bald, even with a chintzy pair of shades, though not as dark as he'd like, really. When he feels the vibration at his hip, he doesn't bother checking the caller ID when he pulls it up and answers as if the motion were part of the dance. He'd turn the damn thing off, but Tseng would have his head for going off call. TURKs aren't allowed private time. "Anythin' important?" he mutters in the bastardized Sector 6 tang nobody's been able to get him out of for years, turning his head to the side to minimize the music and twisting his body in kind, artfully playing out of the other dancer's hands once again. For some reason, they don't feel big enough- reliable enough.

Rude hesitates on the other end of the line. Reno was at some sort of nightclub which meant Tseng was right. The slight huff to his voice told Rude that he'd been engaged in SOME kind of physical activity and the bald man fought hard to not feel a little sick at the thought of Reno involved with someone else in something more than a dance. He doubted Reno would have answered the phone though. There's a slight blur to the man's tone that is a tell tale sign Reno's had some drinks. The slang only comes out when he's let his guard down a little. Rude almost hangs up..he shouldn't have called. Shouldn't have interrupted. Reno answered though and he knows the man has caller ID. The unhappy note in his voice and the words Reno says have Rude pretty sure he shouldn't have interrupted whatever Reno was doing. "Sorry," he manages to mutter out, "I...I was just calling...wanted to make sure you got back from the trip ok. Sorry." Rude feels like an idiot. He slumps a little in the seat of his car. Maybe Reno will make it easier on them both and just hang up on him. Rude can play it off tomorrow and just tell the redhead not to be such an ass when he's drunk. He doubts somehow that Reno will end the night being able to remember this conversation anyway.

"Eh?" He blinks and nearly loses his step when he hears the familiar rumble at the other end of the line. "Hey, wait up, yeah?" It's hard to tell whether he's saying this to Rude or to the man he's dancing with, but he doesn't clarify as he pulls away from the floor, leaving Tall Bald and Sparkly confused behind him. "Rude?" he inquires, weaving through the people to find a quieter seat. "No, hang on, don'go. What's shakin', partner?" His voice turns a near 180, sounding far more pleased now than it did when he answered, though still a little short of breath.

Rude blinks slowly a few times. Ok, change of pace then. Apparently Reno just answered his phone without checking because he sounds like he's surprised at who is on the other end. Rude shrugs it off as just being Reno. "Didn't mean to catch you at a bad time. I can catch up with you tomorrow if you're busy," a pause, "You didn't call me when you got back." There's the slightest note of accusation there. Rude hates the sound of it in his voice but he can't hide from himself that face that he's a little hurt and disappointed. "Just wanted to see how the trip went," he clarifies at last in an attempt to cover the note of betrayal in that accusation.

"You was waitin' for me t'call?" His tone softens imperceptibly as he slides onto a stool at the bar, signaling for another drink- the tender knows him well enough to have no need for asking what he wants. "Well, fuck me. M'sorry, comrade. I woulda called, but I thought mebbe you was asleep or doin' them old folks things y'do," he teases gently. "I'm here, safe'n'sound, an' the trip was a bust. I think Dot does it on purpose sometimes, yeah? Hey, wanna come out dancin' with me? An' mebbe, y'know, actually dance this time?" His tone is still teasing, but there's a note of hope in it most people would find ridiculous coming out of someone like Reno. Reno never needs to hope for things or even ask- they just land in his lap and that's the way it is. Except for the things he really wants, though he never lets those slip where anyone would know about them.

Rude doesn't answer right away. He hates the way Reno thinks of him as a bit on the boring side...he can't really fight that though. He guesses in light of Reno's own personal life, he DOES do 'old folks things'. Rude considers just saying no, going home and curling up with a book but the part of him that really wants to see Reno reminds him that if he is bothered by his lack of a social life, then he should get out there and change it. Before he can talk himself out of it, Rude forces the answer out of his mouth. "Fine, what club?" He hangs onto what he wants to believe is that little bit of hopefullness in Reno's voice. The redhead sounded like he really WANTED Rude to be there so maybe this trying a night out on the town thing would't be too bad. He sucks at dancing though. The idea of being out on the floor, surrounded by people makes Rude's stomach tighten up. He is fairly certain he'll make an ass of himself but really, as a Turk he can always find an excuse to blow the place up later if anyone makes fun of him for it.

