Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 38: Counting Down the Days

“Can yeh believe it? Three weeks…” Saya laughed with a sense of delight as she spun in her desk chair, and folded her hands behind her head.

“Two weeks, cousin mine…” Sato snickered, “I’m countin’ down ta the last day ‘o work… not the holiday. Bit ta the left, eh, Reno?”

“And a wee bit higher,” his cousin added.

The rookie grunted softly as he stretched, forcing himself onto his toes on top of the already somewhat unstable platform he was perched on.

“Good?” he queried, through gritted teeth, as his arm extended to its limit.

“Almost there…” Sato chuckled as he got up from his seat and stealthily strolled over to the redhead. Saya raised an eyebrow in curiosity but her cousin quickly shushed her. The Mideelian Turk reached out and, without warning, tickled the awkwardly positioned rookie without mercy. Reno shrieked and reflexively attempted to pull away, resulting in a downward plummet.

“Reno!” Saya cried in alarm, but the other Turk had already moved into position to catch the falling rookie. He cackled loudly as Reno landed in his arms. The female Turk glared at her relative and stood up, storming over to him just as he was setting the slightly disoriented teenager back on his feet. Her palm connected roughly with the back of his head. “Just what in Odin’s name are yeh tryin’ ta do, yeh stupid idiot!”

“Ow! Ah, back off, woman. It was just a wee joke…”

“Because a broken neck is so bloody amusin’…” Saya snorted derisively and turned her attention on Reno. “Are yeh alright?”

“Yeah, fine,” he replied, before glowering at her cousin. “Tch… you can put up your own fuckin’ decorations if you’re gonna pull that shit on me, Sato.”

“What happened ta yer Christmas spirit?” he snickered in response.

“What happened ta yer sanity?” Saya countered. She wrapped an arm around the rookie and led him off towards the hallway. “Come on, Reno… Let’s go and see what sorts ‘o sweeties have turned up in the lounge taday while this moronic nuisance fixes that garland.”

Reno grinned and happily followed her into the hall. Luca gave the pair a friendly wave has he slipped by them, heading for the elevators.

The holidays were fast approaching… as Saya had mentioned, Christmas itself was a mere three weeks away, and Reno had recently learned that the Company basically shut down for the entire week, save for a skeleton crew of required personnel. The Turks generally weren’t included in that description… though two of them would be working security at the executive Christmas party a few days before. Remy and Kai had drawn the short stick on that one.

The pair of Turks stepped into the lounge, only to be greeted by the sounds of Christmas music playing from a small stereo someone had brought in and the smell of warm sugar, cinnamon, and chocolate. Rude and Shay were tackling the task of decorating the little pine tree that had been erected in the center of the room earlier that morning.

“So… is it always like this around here this time of year?” Reno asked as he and Saya inspected the table full of cookies and candies at the back of the room.

While still clearly in business mode, over the past week or so, the Shinra Building had taken on a decidedly festive air. Nearly all of the various departments had spontaneously sprouted a plethora of seasonal decorations, homemade treats had begun appearing in breakrooms, and the music seemed to follow you from floor to floor. Just about everyone was in a better than average mood, and there was an undercurrent of excitement that seemed to permeate the entire organization.

“Aye… usually,” Saya replied, grinning. “Nothin’ like the holidays ta put everyone in a good mood, eh?”

“Does Veld have a head count for the party yet?” Shay suddenly asked, looking up from the task at hand. Reno cocked his head to one side, confused.

“What party?” he asked. The other three Turks in the room all froze, their present objectives forgotten for the moment, and stared at him blankly.

“… The Christmas party,” Rude replied.

“Yeah, you know… For all the Turks that aren’t leaving town for the holidays,” Shay added.

“Don’t yeh go tellin’ me that Tseng hasn’t said anythin’ to yeh…”

Reno silently shook his head, and Saya scoffed.

“That Tseng,” she sighed, irritated.

“What about him?” the aforementioned Turk queried from the doorway. Saya rounded on him, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Just when were yeh plannin’ on tellin’ yer protege about the party, hmm? Poor thing dinnae have a clue.”

Tseng sighed softly. “I have had other things to concern myself with this week. Just because your workload has subsided a bit doesn’t mean mine has. I certainly would have mentioned it eventually.”

“Hmph… the day of most likely.” She turned and hugged the redhead to her chest. “It’s his first Christmas with us, Tseng. Give him the chance ta look forward ta it, will yeh?”

