Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 36: First Snow

“Reno.”

“Mmmph…”

“Reno.”

“Go’way…”

Tseng shook his head in silent laughter.

“Reno,” he tried once again.

“It’s fuckin’ Saturday. Leave me alone…” the lump under the blankets replied, petulantly. Tseng sighed softly and smiled.

“Normally, I would do just that, as I really have no say in how you spend your weekends… at least not when you aren’t being punished for something for a change. However…” He snickered and gripped the blanket and yanked, obliterating the warm little nest Reno had created for himself and exposing the shirtless teen to the cooler air of his bedroom. The redhead yelped, wrapping his arms around himself as though he’d suddenly been tossed into a cold shower. The rookie glared up at him.

“If you don’t get up, you’re going to miss it,” the Wutaiian continued, unperturbed by the young man’s obvious ire.

“Whatever the hell I’m gonna miss, it can’t possibly be better than bein’ warm. Give that back!”

“If you slept in something a bit more appropriate to the season, you wouldn’t have to cocoon yourself like that…” he pointed out, ignoring the demand. “I’m not certain you’ve noticed, but it’s essentially winter at this point.” Though, the Turks’ second-in-command noted, the rookie had finally given in and worn a pair of sweat pants to bed last night, at least. Apparently even Reno’s preference for sleeping nude had its limits.

“I noticed,” the teen said, dryly. “And now I’m goin’ back into hibernation.”

He pointedly rolled over, facing away from his mentor, and dragged one of his pillows over his head. Tseng resisted the urge to laugh. Few people took the concept of not being a morning person as far as Reno did on the weekends.

“There’s breakfast,” he ventured.

Tseng saw him tense slightly. If there was anything that might motivate the redhead into getting up early on a Saturday… if one could consider nine thirty-five in the morning particularly early… it was food. The redhead hesitantly peered out from beneath the pillow.

“Tch… Sleep in or eat your cooking…” he mused out loud. He glanced up at his mentor with a smug expression. “Ya know… that’s actually kind of a tough decision. I mean… on one hand, I’m starvin’ and food is food. On the other… what you make just barely qualifies. Goin’ back to sleep might still be the better option here…”

“I didn’t cook. I bought you donuts when I went out for groceries this morning.”

Reno froze and the Turk lieutenant grinned faintly. Tseng had him now.

“Fuck… For real? There’s donuts? Like… actual donuts. None of that bagel bullshit tryin’ to pass itself off as donuts… Right? Real, actual donuts full of more sugar than a person should ever eat in one sitting. That kinda donuts?”

“Yes, that kind of donuts,” Tseng patiently responded.

The rookie groaned and sat up in bed, resigned to his fate. “Hang on… You hate sugar. What’s the occasion?” he asked, eying the senior Turk suspiciously.

“I don’t hate sugar… I simply dislike so much of it so early in the day. And if you’d get up, you would see what the occasion is.”

“Fine…” he muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and dragging himself to his feet. “There. I’m up… happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” Tseng replied with a soft chuckle.

“And you better not’ve been fuckin’ with me about there bein’ donuts.”

“I assure you, I would never,” the Wutaiian Turk lightly teased. Reno grabbed a t-shirt from the floor, pulling it over his head as he followed him into the living room and through to the kitchen, and grinned as he spotted the box of promised pastries on the counter. As he was neared the large picture window at the front of the apartment, though, movement outside caught his attention from the corner of his eye, pulling his gaze around. He stopped short, staring.

“… What the fuck?”

“That is why I woke you.”

Reno walked toward the window, eyes wide as he watched the the huge snowflakes falling gently to the ground. A few inches had already piled up outside, and it didn’t seem to be in any hurry to stop.

“Is that snow?” the teenager breathed, looking around to Tseng for confirmation. “I’ve never actually seen it before…”

He smiled. “I thought it might interest you…”

Reno grinned and headed for the door.

“Wait a minute… Where are you going?!” Tseng called after him, concerned… though the teen’s reaction probably should have been easily anticipated.

“Outside!” the redhead replied, excitedly, breakfast all but forgotten. He threw the door wide and rushed out, apparently oblivious to the feeling of the icy pavement on his bare feet.

“For Leviathan’s sake… at least get dressed appropriately first!” Tseng shouted, but by then, his rookie had already left the apartment and let himself fall backwards into the nearest drift of snow. He rolled his eyes slightly at the sound of the Reno’s laughter and went to find him a coat before he froze.

He returned moments later carrying boots, gloves, and a scarf as well, only to find the teenager giggling somewhat madly inside the beginnings of some sort of snow fortress. Tseng couldn’t help but laugh in amusement.

“Reno… come in, eat, and get dressed, please,” he said, holding out the coat. “You may play in the snow as much as you like, but I do not want you returning to work sick next week.”