"Shiva's Fan, same as ever." He doesn't care who sees the smile plastered across his face now, doesn't care whether or not it seeps into his voice. "I hope y'show up, yeah? Be nice t'be here without bein' by m'self again. Mebbe we c'n go h..." He stops before it slips out, cringing visibly. "Let's getcha someone'a take home, huh? Lots o'pretty fillies here tonight. Promise I won't put too much pressure on ya, huh? Juss' to have some fun. See ya soon?"

Rude clings to the statement that wasn't said. He could figure out what Reno was about to say and hopes against all odds that it wasn't just Reno talking too fast for his brain to keep up. Maybe he meant it and just didn't follow through? Rude can only pray. He dreaded the idea of spending the night with the one man he DID want trying to toss chick after chick in his direction. He hadn't even told his partner he was gay yet. He had seen Reno flirt with men and women alike, the redhead didn't seem to HAVE a preference, and he'd often teased the smaller man about being 'omni-sexual', but he had never spoken openly about his own desires. How could he tell Reno that while the redhead had been staring at the ass of some blond, HE had been staring at Reno's ass? Rude sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'll be there. Give me no more than twenty." He won't have time to go by his apartment to get a change of clothes but Rude is pretty sure he doesn't have anything club worthy anyway. He decides it's just as well that he show up in the one outfit he really feels comfortable in anyway. Having just gotten off of work, Rude tugs at the tie around his neck and speeds off toward downtown. It only takes him fifteen minutes to get there since he felt no real need to obey traffic laws. What idiot would pull over a Turk anyway? Rude parks the car and turns on the alarm. He can't trust anyone in this area. He heads to the front door of the club and the bouncer takes one look at the uniform before paling and backing the hell out of Rude's way. The other patrons in line all scoot back a step. Turks carry a pretty heavy reputation.

Rude steps into the darkness of the club and thanks the gods his sunglasses are still in place. A dizzying array of lights flash and swirl across a packed dancefloor and music thrums loud enough to make his ears hurt. Rude frowns. Maybe this was NOT such a good idea afterall. He ignores the looks shot in his direction as he heads through the club and he has little trouble parting the crowd as he looks for Reno. He spots the smaller man at the bar located at the back of the club and he beelines for him.


Reno flips his phone shut and holds it to his lips thoughtfully a moment before slipping it back into his pocket and turning to his waiting drink. He's on his fourth when Rude shows up, still barely giving a sign of a buzz and bopping in his seat to the music. He brightens visibly when Rude comes to view, almost laughing at the same old suit. He nods to the stool he's had his boot planted on for ten minutes, taking said boot away, and turns to the bartender to order a scotch neat and another mako eyes. He might as well give Rude a free round. He turns back to his partner, sweaty, hair plastered to his forehead and looking all but tangled into the strap of the goggles hanging around his neck. "There y'are! I thought for sure you was gonna duck out. Hey, s'too hot for that, huh? C'mon, chuck yer jacket back here 'hind th'bar. This guy won't lift nothin', I promise."

Rude looks at the barkeep with a blank expression that still somehow manages to radiate "messing with me would not be wise" before reluctantly shucking his jacket off. It doesn't do much to help as the shoulder holsters he is wearing underneath it are now in full view of the public and the area around Reno and Rude suddenly gets a lot more empty. Rude lays the jacket neatly on the counter and watches as the keep takes it and puts it away. Rude's eyes are already scanning the club a tad uncomfortably as he replies. "I told you I would come. I don't lie to you, you know that." Rude eases down onto the offered stool and pulls his drink close to him. Finally, satisfied that no one is stupid enough to get too close, Rude turns to look at his partner. The man is utterly gorgeous, especially like this. He's relaxed and seems to be entirely in his own element here. The hair plastered around his face makes Rude want to see more of him covered in sweat but for entirely different reasons and he coughs lightly, turning back to his drink. "Anything at all interesting happen on the trip?" he asks idly.