“You act as though I’ve threatened to cancel the holiday outright. For Leviathan’s sake… it’s still three weeks away, and we still have two weeks of business as usual before then. And… why are you hugging him like that?”

Reno snickered softly from his position inside Saya’s embrace. His cheek was resting quite comfortably against the senior Turk’s chest, pillowed on her ample bosom. Fingers tenderly carded his hair.

“Hey, I’m not complainin’ boss…”

“Don’t yeh get too comfortable there, yeh pervy little thing…” she laughed. He suddenly found himself released from her hold on him. She shook her head. “Yer lucky yer as adorable as yeh are, or that idiot cousin of mine wouldn’t be the only one ’round here gettin’ cracked upside the head.”

“As it seems I’ve been remiss…” Tseng interrupted before anything further could be said on the subject, “There is a party on Christmas Eve for any Turk not otherwise engaged. Veld has hosting duties this year. I assume you will want to attend?”

Reno grinned widely. “Hell, yeah…”

He’d sort of just resigned himself to the idea that he’d be hanging out at home, with Tseng… assuming his mentor wasn’t planing on running off to see his own family. Or maybe Viridia over in Junon. Reno was heading down to visit Lira on Christmas Day, but beyond that he really had nowhere else to be.

“You guys goin’, too?”

Shay shook his head. “Titan, no. My mother would absolutely murder me… or at least disinherit me… if I ever dared skip Christmas Eve dinner at my parents’ estate. My entire family will be there. Or else. Though I may drop in for a few minutes just to say hello to everyone on my way across town.”

“… And I think I’m gonna go home and see my dad this year,” Rude added, “Haven’t been back in awhile, and I don’t feel right leaving him to celebrate on his own.”

“Well, I’ll be there,” Saya said, enthusiastically, “And so will Sato… unfortunately. What about yeh, Tseng? Are yeh puttin’ in an appearance or are yeh goin’ ta be all Scrooge-like again ‘n stay home like last year?”

“Last year, I ended up with a compound fracture of my right leg and four broken ribs, three days before Christmas. I was hardly in any condition – or mood – for a party. Assuming I can avoid repeating that fate again this year, yes… I plan to be there.”

“Well, then… that’s four right there,” Saya chuckled. “Any idea on the others?”

“Tres said he’s going,” Rude replied.

“Luca’s not. He’s heading up to visit his grandad at Icicle Inn,” said Shay. “Don’t know about Kai and Remy.”

“Remy’s not really my type,” Kai cut in as she strolled through the door and went straight for the treats at the back of the lounge. “I have a thing for blonds. Besides… I don’t think she’s into girls.”

Reno laughed and snatched the first cookie she picked up out of her hand, stuffing it into his mouth before the diminutive senior Turk could grab it back.

“Dear Odin, Kai… Sometimes yer as bad as Reno. Get yer mind outta the gutter. We’re talkin’ about the party and who’s goin’ ta it.”

Annoyed, Kai swatted the Reno away from her general vicinity and grinned as she hoarded several treats into a napkin. “Oh… Well, in that case, yeah. I’ll be there.”

She added a small slice of fruit cake to the pile and swiftly made her escape, dodging past the redhead’s hands once more. She stuck her tongue out at him as he missed in his attempt to relieve her of her booty and then grinned, vanishing into the hallway.

“Tch… Sure, Kai… Take all the good stuff, why don’t ya?!” Reno jokingly called after her.

“Will do!” her voice retorted from out in the hall, and Rude snickered quietly at his friend as he hung another ornament on the tree.

---

Tseng woke on Saturday morning to the sound of a loud clatter followed by swearing. The sound seemed to be coming from the kitchen. He groaned faintly and glanced over at the clock… and then blinked in shock as he realized it was barely six in the morning. He hurried to clamber out of bed, slightly concerned as he rushed out to the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, and the redhead yelped in surprise, dropping the egg he’d been about to crack onto the floor.

“Seriously?!” he answered, wide-eyed at his mentor’s sudden arrival. “Bad enough you fuckin’ sneak up on me at work all the time, now ya gotta do it at home, too? Why the fuck are you up so early, anyway?”

“I could ask you the same question. When I heard you out here, I could only assume that some sort of emergency was in progress, given that I quite literally haven’t seen you get up this early of your own accord… ever.”

Reno rolled his eyes. “For once in my life I got cash to buy presents with. So me ‘n Rude are goin’ Christmas shoppin’. We’re hopin’ to beat the crowds. Rude said Sector Four’s packed by ten a.m. and I don’t really wanna spend my whole day elbowin’ assholes outta my way.”

