Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 13: Up in Smoke

Tseng watched as the redhead seated across from him picked halfheartedly at his lunch. Something was definitely wrong. It just wasn’t like Reno to not eat. Any other time, the deceptively skinny Turk would have finished his own meal and then immediately gone after anything the others hadn’t yet eaten… and on occasion, he wasn’t above stealing it right off the end of the fork, if he thought he could actually get away with it. Elena had fallen victim to such tactics more than once.

Where on earth he managed to put it all, the Turk leader had no idea. The man was a bottomless pit. Reno always chalked his appetite up to an abnormally high metabolism… and given his normal energy level, Tseng had never had any particular reason to doubt the claim.

Elena, likewise, was eying the Turks’ second-in-command with a expression of curiosity. Reno hadn’t been himself all day, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. He’d barely said two words to her all morning. No teasing insults, no thinly veiled innuendos, no obnoxious observations about her skill, her character, or her taste in entertainment… nothing. He hadn’t even made the very obvious joke he normally would have jumped at when she’d blatantly stated that she’d spent her entire weekend on her hands and knees in a not so subtle effort to draw him out of whatever strange mood that had claimed him, as she detailed the very thorough spring cleaning of her apartment.

She glanced questioningly across the cafeteria table at Tseng, who simply shrugged and shook his head, for once just as at a loss as the rookie. Reno sighed and shoved his plate away.

“That’s it… Enough. What’s going on?” Tseng finally said.

“Nothin’,” Reno replied.

“Obviously it’s something… the only time I’ve ever seen you intentionally forgo eating was when you had that flu and couldn’t keep anything down for more than five minutes. And even then, you still made the attempt a few times before you finally conceded defeat,” he pointed out, “So I’ll ask you again. What is going on?”

“Fine. I lost a bet, alright?” Reno grumbled, irritably, stabbing his fork deep into the pile of mashed potatoes on his largely untouched plate. Tseng was about to prod the younger man for more information when Rude calmly joined them at the lunch table, taking the empty seat next to the Turk commander and directly across from his unhappy partner. Reno narrowed his eyes at him, silently stood and stormed off in a huff. All eyes immediately turned to the bald man.

“Rude? Is… Is Reno mad at you?” Elena asked, in a tone of abject disbelief. Rude was, in no uncertain terms, Reno’s best friend. On top of that, Reno never seemed to stay angry at anyone he actually liked for very long.

“… Yeah,” the stoic Turk replied, as he settled into his own meal. It was hard to tell with Rude, but Elena couldn’t help but think he seemed rather subdued.

“Reno’s mad… at… you?” Tseng echoed in much the same disbelieving tone. He’d known both men for quite some time, and he could count on one hand the number of few times they’d been on less than friendly terms for more than a five minute stretch. It was practically unheard of. Rude grimaced.

“Yeah, he’s mad,” he confirmed again.

“And just when did this happen?” the Turk leader asked, offhandedly, biting into a bread roll. He couldn’t think of anything thus far today that might have set Reno off, but then he’d been in and out of meetings all morning as plans for moving a substantial number of weapons and other equipment from Junon to Midgar were being finalized. There had been two, albeit relatively minor, attacks on the city’s mako reactors by an anti-Shinra group in the last month, and security was being increased accordingly in case things escalated.

“… Friday night,” Rude sighed. Tseng very nearly choked.

“Friday?!” he cried, coughing, his eyes watering slightly as he tried to force down the bite of food that had almost done him in. All weekend? This had been going on all weekend?

“What happened?” Elena asked, eyes going wide as she leaned forward in her seat , “Why didn’t you say something yesterday?” She’d thought Rude had seemed a little less animated than usual during Shadow & Sword on Sunday night… but she’d had no idea he was upset about anything.

“… Didn’t wanna ruin the show for you.” He speared a chunk of carrot, and popped it in his mouth.

“Oh, Rude… Don’t be ridiculous. You could have told me something was wrong. You absolutely should have told me,” Elena said.

“Or me,” Tseng added, “I realize I’ve been busy this morning, but I’m never that busy.” Rude looked away from the pair, clearing his throat, and Elena was sure he was blushing slightly under the sudden outpouring of sympathy.

