Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 28: Snow Day

Reno groaned loudly as he was pulled viciously from the edge of sweet, glorious sleep. He glanced over at the clock… just after eleven. He hadn’t even been in bed fifteen minutes yet. When the insistent knocking that had woken him repeated itself, he swore and dragged himself to his feet, thoroughly annoyed.

It had been a long day. Hell, thanks to his target deciding to take a detour to see his girlfriend before moving on to the sort of activity Reno had been moderately more interested in observing, it had been a long evening, too… he hadn’t gotten home until well past ten. Add to that the hassle of having to rescue said target from a bar fight that he almost certainly would have lost had the redhead not intervened, and one could certainly understand Reno’s current desire to remain comatose. Once he walked in the door, he had literally done nothing more than strip down on the way to the shower, let the water warm him up after spending hours following the asshole through the snowy streets of the Sector 7 plate, and crawl into bed with the intention of falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

He’d come so close to succeeding, too.

“Goddammit, I’m comin’,” he muttered at the sound of continued knocking. His hand found his EMR on the way. Never hurt to be a little paranoid when answering the door in the middle of the night, after all. Reno flipped the light switch in the living room, flinching in the sudden brightness, and made his way to the door, fully intending to tell off whoever the hell had made the mistake of disturbing him.

“What, for Ifit’s sake… ?!” he growled, wrenching it open, and glaring into the hallway. He froze, a sudden feeling of deja vu coming over him, as he saw who his late-night visitor was. “… ‘Lena?”

“I… er… I’m sorry!” she stammered, her cheeks going red. Reno blinked in confusion as he looked her over. Snuffy’s cage was tucked under her arm, awkwardly braced against her hip. The little ferret was snoozing peacefully, curled up beneath what looked like an old sweatshirt. A small bag hung by its strap from the rookie’s opposite shoulder. “I… I would have called first, but I couldn’t. My battery’s dead. Um…”

“Your apartment’s not on fire again, is it?” he couldn’t help but ask, somewhat concerned. After the last time Elena had turned up at his door, unannounced, in the middle of the night, he was understandably wary.

“Oh! No… nothing like that,” she said, hurriedly. She shifted awkwardly, her eyes not quite able to meet his gaze. “I’m not… um… interrupting anything… am I?”

Reno’s eyebrow quirked upwards, not quite sure what she was getting at… until he realized exactly why she seemed to be so uncomfortable. He grinned internally, all sorts of ideas for things he could do right now – and probably shouldn’t, if he wanted to live to see tomorrow – twisting through his mind. “Just a decent night’s sleep. Come on in.”

He ushered her over to the couch. “So what’s up?”

“I… uh… My apartment,” she said, now apparently trying very hard to keep her eyes on his face, rather than let her gaze wander, “The power’s been out all day. It’s freezing over there. Poor Snuffy was buried under his blanket and wouldn’t even come out for dinner when I got home. I was hoping I could… maybe camp out on your couch tonight?” She paused, before casting him a pleadingly look. “Reno, for the love of Shiva, would you please put some clothes on?”

Reno snickered, giving her a small shrug. “What? Not enjoyin’ the view?”

Elena set Snuffy’s cage down, and glared. “Pervert.” The redhead flashed her a lewd smile and took a little bow. “Seriously, Reno… What kind of lunatic sleeps nude in the dead of winter anyway?” she asked, rolling her eyes.

“Why d’ya think I keep the heat cranked up so high in here? Eh… your loss…” he tossed over his shoulder, as he made his way back to his bedroom. He emerged a few moments later in a black silk robe. “Sure, you can stay. Must be pretty bad over at your place if you can’t just pile on the blankets ‘n ride it out.”

“Believe me… I tried. I didn’t want to bother you so late, especially after I heard you were still working after the rest of us all went home for the day, but I just couldn’t take it anymore,” She set her bag down on the floor and dropped onto the couch. “The power must have gone out right after I left for work this morning for the temperature to have dropped as much as it has. It’s almost as cold inside as it is outside at this point. My whole block’s dark, too. There isn’t even any hot water in my building.”

“Got plenty of that, if ya wanna warm up a little.”

“To be honest, right now I just want to get some sleep without feeling like I’m turning into an ice cube,” she responded, biting back a yawn.

“Suit yourself,” he replied, “You can have the bedroom. Just lemme grab somethin’ first.”