Tseng shook his head, and yawned faintly, eying the raw egg now coating the kitchen floor in front of the stove. It was far too early.

“Just… clean up the mess before you leave,” he said, tiredly, “I’m going back to sleep for a few more hours.” With that, he trudged off, back to bed, the rookie snickering softly in the other room. Truth be told, he had some shopping of his own to take care of… but he’d had a late night, and the prospect of doing absolutely nothing on a Saturday morning was far too enticing, even for the Turk lieutenant, to resist just now. He’d worry about Christmas gifts tomorrow. Sunday was typically less hectic over in the shopping district, anyway.

He wasn’t about to tell Reno that, however. One of the gifts he still needed to procure was for him, and he didn’t want to risk the redhead wanting to join him on his quest and thus ruin the surprise. Particularly since he still wasn’t entirely sure what to get him.

He’d already seen to the necessities well before cold weather had set in, ensuring that his protege was thoroughly outfitted with warm clothes, new boots, and – though he has his doubts as to whether or not they would ever actually see any use – cozy pajamas.

Tseng crawled under the covers and settled himself into the recently-vacated warmth, letting his eyes drift shut. He tended to take quite a lot of teasing over the blatant practicality of his usual gifts… though they always seemed to be appreciated no matter how practical they were. But… this was Reno’s first Christmas as a Turk. He was beginning to think that, perhaps, he should venture a bit outside his comfort zone and find him something less utilitarian.

Which, almost certainly, would prolong the agony of holiday shopping tomorrow… because he had absolutely no idea what to look for. The redhead hadn’t so much as hinted at what he might like. At least not to him. He was halfway to seriously considering swallowing his pride and consulting Rude. The other rookie probably knew Reno better than almost anyone by now. Even his mentor.

The thought of a small vacation had entered his mind… after all, Reno had been thrilled by their birthday trip to the Gold Saucer. He’d also missed out on Costa del Sol – and Tseng certainly wouldn’t have minded a few days on the beach himself. But to pull that off, he’d have to give him his gift early to ensure they had plenty of time to enjoy said vacation. It would mean a great deal of travel time, as, while Veld had been little more than slightly annoyed when he’d learned of their overnight stay at the amusement park, he very much doubted commandeering the helicopter for several days would go over quite so well. And that would mean missing out on the Christmas Party mid-week, which he knew the teenager was looking forward to

He supposed they could venture to Icicle Inn for a few days, instead. The boat ride from Kalm wasn’t an especially long one. But dear Leviathan, he really didn’t want to visit a glacier in the middle of winter. Midgar was cold enough.

He groaned and pulled the blankets tighter. Sleep now… worry later.

---

“Tch… ya know those are like… identical, right?” the redhead sighed, watching his friend as he glanced indecisively between two powder-blue sweaters. Rude turned his gaze on Reno.

“… They are not. This one is slightly more teal than blue.”

Reno snorted a soft laugh. “Blue is fuckin’ blue, man,” he snickered.

“I just want Margaret to like it.”

“Rude… I’m sayin’ this as a friend, ‘kay? She’s not gonna give a shit if one is more ‘teal’ than the other. Which, by the way, it’s not, ’cause they’re the exact same sweater. Stop drivin’ yourself nuts.” He grabbed the one in Rude’s left hand. “Here. Get her this one. She’ll love it.”

“… Maybe I should think about it some more.”

Reno groaned and facepalmed.

“It. Is. A. Sweater. Sweat. Er. They’ve got half a dozen of them hangin’ up, and probably a whole pallet in the back, all from the same factory. This isn’t a difficult decision.”

“Just… give me a few more minutes,” Rude replied, turning his attention back to the dilemma at hand. Reno laughed quietly to himself and shrugged, wandering a few feet away to another rack of clothes. Something bright green caught his eye and he pulled it off the bar.

“Hey… Rude? Whaddya think of this?” he asked, holding up an emerald green fleece top, embroidered with an intricate teardrop pattern. The bald Turk looked up again and smirked.

“… I think that green is definitely not your color and should be avoided at all costs unless you actually want to look like you oughta be hanging on a Christmas tree,” he chuckled.

“For Lira, asshole.”

Rude grinned and walked over to him.

“She… actually looks really good in red,” he replied, retrieving the garment’s crimson twin from the rack.

“Hmm…” the teen pondered for a moment, looking from one to the other. “Ya know… you’re right? She does look smokin’ hot in red.” He grinned and put the green one back. “Well… I’m done.”