If Rude had a weakness, Tseng mused, it was his tendency to keep his troubles to himself. Reno was really the one exception… Rude told him nearly everything, and as much as the redhead had a habit of feigning disinterest in certain topics, he seemed to have rather remarkable recall about things his friend mentioned to him, even in passing. Reno might give the appearance of pointedly ignoring a conversation, but he seldom actually tuned out completely… particularly not when it was Rude who was doing the talking.

“Reno said he lost a bet…” Tseng prodded, when it became obvious that no further information was forthcoming from his subordinate.

“Sorta…” Rude answered, pausing a moment to collect his thoughts, “I bet him that couldn’t get a date with the new bartender at the Phoenix Nest.”

“And… I take it he couldn’t?” Tseng surmised, not seeing how that would cause a rift between the two friends.

“It was kind of a cheat. She’s a neighbor of mine, and she’s seeing someone. Pretty sure she and her girlfriend are getting serious,” Rude admitted, the ghost of a smirk turning up the corners of his mouth, “Wasn’t gonna happen, even for Reno. Didn’t tell him that, though.”

Elena couldn’t quite suppress a soft giggle. Served Reno right. “But that still doesn’t explain why Reno’s upset with you… So he got shot down. I’d think he would’ve just laughed it off and ordered another drink. Or just hit on someone else…” Tseng nodded, concurring with Elena’s assessment.

“Wasn’t losing that pissed him off. It was having to honor the bet,” Rude said, frowning.

“And the bet was?” Tseng asked.

“That he give up smoking,” Rude replied. The Turk leader groaned internally. Reno without his tobacco fix was not the most pleasant of company. He’d learned that the hard way, having made a similar bet once with the redhead, and inadvertently set himself up for a week of dealing with grouchy, whiny, irritable aggravation incarnate. He’d vowed never to make that mistake again, and thought that surely after suffering through it as well, that neither Rude nor Elena would repeat his error.

“For how long?” he asked, resigned to his fate and silently praying it wasn’t the whole week.

“Permanently.”

“W-what?” Elena stammered, not sure she’d heard that right.

“Been on him for months about it. The bet was that if he couldn’t get a date with her, he had to quit smoking. For good. If he could, I’d stop badgering him,” Rude replied. Tseng visibly cringed. Well, that certainly explained why Rude had become the target of Reno’s ire.

“And may I ask why you decided to again unleash the unholy hellspawn that is Reno in nicotine withdrawal upon us?”

“…” Rude looked down at his plate, “… I can’t stand it anymore.”

“I never knew it bothered you,” Tseng replied, genuinely surprised.

“Didn’t used to.”

“So what changed?” probed Elena. And that question was enough to jog Tseng’s memory. He knew exactly what had changed.

“This is about your father,” Tseng stated knowingly, finally putting two and two together. Rude’s silence was all the answer he needed. Elena looked over at him, confused.

“Rude’s father died last year… it was some months before your promotion, so I’m not surprised you were unaware.”

“He smoked. A lot. And he got sick,” Rude elaborated.

“Oh… Rude, I’m so sorry,” Elena said. She suddenly reached the same realization Tseng had moments ago… that when Rude had said he couldn’t stand it anymore, it wasn’t the smoking he was referring to. It was watching another person he cared about doing the same thing to himself that had claimed his father.

“I’d rather have Reno hate me for awhile than see him go through that.”

Elena reached across the table and patted Rude’s hand comfortingly.

“Well, if we’re going to be breaking Reno’s habit, I suppose we’d better come up with some sort of plan,” Tseng commented, causing Rude to look up in surprise. The corners of the Wutaiian’s mouth twitched into a smile, “You don’t seriously believe we’d leave you to deal with him on your own, do you?”

---

Reno audibly growled at the screen in front of him. He couldn’t concentrate for shit and it was all Rude’s fault. He was supposed to be pulling up information for Tseng on some upstart little terrorist group calling themselves Avalanche, but his attention kept wandering, and all he could focus on was the fact that he couldn’t do the one thing, besides throwing himself off the roof, that would end this misery.

‘Fucking asshole,’ he mentally cursed his partner, glaring at the presently empty desk across the room for lack of a more substantial target. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Staring at the monitor was giving him a headache. Or maybe that was due to his not having had a cigarette in two and a half days… either way, he felt like hell, and goddammit, it was all Rude’s fault!