“Reno, you…”

“And don’t bother tryin’ to talk me out of it this time. I already let ya have your way at the Christmas party,” he said, neatly cutting her off and grinning as he disappeared into the bedroom for a second time. “Just let me be a fucking gentleman once in awhile.” He poked his head back out and smirked. “Unless you’d like to share?”

“Oh, yeah… you’re such a gentleman…” she scoffed, jokingly.

He vanished with a laugh, but wasn’t gone long… and when he returned, Elena couldn’t help but giggle softly. The stuffed bunny she’d given him for Christmas was cradled in one arm. Now it was Reno’s turn for an eyeroll.

“Yeah, I sleep with her,” he sighed, “Now quit laughin’ at me and go to bed.”

Elena giggled again, and shook her head. “I’m not laughing at you… I just think it’s cute.” The ferret, who up until that point had been happily dozing his his cage, chirred in apparent agreement. “See? Even Snuffy thinks so.” She collected her bag from the floor, and got to her feet.

Reno shot the rodent a baleful glare. “You’re not helpin’ me out here much, Snuffy,” he muttered, and planted himself in the seat the rookie had just vacated.

“Well, it’s true,” she said in a teasing tone. “And besides… It makes me happy knowing I gave you something you really like. Anyway… goodnight. And thanks for putting me up.”

“Any time. ‘Night, ‘Lena.”

---

Elena sighed softly and rolled over. Sunlight was peeking through the window around the edges of the curtains. She stretched a little as she woke fully, confused for a moment by the somewhat unfamiliar surroundings, before remembering how she’d been driven out of her own apartment last night and sought refuge with Reno. She snickered quietly to herself, a little surprised she wasn’t waking up next to him. It would have been kind of a golden opportunity for the joker.

Loathe as she was to vacate the lovely warm bed and the soft sheets she was cocooned in, there was the little matter of needing to get ready for work. She couldn’t stay there forever… though her body argued the point admirably. It took her several more minutes to finally force herself to get up.

At last on her feet, Elena crept out into the living room, careful to be as quiet as possible. She wasn’t sure if Reno would be up yet, and she didn’t want to disturb him right away if he wasn’t. She found him exactly where she’d left him the night before… on the couch. He was still sound asleep, half covered by a thick blanket and curled on his side, his head pillowed on one arm. The little bunny he’d so adamantly christened ‘El’ was clutched in a protective one-armed embrace in the other. It took every bit of self control she possessed not to laugh. He looked like a little kid who’d fallen asleep after trying to stay up too late. She smiled lightly, not quite willing to look away from the sight.

“Take a picture… it’ll last longer,” a sleepy voice suddenly taunted, and Elena jumped a little in surprise. Reno lifted his head minutely, eyes opening a crack to look at her, and he grinned. “Ok, ya gotta tell me, ‘Lena… I mean, not that I mind, but what it is with you and watchin’ me sleep?” he asked.

“I don’t watch you sleep,” she responded, slightly scandalized. “I just… linger a little bit when I happen to catch you sleeping. You just look so content and relaxed… It’s sweet.”

Reno snorted softly, and let his head drop, closing his eyes again. “Tch… you ‘n Lira both…” he murmured, “You’d think I was the only guy on the planet that enjoyed sleepin’…”

“Well… I hate to interrupt something you enjoy so much, but it’s after six. And we do have to work today. Don’t you think you should get up?”

The redhead groaned and rolled over onto his other side, pulling the blanket over his head as he did so. “Five more minutes…”

Elena sighed in exasperation, conceding defeat. If Reno wanted risk being late in order to sleep in, that was his business. She, on the other hand, intended to be on time, regardless. That in mind, she quietly slipped into the bathroom to take advantage of some of that hot water that had been offered to her last night.

Reno yawned as he heard the door close behind her, and moments later, the sound of running water. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. If he wanted breakfast before he left for the day – and he most certainly did – it was time to get up. He shoved the blanket aside and rolled off the couch, unenthusiastically dragging himself to his feet and tapping on Snuffy’s cage. If he couldn’t sleep in, neither could the ferret. His wake-up call was answered with a testy bark from underneath the makeshift blanket inside the cage.

“Hey, don’t blame me. ‘Lena woke me up, so I’m wakin’ you up. I’d rather still be sleepin’, too…” he said, rubbing his eyes while making his bleary way into the kitchen.

