Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Interludes – Scene 40

Scene Notes: Because people keep asking for this… 🙂

This takes place sometime in Reno’s first month or so as a Turk. Rufus would have been about 17 at the time, and not yet named Vice President of the company.

From Chapter 30: Wedding Bells:

“Almost a day and a half with nothin’ to eat? No wonder you’re hungry…” the redhead commented as they carried their plates to an open table. “I’d’ve passed out by now.”

“It’s not that bad,” Elena snickered, as Reno took her plate, setting them both in front of their seats, before pulling her chair out for her.

“Maybe not for you…” he said, flashing her a smile and pushing her chair in behind her. He sat down beside her and grabbed a fork trying to decide where to start. It all looked good.

“Wait… you’re serious?”

“Mmmhmm…” he managed, having singled out the very tasty-looking breaded chicken as a starting point. He swallowed the first bite and speared a second. “Why do you think can I eat so much and never gain anything? I’ve got a ridiculously high metabolism… plus there’s also trainin’ and missions and whatever else Tseng throws at me. According to Ward, I burn through calories about three times faster than most people. Probably not quite so much when I’m off duty, but, yeah… when I don’t eat, it’s kind of a big deal for me.”

---

He couldn’t eat when he was nervous. He just couldn’t. It made him feel queasy as hell for the rest of day if he tried. Of course not eating had its downsides, too… but a little light-headedness was preferable to feeling like he was going to puke.

And he certainly had a reason to be nervous today. Tseng was taking him with him to Junon… as part of the fucking President’s security detail. That was… kind of a big deal. Reno had never even met the President before… not officially. Sure, there had been that stupid corporate function he’d had to go to not so long ago, but President Shinra hadn’t said two words to him that night. Tseng hadn’t even introduced them. This was the boss of his boss’ boss’ boss they were talking about. From what he’d heard, rookies didn’t typically get handed an assignment like this until they had a lot more training under their belts.

And that was why he was so nervous that he’d skipped dinner last night… and breakfast this morning. Though, he sort of hoped that lunch wasn’t going to be on the chopping block, too. One or two meals, he could do without… but more than that, and he knew he’d start feeling fairly shitty. He tried never to let it go that far, though.

And it probably didn’t help that he seemed to be hungrier than ever, lately. All that training Tseng put him through would work up an appetite for just anyone, but it made Reno utterly ravenous by mealtimes. Dr. Ward had seemed a little shocked by it when he’d gone to see her a few days ago – at his mentor’s insistence, though frankly he hadn’t really seen the need – after a minor accident in the training room. The damn woman had insisted on checking him over from head to toe after she’d finished with his stitches, and had clucked her tongue disapprovingly when she’d discovered that he’d lost six pounds since she’d last seen him.

She’d demanded to know how he’d been eating lately.

The redhead had dutifully listed off everything he’d eaten that day, smirking as her eyes had widened as the list went on… and on, and on. The visit had ended with her telling him that she’d be informing Tseng of mandatory appointments every Friday until they managed to get his weight loss under control. He’d groaned and whined and even swore in protest – which lost him his coveted candy for that visit – but she’d insisted, and he’d had little choice but to give in and promise to be there on Friday. Then she’d sent him off to the cafeteria for lunch.

Today, though… food was the farthest thing from his mind. Or at least it would have been had it not been for the gnawing sensation in his belly, and the slightly dizzy feeling that assailed him as he and Tseng rode the elevator up to the rooftop helipad. As they arrived, Reno spotted President Shinra already boarding the executive helicopter with Veld.

“It should go without saying that you’re to behave professionally for the duration of this trip,” Tseng stated, as they made their way across the roof.

“Yes, sir,” the redhead replied.

“I should also tell you that there has been a last minute change. You will not be joining me on the President’s detail. At least not until later today.”

“Sir?”

“The President’s son, Rufus, has been invited along for the afternoon tour of the base. He has, however, opted not to accompany his father to greet the new army recruits.” The older Turk smirked slightly. “Frankly, I don’t blame him. His father is notoriously long-winded. You’ll be keeping an eye on him during the welcoming speech.”