Why was his smoking any of that bastard’s business, anyway? Couldn’t he just leave him the fuck alone about it? Son of a bitch, butting into his personal life… Reno ground his teeth in irritation and turned back to the task at hand, only to find that he just couldn’t bear to sit still any longer. Before he knew it, he was on his feet, pacing the room like a caged animal. Just for good measure, he kicked Rude’s desk as he passed by it.

All. His. Goddamn. Fault.

Finally, he planted himself back in his chair, glaring bitterly at the screen, whose contents, unsurprisingly, hadn’t changed in the last five minutes. How was he supposed to get any work done like this?! He was up again seconds later, feeling uncomfortably closed in and anxious on his own in the Turk’s main office. With a snarl, he picked up the nearest object and flung it as hard as he could at the door…

… which chose that moment to open. Elena yelped, very shocked and slightly terrified, as a stapler embedded itself in the wall next to the door, much too close to her head for comfort.

“Oh, shit! ‘Lena!” Reno exclaimed, his frustration momentarily forgotten as he realized what he’d almost done, “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah?” she said, not entirely convinced of it herself, eying both the stapler, and the Turk who’d thrown it, rather uncertainly.

“Sorry ’bout that…”

“So… quitting’s not going so well, I guess…” she commented, edging past the redhead to get to her own desk.

“Ya heard, huh?” he muttered, turning away from her and dropping himself onto the couch by the window. Figured that son of a bitch would be talking up his little victory.

“About the bet and the bartender?” she said, smirking, unable to resist a little teasing, “Oh, yeah… I heard all about that…”

Reno glared at her. “Yeah, well… How the fuck was I supposed to know she was into chicks? I swear, if it weren’t for the fact that it was her first night workin’ there, I’d almost think that motherfucking bastard set me up…”

It took absolutely everything she had to keep a straight face when Reno said that. Thankfully, if she’d let slip any outward sign of just how right he was, Reno was too distracted to notice.

“Well, just so you know… Tseng has decided that from now on there’s no smoking allowed for any Turk while on duty. Ya know… just in case you were thinking of cheating,” she said, grinning. Reno’s eyes widened.

“He… what?!” Oh, that bastard, Rude… he had to have talked Tseng into it. Just wait ’til he got back from lunch. His partner was really gonna get a piece of his mind the next time he saw him… The next person through the door, however, was not Rude.

“Reno, I’m sure Elena has already mentioned it by now, but,” Tseng began, before doing a double-take as he caught sight of the stapler that was anchored quite firmly in the drywall next to the door. He raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly at Reno, “Really?”

“Blame Rude,” he groused. Tseng shook his head.

“Elena, file a maintenance request, please,” he said, “As I was saying, I’m sure she already mentioned it, but from now on, there will be no smoking on the clock.”

Reno muttered something under his breath that neither Tseng nor Elena was able to catch… though the Turk leader was certain it wasn’t flattering, and probably rather obscene.

“What was that?” he asked, fixing the redhead with a very unamused look.

“I said… ‘Yes, sir’,” he replied, through gritted teeth.

“You’re also on desk duty for the remainder of the week.”

“I… wait, what? What the fuck, Tseng?!” Reno stood and stalked towards him. “This is such bullshit! You seriously want me to sit around on my ass all day for the next week? Fuck that. Fuck you!”

Elena’s jaw dropped. She’d never heard anyone talk to Tseng like that… not and remain standing, at any rate. And coming from Reno, it was almost surreal. Reno tended to show a somewhat odd sort of respect for the Turk commander, but it was a sincere respect none the less, and she’d never once seen it waiver until now.

Reno was, literally, inches from Tseng’s face. The Wutaiian Turk hadn’t moved a muscle.

“Are you finished?” he asked calmly, as if this sort of interaction happened between the two of them every day. The lack of response seemed to snap Reno back to some semblance of normalcy.

“Yes…” he said, backing down, and looking decidedly embarrassed, “Sir.”

“And that is why you’re on desk duty.”