"Absotively nothin'. Classified meetin's out the ass an' box meals alla way." Reno shakes his head as he talks, slipping off his stool to move around Rude and unclasp the holsters. "Nothin' bad'll happen here we can't take on with juss' our hands, bro, truss' me," he murmurs, making no big deal of getting into Rude's personal space to disarm him. "Big tip for dancin'... y'want people 'round ya. More people y'got around ya, the less y'gotta move your feet, so let's not scare'em off, yeah? Makes it easier for ya." Even as he talks, he's still moving, subtly pressuring his hands against Rude's arms to rock the man into at least swaying in his seat. When Rude is disarmed to a much less frightening degree, Reno slides back onto his own stool and grins. "Mebbe unbutton yer shirt a li'l, too. Gets hot in here, air flow's nice. How's the HQ without me?"

Rude tenses for a moment as Reno steps well within his personal boundaries but he slowly seems to calm under the careful touches. He can smell the deodorant and spice of aftershave coming off the smaller man and Rude lets himself inhale it all with his eyes shut as the weapons are slipped from his body. The sound of Reno's voice near his ear is comforting, reminding him that as much as he hates this place already, Reno is there and he knows his back is covered. His partner won't lead him wrong...not without being right there to help him set things right again. Rude resists the swaying at first, stubbornly refusing to move, but after the weight of the guns is gone, he relents and lets himself be rocked. He feels utterly foolish. There's a bit of disappointment as Reno moves away again and Rude makes a mental note to wear a lot more weapons the next time he comes. He liked having Reno so comfortably close. It kept everyone else away. His partner is the only one he trusts and the only one whom he wants near him. Rude shoots Reno a disgruntled look but he pops loose the top buttons of his shirt anyway. "Quiet. Boring. I was losing my damned mind." He refrains from adding 'lonely' in that list. Rude shifts on his seat and sips at the drink offered to him. He glances back at the dance floor and suppresses a shudder. With the drinks flowing and the music playing, people quickly forget that Rude was armed heavily only a few moments ago. They slowly begin to press back in, lost in the haze of thrumming base and alcohol. "I don't...I don't know how to dance, Reno." Rude looks a bit embarrassed to say it. He'd learned how to ballroom dance, his mother had insisted, but Rude had never been one for the club scene.

"S'always quiet an' boring there. That ain't nothin' new," he chuckles, swirling the nearly phosphorescent blue in his glass before downing it. He loves the innocuous-looking drinks, especially the ones people like to call him a fag for drinking- they're usually the ones that knock a lesser man on his ass after less than two shots. He watches Rude finally ease into the undertow of the pulsing atmosphere and smiles benevolently at the confession, not surprised in the least. The last time he managed to get Rude into this place was a disaster, and a blaring testament to what Rude said just now. "S'good it's crowded an' yer not scary now, then," he prods. "Like I said, the more people 'round ya, the less y'gotta use yer feet. I can show ya how to try. Y'know, if you wanna. Ain't too hard, y'know. Get a couple drinks in ya, we'll give it a try, huh?" He hopes he doesn't sound too into the idea. He has no idea what Rude goes for, and as many toes as Reno tends to step on to get what he wants, Rude's are the only boundaries he seems to shy away from.

Rude has the good taste to blush heavily at the thought of Reno helping him learn to dance though the nightclub's lights help to hide that fact. He shifts a little nervously in his seat and downs the rest of his drink a lot more quickly than he normally would. He signals for the keep to give him another and he downs the entirety of that glass as well. With any luck he can get drunk enough to force his spine to unknot. Rude would like very much for Reno to teach him to dance...hell as long as Reno's hands are on him, he'd be up for just about anything. Rude can't bring himself to say anything so he just resorts to nodding his agreement to the idea. He'll give it a go. "Even one person laughs, I'm hospitalizing both of you," he grumbles before grabbing his third drink and sighing into it.