Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 6: First Day

Reno frowned at his reflection. Even with the suit, he still didn’t look much like a Turk… at least not in his opinion. He sighed and did his best to tuck in his shirt before shrugging on the jacket. It really didn’t help.

If he’d thought he was nervous last night, the anxiety that had been growing steadily worse as it got closer and closer to time to leave was almost unbearable… so much so that he was starting to wish he hadn’t scarfed down every crumb of food Tseng had set in front of him a short time ago. It hadn’t even been particularly good… Tseng desperately needed some cooking lessons.

Now, though, his stomach was nearly as uneasy as he was. The excitement of yesterday had taken on a somewhat dreamlike quality by the time he’d woken that morning… though that may have had more to do with the fact that even with the help of Tseng’s tea, it had still taken him some time to finally drift off.

Also… he’d learned that he really hated the taste of tea. It was like drinking pond water, for Ifrit’s sake.

Yesterday had been overwhelming… but exciting. He was leaving the slums… He was working for fucking Shinra Company… He even had a place to stay and someone to look after him – which, though he would never in a million years admit it, made him feel a lot more relaxed about being in such strange surroundings.

But today was to be his first day on the job. And he was terrified.

The redhead reached for the narrow strip of black fabric hanging from the corner of the dresser mirror. It was the final part of his new uniform, and he’d saved it for last. With an uncertain glance in the mirror, he looped it around the back of his neck and froze, suddenly realizing that he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do from there. He shrugged. How hard could it be? Half the people on the damn Plate seemed to wear them. It couldn’t be that tricky.

After about five minutes, however… he’d decided that he’d vastly underestimated the difficulty level of a tie.

A firm tap on his bedroom door drew his attention away from his predicament.

“Reno? We’re going to be late.”

Reno sighed in defeat and turned to the door. In frustration, he pulled it open and forcibly yanked the untied necktie off of himself and held it up, glaring at it petulantly.

“Okay… I fuckin’ give up. What’s the trick to this?” he growled, trying his level best to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks. He felt like an idiot. Tseng apparently agreed, because he seemed to be trying very hard to resist the urge to laugh. It took him a moment to school his expression – though a barely visible smile still remained.

“Give it here,” the Turk replied, calmly, and the redhead gladly handed the accessory over. Tseng draped it over the teenager’s neck. “Under, then over twice, up from behind, then down through the front,” he continued, tying the knot as he spoke.

“… Swear I already tried that,” the redhead muttered as his superior gently tightened the loop until the knot rested snugly against his throat. Tseng finally did allow himself a small smile.

“You can practice later. I’m sure it won’t take you long to figure it out. Right now, however, we need to leave for the office.”

Reno obediently followed him out to the car, and climbed into the passenger seat, and fidgeting with the tie as he sat down.

“Does it gotta be so fuckin’ tight?” he asked when Tseng slid into the driver’s seat and started the car. “Feels like I’m bein’ strangled…”

“It’s meant to be snug, yes,” Tseng replied.

“… Do I have to wear it all day?” the redhead asked, hesitantly. He cringed at the whining tone that came out of his mouth, but the Turk merely laughed.

“Our dress code is… fairly lenient… on such minutia. For today, however, I would prefer you strive to make a good impression. Give yourself some time to get used to it. You may actually end up liking it.”

Reno snorted disbelievingly.

“… Yeah. I doubt it,” he replied, ignoring the other man’s expression that very plainly said he thought otherwise.

---

“So… What do I get to see first?” Reno asked as they wove through the streets of Midgar. Now that he was actually on his way instead of sitting around waiting, some of his nervousness had tapered off, only to be replaced by renewed excitement. The rain had let up a bit, but judging by the pitch black sky to the southwest, they weren’t out of the woods quite yet. “I heard there’s a whole floor in there somewhere that’s nothin’ but a big trampoline. Is that really true?”

Tseng’s eyebrow rose in curiosity.

“Where in Leviathan’s name did you hear something like that?”

“Some guy I know,” he replied. He frowned. “So… I guess that’s a no, then?”

“I’m afraid our facilities do not include a giant trampoline,” Tseng chuckled. “There is, however, a swimming pool, a gym, several training areas, and a cafeteria, as well as a number of lounge areas for breaks…”

The Turk paused for a moment as he turned onto the freeway and merged into morning traffic.

“Our first visit, however, will be to the ninth floor.”

Well… that sounded intriguing…

“What’s on the ninth floor?” he queried.

“Several things… but of paramount importance to us today, the medical suite. Our first task of the day is have one of our staff doctors look you over.”

