Taking Care of Reno: Advent Children
Chapter 11: The Return
The pilot hadn’t been happy. In fact, if Tseng hadn’t been with her, she wasn’t entirely sure he’d have backed down at all, given her current lack of a company ID and her borderline-filthy uniform. The Turk leader projected a level of authority she doubted she could ever even hope to match.
… Though subtly dropping Viridia’s name probably hadn’t hurt, either.
A pilot from Junon might not necessarily recognize one of the Turks on sight, but they damn well knew who Captain Viridia Nacelle was. In fact, it was quite likely that the recently-promoted captain was going to be receiving an urgent message from the crew they’d ejected from their aircraft a few minutes ago.
And sure enough, almost as soon as she’d thought it, the radio crackled.
“Copter 7, this is Junon base. Come in, please.”
Tseng’s lips quirked upwards as he pointedly ignored the request… until a new voice came on.
“Goddamnit, Tseng, if that’s really you up there, you pick up this radio right now!”
The Wutaiian Turk quickly reached for the receiver and depressed the button. “Copter Seven here… Something I can help you with, Captain?”
“Oh, thank Kjata…” came the relieved response, though it quickly turned furious. “You! Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? Reno told me you disappeared almost two weeks ago! And now you turn up in Kalm and don’t even bother to call me? I have to hear about it from some poor, terrified second lieutenant after you hijacked one of my helicopters and flew off to Shiva only knows where! Just wait until I get my hands on you, Tseng!”
Elena couldn’t help but giggle softly. “I think she’s upset with you, sir…”
Tseng shook his head. “Elena… believe me. You have never seen my dear Viridia truly angered,” he replied fondly, and turned his attention back to the radio. “I apologize.. but we were in something of a rush. I did promise to return it.”
“It had better be in one piece when you do!” There was a brief pause. “And you had better be, too.”
“I intend to be. Have you heard from Reno recently? We’ve been unable to contact him thus far.”
“No… I’m sorry, but I haven’t. The last message we had from Healin was two days ago. Standard data transmission and supply requests. No other news.”
“… I see. Alright. On the off chance he should contact you in the next half hour or so, let him know we’re en route to Healin now.”
“Of course. And Tseng… be careful. If you go out and get yourself killed, I will never forgive you!”
Tseng chuckled quietly. “Viridia, I would bargain my soul to Hades himself to return from the dead if it meant avoiding the full force of your wrath.”
“Well, I should certainly hope so.“
Reno could hear voices as he and Rude mounted the stairs… a fairly intense conversation, but it didn’t seem to be an argument. Yet. As the two Turks reached the landing, Reno swung the door inward silently.
“Tifa… I’m not fit to help anyone. Not my family, not my friends. No one,” Cloud insisted, not having noticed.
“Dilly-dally shilly-shally,” Tifa responded, sounding exasperated. Cloud looked up at her, and she repeated herself. “Dilly-dally, shilly-shally.”
“Think she wants you to move on, man,” Reno interjected, and two sets of eyes swiveled to look at him.
“Did you find them?” Tifa ask, anxiously.
“Weeeell… found ’em, yeah. Gettin’ ’em back turned out to be a little trickier.”
“Where are they?” Cloud asked.
“They’re using the Forgotten City as a base,” Rude interjected, pushing Reno aside slightly to take a step forward. The redhead rolled his eyes. He doubted Tifa was going to be that impressed by their detective work. Especially since they’d returned empty-handed.
Cloud was silent for a moment. Finally, he looked up at the Turks again.
“Go. Do what you can.”
“Tch… Do what you can, he says,” Reno mimicked. “Listen, Strife. We’re not fuckin’ Soldiers. This shit is a little above our pay grade… as in they don’t pay us enough to volunteer for suicide missions that don’t involve the President.”
“I have to talk to Rufus,” Cloud replied. The redhead snorted and was about to tell him that he might have a little bit of an issue with that at the moment, but Tifa beat him to the punch.