“So… basically, I’m babysitting. Great…”

Tseng chuckled softly before they boarded the aircraft. “Reno… that is essentially what any security detail is, no matter whom you happen to be guarding.”

Reno gave a sharp laugh and followed him through the doorway, into the back of the helicopter, and took a seat beside him. Across from the pair of Turks sat the President, flanked on either side by Veld, and a blonde-haired teenager with a decidedly snobbish expression on his face. He glanced over at the rookie with a distinct look of disdain, but said nothing… merely folded his arms over his chest and turned his gaze toward the window to his right.

---

‘How much longer?’ Reno silently lamented. Tseng had been gone more than two hours now… and in that time the rookie had been subjected to very close to his limit of condescension and snark. The little bastard really was on his last damn nerve.

It had started out bad… and gotten progressively worse. And the fact that he was absolutely starving didn’t make it any easier to deal with. Worse, he’d made the fatal mistake of letting it slip that Tseng had recruited him from the Slums… and since then, the Shinra heir had never once used his name. Reno had been dubbed the ‘Slum Rat’, and the look of glee in the other boy’s eyes every time he said it and Reno was forced to bite his tongue was nothing short of maddening. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he was supposed to be guarding the brat, he’d have been sorely tempted to punch him in that smug, snotnosed face of his. In fact, it was only the knowledge that doing so would deeply disappoint his mentor that had actually stopped him after the last comment the little shit had made.

Without warning, Rufus suddenly stood and started towards the door of his father’s office.

“And just where are you goin’?” the redhead demanded. Rufus raised an eyebrow in challenge, and the rookie grudgingly tacked on a ground-out “Sir?” to that query. The blonde boy snorted haughtily.

“For a walk. I’m bored.” He turned on his heel and strode out before Reno could even get to his feet. The Turk quickly stood and went to follow, shaking his head as the room spun momentarily. That wasn’t good. Skipping breakfast was starting to seem like a bad idea… particularly given that lunch was still a couple hours away. He ignored the minor vertigo and hurried to catch up to his charge, following him down the hall to the elevator and stepping aboard with him.

As the elevator reached the first floor and the doors slid open, Rufus looked back at him with a smirk… and vanished. It took Reno a moment to register that the other teen had taken off at a dead run, and by the time the redhead’s initial shock had passed and he was in pursuit, Rufus had already darted through the doors at the end of the concourse.

“What the hell!?” he yelled after him as the door began to swing back. The Turk shoved his way through it before it could close, eyes scanning for his charge. He wasn’t hard to spot… but he had a hell of a head start on him. Reno growled and sprinted after him.

Rufus was quick, the rookie had to give him that. But Reno was quicker. It didn’t take him long to catch up. It wouldn’t have mattered, however. Rufus suddenly found himself at a dead end. Apparently realizing that he was outmatched in terms of speed, as well as effectively cornered, the Shinra heir calmly folded his arms over his chest and watched as the redhead stormed up to him.

“What the hell was that all about?!” Reno demanded, struggling slightly to catch his breath. Rufus snorted.

“Just trying to figure out what it is Tseng sees in a slum rat like you,” he replied. The redhead glared at him.

“Well, quit tryin’ to make me look like an idiot!”

“You don’t need my help with that, believe me” Rufus responded, snidely.

“The fuck’s your problem, anyway?” the rookie queried, eying the little brat with suspicion. Reno had spent years of his young life learning to read people. It was the only way a kid like him stood a chance on his own in Sector 2. And it hadn’t slipped his notice that it was “what Tseng saw in him”… not what the Turks or Shinra or even Veld saw in him.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a tidbit of information pulled itself out of his memory. Tseng had been solely in charge of Rufus’ security for years. He remembered Rude saying something about it a week or two ago… that it was a little unusual for a Turk to be exclusively assigned to someone. Even the President’s son. He’d mentioned that he was working on finding out the whole story… because surely there had to be a story there.