It suddenly sounded a whole lot less intriguing. Reno’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“Why the fuck do I have to go to the doctor? I’m not sick…”

They exited the freeway and the towering Shinra Building came into view, looming before them. Tseng swung around to one side of the structure and pulled forward to a roadway leading underground, beneath the building.

“Because it’s a requirement,” he replied. The Turk held his ID card up to a small scanner and the gate in front of them opened, granting them access. “And because… when exactly was the last time you even saw a doctor?”

The redhead shrugged. “Got stabbed awhile back and needed a fuck-ton of stitches. Guess technically he wasn’t really a doctor though… Used to be a medic or some shit in the army. He’s just who everyone in my neighborhood goes to when they get hurt ‘n shit.”

Tseng looked at the boy sidelong as he pulled into a parking space. “And before that?”

“Hell if I know. I kinda remember someone checkin’ me over when I was a kid… Mighta been a doctor. Is this gonna take long? When do I get to see the really cool shit?”

“I realize you’re excited…” Tseng replied, smirking slightly, “but there are a number of formalities we need to go through before we start any actual training. A medical evaluation is only the first, so I suggest you calm down.” He stepped out of the car and waited for Reno to follow suit before guiding him towards the parking deck’s elevator.

“As I’ve already mentioned, the medical suite is on the ninth floor,” he explained, pressing the button. “It’s well-equipped, but hardly to the extent of a proper hospital. It’s more than sufficient for treating minor injuries, however. I suspect you’ll be getting to know the staff fairly well once we do start training.”

The redhead scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Never needed someone to clean me up after a fight before. Why would I now?”

Tseng cocked an eyebrow. “I suppose the injury that required that ‘fuck-ton of stitches’ was self-inflicted, then?” Reno glanced off to the side, refusing to admit that he’d just contradicted himself. The senior Turk seemed to take his silence as acknowledgment. “Trust me, you’ll want to take advantage of it. It makes life far simpler,” Tseng responded. “You’re free to see whichever member of the medical staff you like. There were four, last I checked, though I personally prefer Dr. Ward. She’s in charge of the department and has admitting privileges for Midgar General… and she is who will be examining you today.”

“… Is she hot at least?” the redhead asked, hopefully. Tseng chuckled knowingly.

“I suppose that depends on how you feel about sixty-two year old women…”

Reno groaned and sagged against the wall of the elevator until it arrived on the ninth floor. “Figures…”

“Come on. I don’t want you to be late,” Tseng urged as the doors opened.

“What’s the fuckin’ rush? The little old lady goin’ somewhere?” he muttered, dragging his feet slightly as he obeyed. Something told him this wasn’t going to be his favorite part of his first day as a Turk.

“Turk or not, one does not keep Justinia Ward waiting. I would also recommend against referring to her as a ‘little old lady’ unless you happen to have a fetish for rectal thermometers.”

The redhead looked up at him, eyes going wide.

“… That’s a joke, right?”

“You’re welcome to try it and find out…” the Wutaiian replied, a hint of challenge in his eyes. Reno very quickly decided that testing boundaries with the doctor wasn’t worth the risk of having something forcibly shoved up his ass. Not on his first day, at any rate. Tseng led him down the hallway to the wide door at the end, and pushed it open, ushering the rookie inside.

“Ah, there yeh are,” a lilting voice called out in an accent that pegged its owner as hailing from Mideel. Seconds later, said owner appeared from a behind a screen. “I’ve been expecting yeh. Tsk… really, Tseng. This is your new recruit? Yeh can’t be serious… He’s just baby.”

Reno narrowed his eyes, glaring indignantly. “Who the fuck are you callin’ a baby?” he retorted. He stared at her, taking in the woman’s short, graying hair and the long white lab coat.

“Reno…” Tseng cautioned.

“Yeh’ll watch that mouth of yers if yeh know what’s good for yeh,” Ward said, firmly. Reno started to reply, but a sharp look from the older woman quickly silenced him. She turned back to Tseng. “Alright… yeh can go, then. I’ll give yeh a call when I’m done with the wee thing.”

The Wutaiian Turk nodded and made for the door.

“H-hey… You’re not just leavin’ me with this old bat, are ya, Tseng?” the rookie asked, some of his former trepidation creeping back into his voice. He could deal with having to go through the hassle of a medical exam… but Tseng wasn’t really just going to leave him here in this massive building all on his own. Was he?

“And just who are yeh calling an old bat?” Ward shot back… through to his surprise, she seemed more amused than angry.