Rude blinked. “What do you mean you’re ‘done’?”

“Lira’s the last person I had to find somethin’ for.”

“W-what? How?” the other rookie stammered, shocked. Reno rolled his eyes.

“Easy… while you’ve been spendin’ the whole mornin’ lookin’ for one person, I was lookin’ for everyone on my list. I even got yours while you were busy tryin’ to decide if you wanted to get her a necklace or a bracelet and then ended up not gettin’ either one. I still think you shoulda gone with the necklace, by the way. Chicks love jewelry. Where the hell dya think all those bags in your truck came from? Santa Claus?”

“You’re seriously done…” Rude said in disbelief.

“Yep. So pick a sweater and let’s take a break and get some lunch.”

“It’s ten thirty,” the other rookie snickered.

“Okay… brunch, then. I’m really not that picky about what you call it.”

Rude sighed quietly. “I… kind of don’t want to ruin my appetite for lunch,” he replied, returning one of the sweaters to the rack. And then frowning deeply and returning the other as well. Reno cocked his head to one side, curiously.

“Like it matters when we eat?” he asked.

“…”

Reno folded his arms over his chest and fixed his friend with an annoyed look.

“Oh, hell fuckin’ no. You’re ditchin’ me again, aren’t you… ? Rude, man, we were s’posed to make a day of this. Seriously… when’s the last time we hung out for more than a couple hours outside of work?”

“I know… and I told her we had plans, but Margaret really wanted to meet for lunch and go to the park. She’s covering her friend’s weekend shift tomorrow and today’s the only chance I’ll have to see her.”

Reno narrowed his eyes slightly as the more paranoid part of his personality wondered if Margaret had insisted on meeting up because Rude had told her about their plans… He couldn’t help but feel like he was intentionally being shouldered out. At last he shook his head. Margaret was a lot of things, but he didn’t really think she was that manipulative.

“Fine. Whatever…” he replied, and turned to take his gift for Lira up to the registers. Rude trailed him.

“… We can do something tomorrow…” he offered. And for a moment, Reno was tempted.

“Sorry… Can’t. Lira asked me to help her with some surprise for the other girls at the Honeybee tomorrow. Gonna be down below most of the day.”

It wasn’t a total lie. Lira really had asked for his help… but it wasn’t likely to take more than an hour or two. He could easily meet up with his friend afterwards. But a part of him wanted to take some tiny bit of revenge on Rude for blowing him off the way he had. It was pointless… it was petty… but it made him feel slightly better. For the moment.

---

A short time later, Reno dragged himself back into Tseng’s apartment, setting his purchases off to one side as he stripped himself of his coat and boots.

“Giving up on shopping already?” Tseng asked when he spotted him. Reno scowled slightly.

“Tch… No. Rude just decided he’d rather spend time with his girlfriend instead of me,” he muttered petulantly, crossing the room and plopping himself down on the couch.

“… Ah.” Tseng walked over to him and joined him. “It’s been awhile, but… I’m well acquainted with what that feels like. If it’s any consolation, I doubt very much he intended to hurt you.”

The redhead gave a non-committal grunt. Tseng let a hand graze his protege’s shoulder.

“It won’t last forever. New relationships almost always result in a sort of tunnel vision for a time. Eventually, though, he’ll remember that she’s not the only person who matters to him. You just have to be patient.”

“I guess,” the teenager sighed.

“A word of advice, though,” Tseng continued, “And, unfortunately, I’m speaking from experience. Don’t do anything as foolish as making demands of him. Ultimatums are the surest way to ruin a friendship.”

Reno raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Experience, huh? So you’re seriously sayin’ that you lost a friend over some girl… ?”

Tseng chuckled softly.

“… I was quite young. Younger than you are, come to think of it. And admittedly rather stupid.”

The redhead snorted quietly in laughter. “Oh, so you weren’t just born perfect…”

“I have yet to attain perfection,” the Turk lieutenant replied, laughing, “Just ask Veld. But I do learn from my mistakes… and would very much like to prevent you from making the same one I did.” He stood up, offering the redhead a hand. “Put your shopping away, and then we’ll go and get some lunch. I was planning on surprising you later, but since you’ve returned earlier than expected, you can join me on the errand I have to run this afternoon.”

“Surprisin’ me with what?” Reno asked. Tseng only smiled.

“You’ll see.”

---

Reno poked at one of the glittering balls that hung cheerfully on the branches of an artificial evergreen tree and grinned. The multicolored lights that surrounded it glinted off its smooth surface, dancing in the reflection as it swayed at his touch.