---

The plan certainly seemed simple enough, Rude thought to himself as the train descended towards the Sector 5 station. A new rule to ensure Reno didn’t try and cheat during the day – after hours, of course, they’d just have to rely on the Turk’s own sense of honor not to welch on his bet… tying him to his desk until the worst of the withdrawal symptoms had abated and he was a functional human being again… and finally, keeping him separated from Rude, upon whom most of his anger and frustration seemed to be focused for the time being.

Even though he knew Reno didn’t really mean any of it, it still hurt that his closest friend wouldn’t even speak to him, particularly when he only had the man’s best interests at heart. He regarded Reno as a brother. A deeply annoying, troublesome brother that half the time he wanted to smack upside the head, sure… but he wouldn’t hesitate for a moment if Reno needed him, and knew that – from firsthand experience – neither would Reno. They’d been inseparable almost from the moment they met as recruits. Reno understood him in a way that few others could… perhaps because they were just as alike as they were different.

At first glance, he mused, they really were polar opposites. Reno was always talking, laughing, poking fun; Rude was quiet, patient… controlled in both word and manner. Reno thrived as the center of attention, and in being able to take part in and direct the activity around him… Rude preferred the periphery, where he could listen and observe. Reno constantly spoke his mind… whether you asked his opinion or not. Rude kept his own counsel until it was requested, and even then, chose his words carefully.

No, he thought, they really couldn’t seem more different if they tried. It was what others often didn’t see that really tied them together. They were both fiercely loyal, for one. They had both been, largely, alone in life up until becoming Turks. Reno had no family at all… Rude had only had his father, from the time his mother had died in his teenage years – and whom he’d seen less and less of later in life, as he’d never been very accepting of his son’s chosen profession. And they both found it difficult to trust. In fact, there were only two people in the world Rude could honestly say he trusted implicitly – and one more that he was fairly confident would get there eventually. Reno was at the top of that list, and always would be.

The train ground to a stop at the station in the Sector 5 slums, and Rude was forced to abandon his musings. He had an informant to locate and intelligence to gather.

---

The following morning, Elena was standing outside the door to the Turks main office, hesitating. She shifted the box she was holding from one arm to the other, debating what the least potentially dangerous method of opening said door might be.

“I hid the staplers last night… I think it’s safe to enter,” a voice said softly, directly next to her ear, and Elena jumped in surprise before spinning to face its owner. It never ceased to amaze her how easily Tseng could sneak up on her. One of these days she was going to figure out how he did it…

“Y-yes, sir,” she stammered. Tseng smiled slightly as he straightened, having been leaning over her when he’d addressed her.

“I wonder what sort of Reno we have to contend with today?” he mused. The redhead hadn’t come in yet before Tseng had been called in to speak with Heidegger, so he’d missed his arrival. And the last time Reno had gone more than a few days without cigarettes, he’d gone from furious, to restless and anxious, to depressed, to near-catatonically drowsy, and back again.

“Anything would be better than yesterday’s, I think, sir,” she replied, “Sir… wouldn’t it be better to just let him stay home for awhile?”

Tseng snorted a laugh. “I doubt it. In fact, I think that might actually be a bit cruel. At least here we can try and keep him occupied. He’d be climbing the walls at home. You’ve seen what he’s like recovering from an injury. I suspect this wouldn’t be much different.”

Elena considered that. He did have a point.

“Guess there’s nothing else for it then.” She sighed, tucked the box under her left arm, and pushed open the door. When she was not immediately assaulted by office supplies, she stepped fully into the room. Reno was poking tiredly at the keyboard in front of him with one hand, his chin propped up on the other, eyes half closed.

“Morning, Reno!” she called out, cheerfully. Reno flinched.

“Can ya dial it down, ‘Lena? I’m runnin’ on maybe two hours sleep, I’ve already got a splitting headache, and you’re just way too fucking happy in the morning,” he whined.

“Oh… sure, Reno,” she said in a softer voice, trying not to take that too personally. She held out the box, “Umm… Maybe this’ll make you feel better…”

Reno looked up from the screen, spotting the offering.

“Oh god, yes…” He was on his feet and at her side in the time it took her to blink, snatching the box like a desperate man and lifting the lid. “Ahh, yeah… ‘Lena, I take it back. And I think I may be in love with you right now…” He deliberated on his first choice for a moment, before selecting one of the twelve colorfully frosted rings and devouring it.