The rookie heaved an annoyed sigh and grudgingly walked back into the apartment. “Do I have to?”

“There are still donuts…” he teasingly reminded him. Reno blinked once and then grinned, darting back to the kitchen. Tseng snorted quietly and followed. By the time he caught up to his ward, the redhead had already downed one of the icing-coated rings, and was starting on a second. “There’s really no need to rush. The snow isn’t going anywhere for awhile. In fact, the weather report says we’re in for quite a storm this afternoon. Hence why I went shopping so early. On the off chance we end up snowed in for a day or two, I’d prefer not to starve.”

Reno glanced up from his assault on the bakery box, a slightly confused expression on his face.

“… That can happen?” he queried. The Wutaiian Turk poured some hot water into a mug and set it aside to allow his tea to steep.

“It’s relatively rare… but upper Midgar does occasionally wind up somewhat buried in the winter, yes. And even when it doesn’t, the roads can be a bit treacherous until the plows have made the rounds. Traveling during a snowstorm is generally ill-advised.” He placed two slices of bread in the toaster and turned it on. “Besides which… I dislike going out in extreme cold if I don’t have to.”

“Extreme cold? Please…” he replied as snickered and took another bite. “It’s a little frosty out but it’s not that bad.”

Tseng sighed and shook his head. A moment later his toast popped up, a perfect golden brown, and he retrieved it from the appliance.

“Please, don’t speak with you mouth full. It’s very unappetizing.”

“So… what happens on Monday if we do get so much snow we can’t leave?” the redhead asked, ignoring the request as he wolfed down another donut.

“It depends on our workload. If we’re needed, and that need is urgent… we go in, regardless of the weather. If not, Veld may well simply declare it a snow day and we remain on-call at home in case of emergency.”

Reno looked up at him, grinning widely. “So you’re tellin’ me that if it snows enough, we get a free day off?”

Tseng gave a quiet laugh and picked up his tea and toast, carrying it over the the table, and took a seat across from the rookie.

“I wouldn’t start making plans for having Monday off just yet. The roads would have to be especially dangerous… virtually impassible, in fact… for that to happen. The last time we had a snowfall heavy enough to warrant it was nearly four years ago.”

“Tch… There’s always hope, boss,” Reno said, teasingly. “Can I go out, now?”

“You may get dressed to go out now,” the Wutaiian Turk chuckled. “And then yes… you may. Take your PHS with you.”

Reno grinned and downed one more of the pastries before hurrying back to his room to change.

---

The park behind Tseng’s apartment was full of kids, Reno realized as he ventured out into the frosty air. Sure, there were usually kids around – it was a park after all – but today, it looked like every boy and girl in the neighborhood had descended on the area. He snickered as he watched a couple of girls chasing one another, occasionally pausing long enough to scoop up a handful of the white stuff to hurl at one another.

The transformation was incredible. Where once there was a lush, green space with cobbled walkways and a winding perimeter path, there was now a sparkling blanket of white that covered every surface… from the tree tops to the ground. A small hill on the far side of the park was especially crowded, as kids took turns sending themselves careening down the short incline over and over again. He vaguely wondered if one of them would let him borrow their sled for a ride or two. It looked like fun. He spent several minutes debating what he should do first. He really had no idea where to start. Eventually, though, he decided that the hill was as good a place as any and headed towards it.

The rookie made it approximately seven steps in that general direction when something wet and cold slammed into the side of his head. Reno yelped in surprise… and then in discomfort as some of the snow slipped down into the collar of his coat, chilling the sensitive skin at the back of his neck. He whipped around, looking for his assailant, but saw no one.

When the second snowball came flying, however, he was a bit more prepared for it. Reno dove for cover behind a bench, peering out in the direction the attack had come from. He spotted a brief movement as someone darted behind the snow-laden branches of a large pine tree, but didn’t get a good look at them.

As he waited for them to show themselves again, two more snowballs pegged him from behind… one hitting him squarely between the shoulder blades, while the second caught him in the head again, taking his knit cap with it. The redhead growled and retreated a second time, snatching the hat as he went. This time, he found himself crouched behind a trash can, desperately trying to keep an eye on both points of attack.

Which was why the next snowball caught him completely off guard again. Once more, the assault came from behind, and this time, it was accompanied by a slightly deranged-sounding laugh. One that Reno very quickly recognized.

“Sato?! If that’s you, I’m gonna kick your ass, you fuckwit!” he shouted in the general direction it had come from.

“Aye, yeh can try there, Rookie! Yeh can try,” a voice answered, its owner hidden by a low line of shrubs. Another snowball was launched at him and he easily dodged it this time. Unfortunately, doing so took him directly into the line of fire as two more suddenly came at him from elsewhere. This first one missed by mere inches… but the second smacked wetly into his face.

Who the hell else was out there?