“Okay… So what is it exactly that we’re shopping for?” the redhead asked.

“I don’t generally put up a tree of my own, save for the one occasion I hosted the Christmas party myself… which was probably six years ago now,” the Wutaiian Turk replied as they made their way down the aisle. “As such, I’m lacking in decorations.”

“And we need decorations because…”

Tseng laughed, and paused for a moment. “Because though my culture doesn’t typically celebrate the holiday, you do. I thought you might like a tree of your own. Which Tres has kinda offered to procure for us later today, so I suggest we find something festive to decorate it with.”

“Really?” the redhead grinned, attention quickly drawn to the the jewel-like baubles and ornaments that surrounded him. He poked another one, faceted glass this time, which sent a series of shimmering sparkles flashing against the the backdrop of the display. Tseng smirked and handed him a small box of similar ornaments from a nearby shelf. Reno’s grin widened.

“Ya know… I haven’t actually done this since I was like… five,” Reno admitted as they continued browsing… and occasionally picking something up from a shelf or a display, “If ya couldn’t wear it, eat it, drink it, or smoke it, it wasn’t really somethin’ I could afford to splurge on. Lira had a real little one a couple years ago, but… there wasn’t much to decorate. It was more of a branch than a tree. Not even sure where she got it.”

Tseng paused momentarily, and glanced back at him. Then he shook his head and continued on.

“Before you joined us, I’m not sure I ever truly realized the extent to which those of us who live on the Plate tend to take things for granted.”

The redhead shrugged, following his mentor.

“It’s not all bad,” he replied. “I mean… don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be out, and I never wanna have to go back. But… it wasn’t just years of endless misery. I had Lira. Had a place to live. And I had work, so I had food. Usually. Ya learn to quit thinkin’ too hard on what you don’t have and appreciate what you do have… cause it could always be worse.”

Tseng looked back over his shoulder and smiled faintly.

“Hearing you say that almost makes me feel guilty over my own childhood.”

Reno grinned and reached for chocobo-shaped ornament. It was wearing a tiny Santa’s hat and a red and white striped scarf. At Tseng’s questioning look, he shrugged again.

“Lira,” he said simply, and the senior Turk chuckled. “So… what was it like growin’ up in Wutai, anyway?”

“Warm,” Tseng teasingly replied. The rookie rolled his eyes, and Tseng smiled. “I was… very happy as a child. My elder brothers tended to keep me out of trouble, for the most part, and I did the same for my younger siblings. I’ve always been very close to them. My younger sister, Mayu, in particular.”

They made their way up to the registers, their collection of decorations having grown surprisingly large, and got in line.

“… So how come you’re not goin’ to see them for Christmas?” Reno ventured.

“Because, as I mentioned, Christmas is not widely celebrated in Wutai. They all have their own lives and their own homes now… not all of which are even in Wutai. Visiting them all this time of year would require a great deal of travel. I do, however, always try to make it home for the cherry blossom festival in the spring. It’s Mayu’s favorite festival, and I don’t hear the end of it for months on end if I miss it. It’s even worse when she gets my mother to join her in berating me for my absence.”

Reno snickered. “Aren’t you a little old to still get yelled at by your mom?”

“Hmph… You have clearly never met a Wutaiian mother,” he said, with a quiet laugh. “Perhaps I should introduce you… if you’re interested in paying a visit to my home sometime, that is.”

“That’d be awesome!” the redhead replied, grinning widely.

They checked out, and soon were piling their new décor into the trunk of Tseng’s car and heading for home. As they pulled into the parking lot at the apartment complex, a familiar face was there to greet them. Tres was leaning back against a large dark blue SUV with a trailer attached to it, piled high with greenery. He glanced up, unhurried, and flicked the ash from his cigarette onto the ground, but didn’t otherwise move until the Turk lieutenant and his rookie were on their way over.

“Hey. You’re in luck. Saya and Sato had to postpone, so you guys get first pick. Well… second pick. Felicia got first.”

“Felicia?” Reno queried. “Like… Veld’s kid? That Felicia?”

“Yep.” He smirked slightly. “Cute kid… Too cute. She’s got most of us wrapped around her little finger. You meet her yet?” Reno shook his head. “Well… you will. She’s gonna be at the party, I’m sure. Anyway… pick a tree!”

Minutes later, they were bidding goodbye to their fellow Turk and maneuvering a large pine tree through the front door.

~end chapter 38~