“At the moment? You are my problem. You annoy me.”

“Tch… What’d I ever do to you?” Reno asked, following his charge as he made his way back towards the administration building. They’d actually covered a lot more ground during the brief chase than the Turk had realized. Maybe a little too much, judging by the woozy feeling that had suddenly come over him.

Rufus turned glanced back at him and smirked. “What’s the matter? Is being a Turk just too difficult for the little baby slum rat?” he laughed, coldly, “Go home and cry to Mommy.”

That was his breaking point. He’d largely let Rufus’ insults and sneers roll off him until that. After all, most of it wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard a thousand times down in the slums, anyway. He’d even managed to maintain at least some level of professionalism through it all… a few minor slip-ups during their little chase aside. But that was crossing a line.

“Well, I would, but she’s dead,” Reno replied, equally as cold, openly glaring at the other boy’s back. He started forward, intent on offering Rufus a little glimpse at how just intimidating the rookie could be if he put his mind to it… but stumbled and caught himself against the wall of the building, just as Rufus stopped short and turned back to face him. Whatever the other teen might have said was lost as Reno’s vision swam and darkened. It was accompanied by a loud ringing in his ears. He had to sit down. If he didn’t, he was going to fall down. He was dimly aware of a voice speaking to him, but at the moment, it focus was on the more immediate problem… specifically, not passing out.

This had happened to him several times when he was younger… always when he was short on food. But it had been ages since the last time it was this bad. Though… it made sense, in a way. Lunch yesterday had been early in order to accommodate an extended block of training in the afternoon. He’d skipped dinner out of sheer nervousness after Tseng had given his assignment for the day following. Then he’d skipped breakfast that morning. And now he’d just run a brief marathon across half of Junon, chasing down the President’s obnoxious little spawn. Whatever he might have had in reserve after so long without food was long gone.

After a few moments, the ringing in his ears subsided, and his vision cleared… and much to his chagrin, he found himself face to face with the pain in the ass Shinra heir. For a very brief moment, the rookie even imagined that Rufus was looking at him with an expression of concern. As his head cleared, however, he quickly recognized it as disdain.

“Pathetic. This is what passes for a Turk these days? A light jog and you’re practically falling over…”

Reno felt an unwelcome heat rising in his cheeks as he staggered upright. “I haven’t eaten in… awhile,” he muttered, embarrassed. Wonderful. He probably couldn’t have made a worse first impression if he’d tried. And when Tseng found out about this…

Rufus snorted in contempt and turned on his heel, marching back toward the administration building. The pair boarded the elevator in silence and returned to the President’s office. Somewhat to Reno’s surprise, Tseng and Veld were there waiting for him, along with the President himself.

“Ah… Rufus. There you are. Are you ready for the tour?” President Shinra asked. Rufus strolled past the two senior Turks, presenting himself in front of his father.

“… No. I’m hungry, Father. Let’s have an early lunch first,” he replied in a somewhat dismissive tone.

---

“Reno?” Tseng’s voice prodded him, and the redhead turned away from the view out the car window as they drove home later that evening. “You’ve been unusually quiet since we returned. Is something on your mind?”

There was plenty on his mind. Why, for instance, had Rufus insisted on inviting the three Turks to join him and his father for lunch? A lunch which the Shinra heir had only picked at, himself. And why hadn’t he mentioned any of what had transpired between the two of them to Tseng or Veld? And why had he been just as openly insulting of the redhead for the remainder of the afternoon, but never once ventured to again the press the one subject he knew would get a reaction from him?

It was almost like the little fucker had just been toying with him all morning… until things got a little too serious for his taste.

The redhead finally shrugged and Tseng chuckled softly.

“Ah. I know that look all too well. You’re trying to figure Rufus out,” he stated.

“What’s that asshole’s deal, anyway?” he asked, letting the lid off of some of the irritation he still felt after their day in Junon. Tseng shook his head and laughed.

“I believe I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on that subject,” he said, smiling faintly.

~fin~