He took cover against the trunk of the tree where he’d seen the shadowy figure vanish a minute ago. If Sato was here, then Saya probably was, too… but there had to be at least one more. Those last two shots had come from completely opposite directions. Kai, maybe? Or Shay? Or… was it Rude? He could definitely see his friend teaming up with the twins for something like this…

Whoever it was didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that, at the moment, he was basically surrounded. He needed to find a better position.

Another snowball spattered across the tree trunk just above his head.

Quickly. He needed to find a better position quickly. The redhead gathered a little snow and hurriedly made up some ammunition of his own. Stealthy – but not stealthy enough – footsteps crunched nearby in the snow, and Reno grinned to himself as he shot out of his hiding place. He found his target easily enough.

Sato tried to dodge, but he was too close to move in time. Reno easily pummeled him with three handfuls of snow before taking off at a sprint towards a large statue nearby, laughing as he ran. A snowball sailed past him… a last ditch effort, given that it missed him by a mile… and the rookie quickly took shelter at the base of the statue.

“Come out ‘n fight like a Turk, Rookie,” Sato’s voice goaded him.

“Tch… That’s exactly what I’m doin’!” he shot back, smirking. He was pretty sure he heard the senior Turk laugh at that proclamation.

“Saya! Flank the little bugger!” he shouted. Footsteps suddenly echoed over the frozen landscape as someone – Saya, he assumed – attempted to circle around his left side. “We gotchyeh now, Reno…”

Reno snorted derisively and crawled beneath the statue’s hollow base, creeping out on the other side just as the footsteps reached his former location.

“What the… Where’d he go?” Saya asked, obviously confused for a moment. Reno took the opportunity to slip out and scoop up more snow before rounding the statue again. He found her investigating the tracks he’d left. Right about the time she realized what he’d done, he’d let loose with a flurry of snow balls

“Yeh tricky little sneak!” Saya sputtered, laughing as she wiped melting snow from her face. “Rude, he’s headin’ yer way!”

Reno skidded to a stop as he friend suddenly stepped out from behind a tree. He smirked, and held up a snowball.

“Traitor…” the redhead accused. Rude snickered and fired, but Reno was faster, diving to the ground and rolling. He quickly packed a return shot and flung it at his fellow rookie, nailing him in the shoulder, but Rude was ready for it. He didn’t even bother trying to avoid it, and instead hefted another round, and hit Reno in the chest.

Another snowball caught him in the back of the neck, and he suddenly realized that Saya had caught up to him. Reno scurried to get out of the line of fire, but Sato, too, had taken the opportunity to close in, and blocked of his retreat. With a resigned sigh, the redhead slowly raised his hands in surrender.

“Ya know… three on one isn’t exactly a fair fight…”

“Four on one, actually,” a new voice replied. The declaration was followed by a yet another snowball smacking into the side of his head, and Reno had just enough time to catch site of Tseng, smirking unabashedly at him, before the others closed ranks and pummeled him mercilessly with snow.

The redhead dropped to the ground, doing his best to shield himself, but it did him little good. It was coming at him from every direction.

“Alright, hold your fire,” Tseng chuckled, and it soon abated. Reno peered up cautiously, and slowly got to his feet.

“You?” Reno asked, incredulously, “You were behind all this?”

Tseng smiled slightly. “I seldom get the opportunity. When I ran into Sato and Saya while I was out shopping this morning, I decided it was too good to waste. Besides… I still owed you for that little prank you pulled on Halloween.”

Reno snickered. “Alright, fine… ya got me. You guys happy now?” The rookie sighed and shook his head, glancing over at Rude. “Wait a minute… how come I’m the only one gettin’ paid back for that?!”

“Who says yeh are?” Sato replied, and before Rude realized what they intended, all three senior Turks resumed their attack. Against him. The bald rookie yelped and soon found himself covered head to toe, as the redhead joined in, laughing maniacally.

“Enough! I think that’s quite sufficient,” Tseng said a few minutes later, and the others grudgingly halted their assault on the surprised rookie. Reno shivered slightly in the cold, but was grinning widely as he helped his friend back to his feet. “I think it’s about time we went inside and warmed up a bit.”

Saya snickered, and dusted some of the snow off of Reno’s shoulders. “Aye… poor things are startin’ ta look a wee bit like Turkcicles.”

---

Reno sat contentedly on the couch in Tseng’s living room, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a mug of hot chocolate, courtesy of Rude, in his hands. Saya sat nearby, and Rude was nursing his own drink in the armchair next to him.

Tseng and Sato returned from the kitchen, joining the small group, and Sato made a point of pouring a generous dose of… something… from a small flask into his mug.

“Anyone else?” he asked grinning widely. Saya clucked her tongue in disapproval, but said nothing.

“Thank you, but I’ll pass,” Tseng answered, taking a sip, “While I am partial to scotch, I prefer mine not be made in a bathtub.”