“Reno and sugar…” Tseng sighed, “What have you wrought upon us now, Elena?”

---

Whatever improvement Elena’s donuts had made to Reno’s temperament that morning had long worn away by the time the lunch hour rolled around. The infusion of a dozen pastries-worth of sugar – and she was pretty sure he wouldn’t have shared, even if they’d asked, so he’d been left, unchecked, to eat them all – had actually returned him to his old self for a little while.

But when it had finally burned off, he’d started becoming snappish and short-tempered. At the moment, he was in the Shinra cafeteria, once again picking at the food on his plate, his appetite seeming to have deserted him, and glaring coldly at the empty seat across from him that normally would have been occupied by his partner.

“You’re not really still angry with Rude, are you?” Elena asked, broaching the silence at the table.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Reno muttered, “Fucker couldn’t just leave well enough alone. I don’t go around tellin’ him he’s gotta give up that stupid show of his just ’cause I don’t like it…”

“That’s hardly the same thing, Reno…” Tseng commented.

“Yeah? You ever seen him when he misses an episode?” the redhead said, smirking nastily, “You’d think the damn world was ending just ’cause he doesn’t know if poor Iliana survived for another week… Fuck, when they finally do kill her off, he’s gonna completely lose it.”

Elena snickered. “For someone who claims to hate the show so much, you seem to know an awful lot about it…”

“Yeah… and that’s Rude’s fault, too. Where is that asshole, anyway? I haven’t seen him since yesterday. Coward’s been hiding from me…”

“You won’t be seeing much of him until you’re a little less… antagonistic. I gave him an assignment that should keep him busy most of the week,” Tseng replied. Reno glared at him.

“Ya know, I don’t exactly appreciate bein’ treated like a child…”

“And as soon as you stop acting like one, you won’t be.” The Turk leader smiled calmly, and Elena smothered a laugh behind her hand.

“Ha. Ha,” Reno said, dryly, “You’re hilarious, boss.”

“Indeed I am,” he agreed, perfectly straight-faced, “Reno, I’m well aware that you can’t help the way you’re acting… but in a few more days, when the worst of this is over and you’re back to your old obnoxious-in-a-less-petulant-way self again, I have a feeling you’re going to be kicking yourself for the way you’ve been treating Rude.”

“Yeah, Reno… he’s just looking out for you, you know.”

“Ugh… please. Don’t know when the hell he got to be such a fucking health nut, anyway…” Reno muttered.

“Now I know you’re not that dense, Reno…” Tseng deadpanned.

“Whatever,” Reno replied dismissively, climbing to his feet, “I’m not hungry. Ya need me, I’ll be staring blankly at my computer for the next four hours.”

---

Reno didn’t head back to the Turks’ office. He made it as far as the elevator before coming to a decision. Fuck Rude, and fuck the bet. Rude could kiss his ass. He hit the button for the rooftop helipad.

The doors slid open, and he stepped out into daylight, a chilly spring wind hitting him in the face. He grinned as he spotted his target, striding towards one of the two helicopters that sat fueled and ready beneath a thick tarp. One was the executive vehicle, at the beck and call of President Shinra. The other was reserved for the Turks. It was the latter he was interested in. Reno climbed into the familiar cockpit, reaching under the dash, long fingers closing around a small item concealed there. He withdrew the pack of cigarettes, and flipped open the top, pulling one out and tucking the rest of the pack into his jacket pocket.

Stepping out of the helicopter, he made his way to the rail that guarded the edge of the rooftop and leaned against it, placing the cigarette between his lips and fishing his lighter out of his pocket.

‘Heh… you lose, pal,’ he thought to himself, and he struggled to get the lighter to light in the strong wind blowing across the rooftop. He’d just have to be little more subtle about when and where he lit up from now on. Long as Rude didn’t catch him, no harm, no foul, right? Besides… What the big guy didn’t know wouldn’t kill him…

Reno froze, just as he finally managed to get a flame.

“Aw, fuck me…” he swore, and flipped the lid of the lighter closed, extinguishing it. Tseng was wrong. He really was that dense.

How the hell could he not have picked up on the timing? Rude couldn’t have cared less about Reno’s smoking until just a few weeks after ‘Lena had been promoted. Which was just a few months after his dad’s funeral – a funeral at which Rude had been a bit of a wreck and had leaned heavily on his friend for support for days afterward. He groaned, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.