“There are a few other matters I need to attend to, not the least of which is seeing to your security clearance. If I do them while you’re here, you won’t have to sit quietly while I fill out paperwork for the next hour. Besides which, I’ll only be in Dr. Ward’s way if I stay. You’ll be fine. She doesn’t bite…” Tseng said, before adding with a teasing smile, “… as far as I’m aware, at any rate.”

“Oh, go on, yeh irritating thing! Back ta work with yeh,” Ward replied, shooing the other Turk out of her domain. She shook her head and turned back to her patient. “Well, now… come with me, then, and let me have a look at yeh.”

Reno sighed in resignation and followed as she walked towards a screened off area and gestured to a small exam table. He hesitantly took a seat.

“We’ll just start off with a quick history,” she said, picking up a clipboard. “Full name?”

“Reno James Donovan,” the rookie replied, in a bored voice.

“Age?”

“Sixteen.”

“Any allergies?”

The redhead shrugged. “Not that I know of.”

“Do yeh smoke?”

“Yep.”

“Drink?”

“That a trick question?” he asked, smirking as he remembered Tseng’s caution about the drinking age on the Plate. Ward silently stared him down, until Reno finally rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine… yeah, I fuckin’ drink.”

“Thought I told yeh ta watch yer language,” the doctor replied, “Any drug use?”

“Tried some shit a long time ago… hated it. Didn’t try it again.”

“Are yeh sexually active?”

Reno blinked, slightly caught off guard by the blunt question. “Uh… yeah.”

“Do yeh use protection?”

“I’m not an idiot,” he said, vaguely insulted. Besides which, even if he were an idiot, Lira would have killed him if he was ever anything less than careful… one distinct plus of having your sexual education taken care of by someone who was in the business of sex. Ward looked up from her chart and chuckled.

“I don’t think yeh are. But I do have ta ask.”

“Yes, okay?” he muttered, faintly embarrassed having to admit it to a woman old enough to be his grandmother.

“Good. Yeh’d be surprised how many I get in here that don’t. Names of any previous doctors?”

“Why do ya need to know that?” the redhead asked, confused.

“To request yer medical records.”

Reno laughed. “Tch… good luck with that. Don’t think Old Sarge even keeps any kinda records, ‘cept maybe who still owes him favors.”

“I see,” Ward said, looking more than a little annoyed. “Yeh came from the slums, then, I take it.”

“That a problem?” he asked, wary of her reaction. Though he didn’t have occasion to run into many people from upper Midgar down in Sector Two, or even at the bar over in Three, he was perfectly aware that there were those who regarded people like him as beneath them… both literally and figuratively.

“No. It would’ve been nice if that Shiva-forsaken mentor of yers had thought ta mention that little bit of information, though. I could’ve prepped the vaccinations yeh’ll need ahead of time.” She shook her head dismissively. “Well, no matter. It’s only a minor delay.. I’ll draw them up soon as we’re finished with the rest of it and we’ll do that bit last. What about yer family? Are they healthy?”

“Haven’t got one.”

Ward glanced up again, one eyebrow rising in curiosity. “Yeh just blinked inta existence one day, is that it?” she said, dryly.

“Tch… Only family I ever had was my mom. And she’s dead,” the teenager responded, fidgeting slightly. He really didn’t like talking about his mother. He looked away from the doctor. “So I don’t have a family anymore.”

“Ah…” Ward gave him a contrite smile. “I’m sorry, Reno. I didn’t mean ta be so hostile with yeh.”

The redhead shrugged with feigned indifference.

“Do yeh mind if I ask how she died?” Ward queried, a bit more gently, “Was she sick?”

He swallowed sharply and refused to meet her eyes.

“Just sick of livin’ in the slums,” he said at last, “Couldn’t take any more of that shit… so she offed herself when I was a kid. Look, can we not talk about this? It’s not exactly a pleasant memory.”

“Alright…” Ward replied, gently patting his knee, “I think I have all I need for now, anyway.” The doctor set her notes aside, and picked up a neatly folded gown. “Why don’t yeh get changed inta this while I go have my nurse see about rounding up those vaccinations, hmm? Then we’ll get on with things.”

Reno did as he was asked, and waited. She returned momentarily. Over the course of the next several minutes, the redhead found himself being poked and squeezed and manhandled, told to look up, look down, turn his head…

He flinched at the sudden sensation of icy cold metal against his skin as she listened to his heart and lungs. He suppressed an irritated groan when she insisted on measuring his height and weight.