“Stop running!” she demanded, slamming her hand down on the bed. “I know. Even if you find the kids, you might not be able to help them. Maybe something will happen that can never un-happen. That scares you, doesn’t it? But you need to think about now. Really take it in.”
Reno turned somewhat awkwardly to Rude and gestured to the door. The last thing he wanted to get involved in was a lovers’… or whatever they were… quarrel. Rude shook his head. The redhead started towards the open door, but his partner physically dragged him back.
Meanwhile, Tifa was ignoring their presence all together. “Look at you! You think you’ve got it so damn hard. Well, you hate being alone, so let people in! Sure you might not answer the phone, but I don’t see you throwing it away either!”
“You go. Their base is all yours,” Reno finally stated, and turned back to the door, glaring at Rude as if challenging him to try that again. This time, the other Turk followed, and Reno could hear the conversation continuing upstairs. “Alright… Now what the fuck was that all about?” he grumbled as they stepped off the staircase and into the backroom of the bar.
“…”
Reno glanced back, and noted that his partner was blushing faintly.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” the redhead said, rolling his eyes. “And to think… I’m the one that always gets accused of thinkin’ with his dick. Keep it in your pants, partner… we still got a President to find.”
“… Where to now?”
Reno pushed the back door open and ushered the pair out into the warm evening. He glanced upwards at the moon that now hung brightly in the sky.
“Well… we know where he’s not. He’s not at Healin, and he’s not up north. Seems to me that if Kadaj thinks he can ransom him back for Jenova, he’d keep him nearby.”
“You think they’re in Edge?” Rude asked, sounding somewhat surprised.
“Edge, or the Midgar ruins. One of the two. We already know one of ’em headed into the ruins for some reason, and ran into Strife and Tifa. Seems like it might be worth checkin’ out a little farther. See if we can pick up a trail.” He reached into his pocket and fished out his PHS. “First, though… I’m starvin’. We’ve been at this shit all day without a break. I’m gonna see if Lira’ll let us mooch some dinner off her.”
He thumbed open his contact list and suddenly paused, as he realized the message light was flashing. When the hell had a call come in? He switched over to the call log.
“What’s up?” Rude queried. Reno frowned.
“Not sure. Looks like a I got a call from someone while we were up north. Must’ve not had service. You recognize the number?” he asked turning the screen so his partner could see. Rude shook his head. The redhead shrugged and hit the button to play the message. It crackled loudly with static.
“… –no… It’s me… We’re alrigh– … made it to Kalm… Tseng’s hurt, but… coming… soon as… don’t worry about us… –ose guys want Jenova, so… careful… I love you.”
Reno’s breath caught in his throat and he blinked in shock for a moment before turning to look at Rude… who looked just as surprised and relieved as he did. A wide grin spread over the redhead’s face.
“… They’re in Kalm,” he breathed, “Rude… They’re in fucking Kalm!”
He laughed, somewhat manically, and threw his arms around the other man.
“Thank Odin,” Rude said, tightening his own grip on his partner.
“You travel fast,” a voice greeted them as they disembarked from the helicopter. “I only arrived a short while ago myself.”
Elena jumped slightly and spun to face its source. “Vincent!”
“We ran into a supply transport in Kalm,” Tseng replied. “Had the timing not been so fortunate, we would almost certainly still be there. Have you spoken to the others yet?”
“They’re not here. Even Rufus is gone.”
The two Turks looked at one another in concern. It wasn’t odd for Reno and Rude to be off somewhere… but the President, as well? Where would they have gone?
“I would like to stay and help you determine what’s happened… but…”
Tseng shook his head. “Leave this to us. As you said… we’re going to need help dealing with those three. Go and speak with Strife.”
Vincent nodded and disappeared into the night, as Tseng and Elena made their way inside. Everything was, more or less, just how they’d left it. Elena flipped the light switch, illuminating the front room.