“You’re a fucking moron, Reno,” he sighed, as he tossed the cigarette over the railing… then scowled and tossed the rest of the pack for good measure before turning and storming back to the elevator. On the way down, he pulled out his PHS and dialed Rude’s number. It went straight to voice mail. Apparently, whatever Tseng had sent him to do required a blackout.

“Goddammit, Rude,” he almost yelled into the phone after the software started recording, “I’m not a fucking mind-reader, you dick… Next time you’re havin’ a crisis about my mortality, let me fucking know, will ya? Also… I’m an asshole.”

---

Wednesday came and went without Reno hearing a word from Rude, and by mid Thursday morning, he was twitchy and high-strung, and feeling decidedly trapped in the Turks’ offices. Part of that was due to being on the latter end of gradually diminishing nicotine cravings. Part of it was not knowing where his partner was, and not liking that fact one little bit.

He was drumming his fingers loudly on the top of his desk. He jumped when someone suddenly grabbed his hand and pressed it flat against the desktop, effectively stopping all movement.

“I don’t suppose you’d be able to relax, even if I ordered you to…” Tseng lamented. The man was a bundle of nervous energy today – which, admittedly, was actually a step up from grouchy and irritable with a tendency to throw things, or half-asleep and staring into space – and it only seemed to be getting more pronounced. Reno looked at him, somewhat miserably.

“Doubt it…” he replied, “I was on edge all night, and sitting around worryin’ about Rude is just making things worse.”

“W-wait…” Elena piped up from across the room, “Now you’re worried about Rude? I thought you were still pissed off at him.”

“Tch… Seriously? Try an’ keep up, ‘Lena,” he said with a teasing grin, rolling his eyes.

“Reno, no one can keep up with your constantly shifting moods this week,” she replied, “And what are you worried for? He checked in less than an hour ago.”

“Yeah… with Tseng,” he said, huffily, “Not with me…” Not that there was any difference. He was alive, and not in any trouble. It ultimately didn’t matter who received the message, so long as it was received. Reno just… really wanted to talk to him.

“Alright… Gym. Now,” Tseng said, motioning for Reno to follow him, “Relaxed… exhausted… it’s all the same to me, as long as it calms you down.”

---

It was nearly three in the afternoon when Rude stepped out of the elevator and into the Turks headquarters for the first time in three days. His foray into the slums had proven fruitful, but he was glad to be back. He hesitated outside the door to the Turks office. He’d gotten the impression from Reno’s voicemail that the redhead had finally come around… but per regulations he had not been able to contact him directly while in a communications blackout. He’d prefer to hear it from Reno in person before getting too confident that all was forgiven.

But there wasn’t much he could do standing in the hallway. At last, he pushed open the door, expecting to find Reno at the very least, seeing as Tseng had forced him into a week of desk duty, if not the entire team. Instead, the only greeting he received came from Elena.

“Hey, Rude! Welcome back!” she called out. He nodded, glancing as casually as he could towards Reno’s empty desk.

“I miss much?” he asked.

“Just Reno’s parade of personalities…” she replied, “I think he’s finally starting to come out of it, though. He hasn’t viciously snapped at anyone even once today.”

“Where is he?”

“Well… He was kind of wound up this morning. And he was worrying about you being gone, so that didn’t exactly help. Tseng dragged him off to the gym to try and wear him out a little.”

“And I would have succeeded, too, if he’d been paying a bit more attention to what he was doing,” came a voice from the doorway. Elena and Rude turned, and were a little shocked to see a somewhat disheveled and sweaty Tseng, still clad in workout clothes.

“Sir?” Elena questioned.

“I would have simply called up, but I left my PHS behind,” he explained, “Reno’s downstairs in Medical. I was hoping you were back by now, Rude. I think he’d prefer your company to mine at the moment.”

“… What happened?” Rude asked, his calm tone belying his sudden anxiousness. Tseng shook his head.

“He advanced when he should have dodged,” the Turk leader replied, lightly, “It’s nothing serious. Unless of course you ask Reno himself, in which case I’m sure he’s going to be crippled for life.”