And, in spite of a well-earned reputation for being utterly shameless, he found himself fighting to control the blush that rose to his cheeks when the exam moved on, without much warning, to the lower half of his body… a blush that increased drastically when the inevitable result of too much attention to that particular part of his body started to happen. He only just managed to save himself from utter humiliation in that regard, and prayed the doctor hadn’t noticed.

At one point he very nearly asked the damn woman if she was planning on at least buying him dinner after she was done feeling him up, but bit down firmly on his tongue before the comment could slip out. He still wasn’t sure if Tseng had been kidding about that whole rectal thermometer thing.

“Nearly done,” Ward said at last. “Just one last thing to take care of and then I’ll turn yeh back over ta Tseng.”

‘Thank Ifrit,’ he thought to himself. The doctor probably knew him almost as intimately as Lira did by now. He was positive there wasn’t a square inch of flesh that had been left unprodded. The doctor disappeared a second time, and returned a few moments later with a small tray covered by a crisp, white cloth. She set it down beside the teenager, pulling away its covering.

Reno’s eyes widened. He’d kind of figured he’d be getting a shot when the word ‘vaccination’ had come up, but…

“No fuckin’ way…” he said, shaking his head vehemently. There were no less than eight separate needles, neatly arranged on the tray, each filled with its own deceptively cheerful-looking liquid. The green one, he found particularly disquieting.

“Oh, don’t get yerself inta a state…” Ward chastised, “It’ll be over before yeh know it. Yeh’ll hardly even feel it.”

But by then, Reno had already hopped down from the table and was backing towards the wall, silently debating what would be the most expedient route to get him the hell out of there.

“Fuck no… You’re not comin’ anywhere near me with all that shit!” One needle he could handle. Maybe. If he didn’t watch. But eight? What the hell was she planning to do? Turn him into a pin cushion?

He hated needles. Just the thought of them made him slightly dizzy. Hell, he’d never even been able to tolerate watching other people use them… which, he supposed, was a good thing, insofar as it had always kept him far, far away from the drug dens in Sector Two.

“Alright… Alright… Calm down.” Ward covered the tray again, and cautiously approached her frightened patient, keeping herself between Reno and the door. “Poor thing… Come on, now. Sit yeh down and try and relax.”

“Nuh uh… I’m good right here,” he replied, eying the woman with suspicion. He mentally kicked himself as he suddenly realized that he’d, quite literally, backed himself into a corner. As it stood, the only way out was through the doctor… and her desire sudden to repeatedly stab him aside, she’d been pretty nice to him in the time he’d been under her case. He didn’t want to end up hurting her just to get out of something Tseng was probably going to drag him back in and make him do anyway.

“Yeh know this is required, don’t yeh?” Ward asked, her voice even and reasonable. “Yer not going ta get out of it.”

Reno looked over at the tray on the table, swallowing nervously. Images of being held down by Tseng while she did it flashed, unbidden, through his mind. Would it really come to something like that if he refused? Or would refusal simply disqualify him from being a Turk? Neither option seemed especially pleasant.

“Do yeh like candy?”

At the unexpected non sequitur, the redhead’s eyes flicked upwards, locking onto hers. Hell, yes, he liked candy. He was sixteen goddamn years old. Of course he liked candy. Not that he got his hands on it real often… that shit was like gold to a kid in the slums. Hard to come by, and even harder to hold onto. He nodded mutely.

Ward chuckled softly. “I’ll tell yeh what… If yeh come over here and sit down, and yeh let me get this taken care of, I’ll let yeh have a little treat when we’re done.”

This was bribery, plain and simple, and he knew it. Furthermore, he knew better than to fall for something like that… not without clarifying the size of the bribe first, that is.

“How much candy are we talkin’ here?” he suddenly found himself asking.

“One piece per injection.”

He hesitated. Eight needles in exchange for eight pieces of candy? Bullshit. He wasn’t getting ripped off on this deal. Reno shook his head.

“Two pieces.”

“Yeh drive a hard bargain,” Ward laughed, “Alright. Two per injection. Though I think that’ll just about clean me out. I hope I don’t have any more difficult patients today.”

“Tch… that’s your problem, not mine, Doc. And I wanna see it, first.” He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest, challenging her to refuse. Ward shook her head in amusement.

“Yeh stay right there, then. No running off on me.”

She vanished behind the screen, and the redhead could hear her footsteps on the cool tile floor as she crossed the suite toward her office. She returned mere moments later, a large jar cradled in one arm, which she set pointedly on the counter.