“Could they have sent Rufus on to Junon?” she asked. It made sense, especially if they’d been concerned about the trio attacking. Junon was far more secure, and had much better defenses than Healin Lodge.
“I’m quite certain Viridia would have said something, were that the case,” the Turk leader replied, with a negative shake of his head.
“… Oh. Right.”
Tseng stepped over to the couch and leaned down, dutifully ignoring the protest of his injuries, and picked up a plastic bag filled with water. He held it up to the light, curiously.
“A… former ice pack, perhaps?” he mused. “Though I don’t see any evidence of other medical supplies. It can’t have been too serious an injury.”
“If not Junon… where would they have gone?” Shinra only had so many safe facilities these days. There was Healin… Junon… maybe the offices in Edge if they were desperate. The Shinra manor in Nibelheim if they were really desperate. Beyond that, though…
Tseng took a seat on the couch. “I don’t know. And unfortunately we’re not going to find them tonight. We’re both tired and hungry. I suggest we eat, wash off some of the grime we’ve managed to accumulate, and start fresh in the morning.”
Elena sighed softly. As much as she wanted to find Reno… she knew Tseng was right. There wasn’t much that could be done tonight, and frankly, she was exhausted.
She missed him desperately, though. Reno had become a constant in her life, and she just wouldn’t feel quite right until she had him back. And somehow, she had a feeling that neither would he.
The very first thing she was going to do was tell him. Well, she silently amended, the very first thing she was going to do was kiss the son of a bitch. Then she was going to tell him. She was still a little nervous about that, truth be told… but the idea of Reno not knowing about his impending fatherhood was rapidly becoming more and more unbearable for her, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint why exactly.
Tseng patted the seat beside him.
“Come sit down. I’ll see what I can do about dinner.”
Elena smirked slightly, and shook her head. “I’ll make dinner. No offense, sir… but your cooking is still just plain terrible.”
He couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Reno was still inside with Lira and Cole, but Rude… Rude had retreated to the safety of solitude for the moment. He was presently sitting on the little wooden bench near her front door, staring into the growing darkness, and trying to retain his tenuous grasp on control.
He had truly believed they were dead. When he’d seen those ID cards, the miniscule possibility that they weren’t had been dismissed as wishful thinking… and he’d resigned himself to the fact. He’d spent most of the day forcing himself to accept it. Preparing himself for when he’d finally have to tell Reno… and for the utter heartbreak he’d have to witness before picking up the shattered pieces of a man he regarded as better than a brother. Even after they’d found evidence of someone escaping the Forgotten City… he hadn’t dared let it spark any real hope.
Now, though… they were alive. And Rude was slowly coming to terms with the fact that his acceptance had been premature. He was elated, of course. Hearing Elena’s voice on that recording had left him feeling faint for a few moments. But he hadn’t quite managed to shake the notion that it was too good to be true, and that annoying bit of doubt kept him worried that any moment, someone might yank the rug out from under him again.
He took a deep breath and leaned forward, running his hands over his scalp. He wasn’t usually so emotional… but suddenly losing Tseng and Elena, and then just as suddenly getting them back… it was almost too much to process.
The door was still slightly ajar, and it creaked open a bit farther. A little face peered out through the crack, grinning maniacally for a moment before the rest of its body quickly followed, toddling over to him and raising chubby arms to the sky.
“Unca Rude! Up!”
Rude looked up, startled from his thoughts and couldn’t help but snort a soft laugh. He quickly obliged, picking the little boy up and carrying him back inside. Reno and Lira were still at the table where he’d left them, talking animatedly.
“… Think someone got out of his playpen again.”
Lira looked up from her conversation with the redhead.
“Cole!” she gasped, in a concerned, but frustrated tone, “You are gonna give mommy a heart attack if you keep this up!” She smiled at the Turk as she took her son from his arms. “Thanks for recapturin’ him. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with this little escape artist. Can’t take my eyes off him for a second since he started walkin’.”