“Suit yerself,” the Mideelian Turk replied, with a shrug.

“You can make it in a toilet for all I care…” the redhead grinned, holding his own mug out. Sato chuckled and added some to his as well. Rude nodded as well, and was gifted the same.

“Don’t give him any new ideas,” Saya muttered. “Bad enough I have ta put up with the damned still he’s got now… Bloody idiot’ll probably blow us both ta kingdom come one ‘o these days.”

“Aye… but at least we’ll be drunk!” Sato grinned. Saya rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back on the rookies instead.

“Would either of yeh like a new roommate? I’m more than willin’ ta part with him…”

---

The twins took their leave shortly thereafter, but Rude lingered to spend the day with his friend. By mid-afternoon, the snow was coming down so heavily that Tseng insisted he not even think about braving the the trek back to his own place.

Reno was glad for it. Rude had been more than a little preoccupied with his new girlfriend lately, and the redhead had been feeling somewhat shoved aside in recent days. It wasn’t that he disliked Margaret – though she certainly didn’t seem to care much for him – he just missed spending time with Rude without feeling like he was tagging along on someone else’s date.

Rude had offered to prepare dinner as a thank you for the impromptu overnight lodging. Neither Reno nor Tseng had been in any hurry to argue with the idea. And now, both rookie Turks were stretched out on opposite ends of the couch, watching a movie and enjoying the quiet solitude of a winter’s night. The Turk lieutenant had turned in a short while ago.

“What’re ya doin’ tomorrow?” the redhead asked, yawning as the credits started to roll. Rude shrugged.

“Guess it depends on how frozen Midgar is. Why?”

“I was thinkin’ about goin’ down to see Lira.” He paused for a moment, considering. “Assumin’ the trains are runnin’… Do the trains shut down when there’s too much snow?”

“Not as long as they can keep the exposed track outside of the tunnels clear.”

“Wanna come with, then? I’m sure Lira’d like seein’ you again… Been awhile.”

“…”

“What?” he queried, curious at the hesitation.

“… I… don’t really think Margaret would like that,” he answered, somewhat lamely.

“Tch… I didn’t invite Margaret,” Reno replied, a bit more snappishly that he’d intended. “I invited you.”

“… I meant I don’t think she’d like it if she found out.”

The redhead rolled his eyes and sat up. “Found out what, exactly? It’s not like I’m askin’ ya to head down to Wall Market for an orgy or some shit. Personally, I’m not real big on group sex anyway, to be honest. Too easy to wind up with one too many dicks aimin’ for the same target. Or for a target you don’t want ’em aimin’ for, if you catch my drift. Ya know… unless it’s like… with triplets, or somethin’.” He grinned widely. “I would definitely be okay with fucking triplets.”

Rude snorted softly in laughter. “Again… Not what I meant. And way too much information, by the way.”

Reno smirked and settled back. “No such thing.”

“Trust me… there is.”

“So seriously… what’s the problem? I know Lira can be a little… ya know… grabby. But all ya gotta do is ask her to knock it off ‘n she will. She just likes to flirt is all. Not like she’s gonna shove ya onto the bed and take what she wants from ya,” he snickered, and then grinned lewdly, “… That costs extra.”

“… It’s not that,” Rude replied, “Lira’s nice. I like her. But she’s a… you know.”

“A rentgirl,” the redhead filled in, eyes narrowing. “So? What the hell’s wrong with that? I mean, when you get right down to it, what’s the real difference between spreadin’ your legs and, say, waitin’ tables? Aside from the fact that the tips are a hell of a lot better for spreadin’. Those girls gotta make a livin’, too… ‘n then all these stuck up assholes do nothin’ but look down on ’em ‘n treat ’em like shit just for tryin’ to stay alive.”

The redhead turned his face away as he realized that his eyes had become somewhat suspiciously moist over the course of the short rant. It pissed him off the way people like Lira got treated. Just because they sold their bodies didn’t make them bad people.

“… I’m just saying that it’s not somewhere a guy with a girlfriend should be hanging out. It… doesn’t look good.”

Reno scoffed loudly. “No, what you’re sayin’ is you’re worried that, if she finds out, she’ll think you went down there to fuck around on her. Ya ever think that maybe if she really trusts you she wouldn’t give a shit?”

Rude sighed and shook his head. “You’re reading way too much into this. I just think it would get… weird… if I started making a habit of hanging out with girls like Lira.”

“Ya know, just for the record… if it wasn’t for ‘girls like Lira’, I wouldn’t be here. ‘Cause my mom was a rentgirl, too, remember?” Reno angrily pushed himself to his feet and stormed off to his bedroom, leaving Rude somewhat speechless on the couch. “See ya in the mornin’,” he added before shutting the door firmly behind himself.

~end chapter 36~