“Do we have a deal?” Ward asked, patting the lid. Reno stared at the jar and its jewel-like contents. Any shred of resistance he might have still had died almost immediately. It was too much to turn down. He nodded and slowly approached the exam table, resuming his previous perch.

“Yeh don’t have ta look if yeh don’t want to,” the doctor said. “I’ll make it quick.”

Reno took a deep breath and looked away. The first thing he felt was a cold wetness on his skin. It was followed by a sharp pinch, then three more in quick succession, and he whimpered softly in spite of his attempt to hold his tongue.

“Halfway there,” Ward assured him, her voice taking on a much more gentle tone, and her hand tenderly caressed the back of his head as she moved to the other side of the exam table. “I’m going ta spread these out a bit so yeh don’t end up too bruised, alright?” She gripped his other arm and repeated the procedure with the remaining injections. “There yeh are. All done. Not so terrible, now was it?”

“Yeah… I guess,” the redhead grudgingly muttered. It, admittedly, hadn’t been awful. But he sure as hell didn’t want to go through it again. “I held up my end. Now hand over the candy.”

Dr. Ward snickered and retrieved the jar, presenting it to him. The teen immediately twisted off the lid and fished out one of the colorful suckers. He wasted no time in unwrapping it and popping it in his mouth, savoring the sweet, sugary taste.

“Totally worth it…” he sighed, contentedly. Ward snickered.

“Yeh can get dressed now. I’ll let Tseng know he can come and reclaim yeh.”

He was on his fourth piece by the time the senior Turk returned. Reno emphatically ignored the raised eyebrow that questioned him when Tseng spotted the jar.

“Dare I ask?”

“Seems yer little Turkling is not overly fond of needles,” Ward explained with a somewhat affectionate smile, “We had ta work out a bit of an arrangement ta get him vaccinated. He’s probably going ta be a wee bit drowsy the rest of the morning. If I’d known he needed a full series ahead of time, I’d have just told yeh ta plan on giving him the rest of the day off from the start.” She looked at Tseng accusingly. The Turk awkwardly cleared his throat.

“I apologize for the oversight.”

“Hmph…” she snorted, derisively, “In any case, take him home and tuck him inta bed for awhile. But for Shiva’s sake, feed the poor thing first. He’s decidedly underweight. Should be a good twenty pounds heavier, as tall as he is. Other than that, he’s perfectly healthy and cleared for training… starting tomorrow. Though I do want him back in here for a a checkup after his first week ta check on his weight again. I know exactly what you lot put yer new recruits through.”

“Understood,” Tseng replied, motioning for the redhead to join him. “Come on. Let’s go.” He turned back to Reno, and rolled his eyes at the sight of his rookie unwrapping yet another of the doctor’s confections.

“You don’t have to eat allof those now, you know…”

The redhead pointedly ignored him. This one was cherry… his favorite.

“… But you’re going to, aren’t you?” Tseng sighed. He rolled his eyes and escorted the teenager back out into the hallway. “Well… It seems we’ll have to put the rest of your introduction to Shinra on hold.”

Reno glanced up from his newly acquired stockpile, questioningly. “Why?” he asked.

“Because Dr. Ward has ordered you to bed.”

“Tch… I feel fine.”

Tseng shook his head. “Now, perhaps. But in a little while, I have a feeling you’ll barely be able to keep your eyes open. We have, I think, just enough time to stop and get your photo taken for your company ID… and then I’ll take you home.”

---

By the time he’d gotten his photo and his ID card, and stopped by the cafeteria for an early lunch, and made a ‘quick’ detour to turn in some paperwork Tseng had filled out for him during his visit with Dr. Ward… Reno had realized that the Doc hadn’t been kidding about whatever it was she’d given him knocking him out. As they stepped into the elevator, the redhead leaned up against the wall, and let his eyes drift shut for just a moment.

The next thing he knew, Tseng was gently shaking him.

“I hate to say I told you so…” the man said with a smirk once the redhead’s gaze had finally focused on his face.

“Thought that shit was s’posed to stop ya from feelin’ sick…” Reno muttered, annoyed at his own inability to remain alert. Tseng walked him through the parking deck and helped nudge him into his car.

“It does. You’ll be fine.”

“Mmmph…” he grunted in response, and closed his eyes, curling up on the seat. Whatever happened next was a mystery… because when he opened them again, he found himself tucked into his bed in Tseng’s apartment. Though at that point, he decided he was too fucking tired to concern himself with the details of how he’d gotten there. Instead, he simply rolled over and went back to sleep.

~end chapter 6~