“Heh… Considered tryin’ a leash?” Reno teased. The little blonde-haired boy giggled as Reno reached out and tugged on one of his bare toes. Lira turned to Rude.
“My hands are full. Smack him for me.”
Rude smirked, and took a halfhearted swing at the redhead, but his partner deftly ducked out of the way before he made contact. Lira sighed and handed her son to Reno.
“Here… hold him for a second.”
Reno obediently accepted the child, and Rude couldn’t help but smile faintly. The first time Lira had done that, his poor friend had looked like he was going to pass out. Or run out… probably screaming. Now, he seemed perfectly at ease cuddling the boy in his mother’s stead. Happy, even. It was something Rude was still getting used to, as he’d never really considered Reno to be especially good with kids. They generally seemed to like the redhead… but his partner had always been a bit terrified of them.
A moment later, Lira delivered a solid thwap to the back of Reno’s head.
“Ow! Hey!”
“That’s for suggestin’ I put my little angel on a leash,” she stated, grinning, and quickly pulled the now riotously laughing toddler from his grasp. Rude snickered as Reno rubbed the injury with one hand and scowled.
“You’re just teaching that poor kid that violence solves all your problems, ya know…” he muttered as she set Cole back down amongst the toys in his playpen.
Lira straightened and set her hands on her hips. “No I’m not. I’m teachin’ you how to be a good father. It’s your own fault you’re so stubborn that I sometimes have to beat the lesson into that thick skull of yours.”
Reno rolled his eyes. “Oh, not this again. Lira… I keep tellin’ ya. Me ‘n ‘Lena aren’t gonna be havin’ kids any time soon. We haven’t even talked about it. I’m not even sure if ‘Lena really wants ’em.”
“And I keep telling you… eventually you’re gonna have ’em. So you’d better start takin’ my lessons to heart,” Lira replied, smiling widely. She started clearing away the dinner dishes from the table. Reno cast the other Turk a somewhat pleading look.
“Rude… back me up here, will ya?”
Rude calmly took the stack of dishes from their hostess. “You cooked. I got these,” he said, and carried them over to the sink, ignoring his partner’s request.
“Tch… some friend you are,” came the petulant reply. “I s’pose you’re just itchin’ for me to get ‘Lena knocked up, too…”
Rude snickered, but said nothing. Lira giggled and leaned over, kissing her friend softly on the check. “You know… you kept saying the same thing about gettin’ married, and look at you now. Goin’ on two years. And,I might point out, you’ve loved every second of it. Come on… just admit it. You wouldn’t mind havin’ a cute little mini-Reno or mini-Elena runnin’ around.”
Reno leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest, pouting – and, Rude thought, possibly even blushing a little.
“… ‘Course I wouldn’t mind… I mean if somethin’ like that happened, I’d kinda have to be cool with it, right? But it’s not gonna happen right now, ’cause we’re not tryin’to make it happen… so quit drivin’ me nuts about it. We’re not ready and we might never be.”
She laughed again and shook her head. “Well… You just keep tellin’ yourself that. Meantime, I’m gonna keep teachin’ you everything I know. Just in case.”
It was some time later, after the dishes were done and the baby was asleep and Lira had gone upstairs to bed, leaving the two Turks to fight it out themselves over space on the couch in the living room.
“You’ve been quiet tonight, partner… Somethin’ up?”
Rude made himself comfortable against the pillows and dragged the blanket Lira had gotten for him over himself.
“Just… They’re alive,” he replied, “Guess I just don’t know what else to say right now.”
“… Yeah. Know what ya mean. Hell of a relief, isn’t it?”
Rude nodded silently in the darkness, before realizing that the redhead probably couldn’t seen him, particularly from his position curled up on the floor. “… Yeah.”
“Tomorrow, we find Rufus, too,” Reno firmly added.
“… And then we pay those assholes back for trying to take them from us,” Rude agreed.
~end chapter 11~
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