Rude snorted derisively… but was out the door moments later.

---

“W-whoa, wait… Seriously? What the hell are you planning to do with that? Keep that away from me…”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Reno… we go through this every time you’re in here. Now, be a good boy and hold still,” a soft, lilting, and somewhat bemused, female voice chastised.

“Ow!”

“There now… that wasn’t so awful, was it?”

“Fucking sadist.”

Rude smirked as a tiny, gray-haired woman emerged from behind the privacy screen. It was a far cry from a fully-functional hospital, but the Shinra Building’s medical suite had one thing that every other facility on the Plate lacked. Dr. Justinia Ward. Originally hailing from Mideel – and never having completely lost the accent in spite of her many years in Midgar – she had been a fixture there longer than anyone could remember.

She barely came to Rude’s chest in height, and had an almost grandmotherly quality to her… if your grandmother happened to be a spry old woman who didn’t take any lip. The woman had to have been in her 70s by now, but you certainly wouldn’t have known it to see her in action. Being that she spent a pretty significant percentage of her time patching up the Turks’ more minor injuries, she had to keep on her toes.

She was the only person aside from Tseng who could put Reno in his place with nothing more than a stern look… and quite possibly the only doctor in existence that Reno could grudgingly be forced to admit that he didn’t entirely hate. In fact, Rude was certain that Reno was secretly quite fond of her.

“Watch that mouth of yours, young man, or no treat for yeh,” she called back. The proclamation was met with an annoyed groan, but no further comment. Rude’s grin widened. She was also the only person, aside, perhaps, from the president and Rufus Shinra, that could get away with threatening a Turk.

“Well, well… I hear you’re the one responsible for that little troublemaker’s present condition. Hmph… blood pressure through the roof, sleep deprived, wound tighter ‘n long-tailed a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. The poor thing…” she said, padding over to Rude, arms crossed over her chest, and he shrank back slightly, half expecting to get the sharp side of her tongue. She suddenly beamed at him, “Good on yeh. He’ll be better off in the long run. You can have him back now… I’m all finished.”

She patted him on the arm and walked to her desk near the back of the suite.

“Hey,” Reno’s voice pulled his gaze back around, and Rude found his partner peering around the screen at him.

“… Hey.”

“So… I’m a total asshole.”

“Yep.”

“Yeah… ya didn’t have to agree so quick, ya know,” Reno said, somewhat sheepishly. A line of neat stitches ran parallel to his left eyebrow, and he looked paler than usual… though that probably had nothing to do with the injury.

“…”

Reno ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back out of his eyes. “Next time, just assume I’m an oblivious moron that needs shit explained like I’m five, okay? Save us both some trouble.”

“… Yeah, okay,” Rude replied, relieved to have things back to normal between the two of them, “You ready to get out of here?”

“Hell, no…” Reno replied, turning to glare at the elderly woman who was crossing the room towards the two men, “Doc still owes me a sucker. And not one of those crappy yellow ones, if she knows what’s good for her.”

“Mmmhmm… and what did I just say ’bout watching your mouth,” Dr. Ward asked, narrowing her eyes at the redhead. Rude snickered at the slightly devastated look that came over Reno’s face as his mouth dropped open wordlessly. Dr. Ward smugly held a red sucker out to him, which Reno grabbed possessively before she could change her mind. “I’m only cutting yeh some slack this once because you’ve had a rough week, mind. Now get on outta here. Go on… Shoo.”

“Don’t need ta tell me twice,” Reno replied, halfway out the door before she could finish the sentence, the candy already in his mouth.

“He’s a sweet boy, really,” Dr. Ward said quietly to Rude as he turned to follow, “Glad he’s got someone looking out for him.”

Rude nodded his thanks, and left, mentally picturing what Reno’s reaction to being called a “sweet boy” would be, and shaking his head as he caught up to him.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said firmly. Reno just shrugged and stepped into the elevator.

“So… Phoenix Nest tonight. You’re buyin’.”

“Why am I buying?”

Reno rolled up the loose sleeve of his workout top and smirked. “Because if you’re expectin’ me to stick with this no smoking shit, I’m gonna be spending all my money on these fucking nicotine patches for the foreseeable future, that’s why.”

Rude was only too happy to agree.

~fin~