Coffee was the first order of business. He hated the early morning… in fact, Rude occasionally joked that he was functionally on autopilot until at least eight a.m. Or until his fourth cup… whichever happened to come first. Though Reno typically protested the claim, it really wasn’t that far from the truth some mornings… and today was looking to be one of those days. It always seemed to take a little extra effort to jumpstart his energy levels after a particularly late night. As his lifeline to wakefulness brewed, he turned to the fridge to see what it had to offer this morning.

He shuddered as the chill from the appliance hit his bare skin… in hindsight, he really should have grabbed his robe first. Just as he was reaching for the pizza box that was wedged at an awkward angle in between a container of leftover chicken and a half-full jug of milk, his morning routine was further interrupted by the sound of his newly replaced PHS. He swore softly under his breath, and hurried to retrieve the device from his bedroom, snatching up the abandoned garment on the way.

“Yeah, boss?” Reno answered, hoping he sounded more alert than he felt… and that Tseng didn’t already have an assignment for him today. He was definitely not at a hundred percent quite yet, and had been hoping for at least a slow morning at the office. He set about trying to dress himself with only one free hand, before finally giving up and wedging the PHS against his shoulder in order to shrug his way into the robe.

“I’m surprised.”

Reno cocked an eyebrow, wondering just what the hell had managed to surprise the Wutaiian Turk, and why he felt the need to notify him of it at six in the morning.

“And ya just had to share? What… new experience for ya or somethin’?” he asked. He heard Tseng chuckle quietly on the other end of the line as he cinched the robe’s belt around his waist.

“Hardly. But, typically, by now you’d have called me.”

“Tseng, have a heart,” he whined, “I had a hell of a day yesterday. Didn’t even get home ’til almost eleven and I just rolled outta bed like two minutes ago. Coffee’s not even ready yet. You’re gonna have to give me a little more to go on here…”

“Then I suggest you look out the window…”

“Fine… but if I do and the city’s in flames or somethin’, I’m still not comin’ in ’til after breakfast,” he replied, meandering across the room and pulling aside the curtains. He immediately squeezed his eyes shut, looking away. “Gah! Fucking sunlight…” At that, Tseng began laughing openly as he patiently waited for his lieutenant to recover from his partial blinding. Reno squinted against the harsh glare, letting his eyes adjust to the brightness. When they finally did, his jaw dropped. “Holy shit…”

“As I said… I was surprised not to hear from you this morning,” Tseng taunted him, “Usually, you wake me before dawn if there’s so much as a chance of…”

“I was followin’ that bastard over in seven all day yesterday. Didn’t hear anything about this comin’…” he said, cutting the other man’s commentary short, before turning deadly serious. “Don’t you fuckin’ toy with me, Tseng… If you value your life, the next words outta your mouth damn well better be…”

“Snow day,” the Turk leader finished for him. A grin spread over Reno’s face. It was rare that the city was at such a complete stand-still that even the Turks were called off work… In fact, the last time he could recall Tseng uttering those words had to be almost four years ago now. But by the looks of the mounds of snow that had appeared overnight, most people probably weren’t going anywhere for a good long while. His apartment complex was only a block or two off a main artery for the sector, and he could see that even it hadn’t yet been cleared.

“Yes!” he shouted, pressing his face against the glass as he tried to take in just how bad conditions were outside. He debated heading out onto the balcony as he wondered if he was completely snowed in… but given the temperature outside and his current lack of any substantial clothing, decided against it.

“We are, of course, still on call in the event of an emergency…” Tseng added.

“Aw, quit tryin’ ta ruin it…” A ‘snow day’ had been a completely foreign concept to him prior to joining the Turks and moving to the Plate. The slums just didn’t get much in terms of weather… it was cold, it was hot, or it was somewhere in between the two extremes… occasionally, it was damp, as well, and sometimes the runoff from above flooded parts of some of the sectors… but with the massive structure shielding lower Midgar from the sky above, rain and snow and wind just didn’t happen in the slums. He’d never even seen snow until he was sixteen. The idea that everything could simply stop because there was too much of it had been quite a revelation.

“… and per company policy, we’re at half-pay for the duration of our absence…”

“Fuck if I care.” A day off was a day off.

“… and you’ll be expected to make up lost time on a weekend of my choosing.”

“Yeah, yeah…” the redhead began, dismissively, before what his superior had said fully registered. “Wait… What? What the hell, Tseng? That better have been a sad attempt at a joke…”

“Of course it was,” Tseng said, and Reno could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Not funny, boss,” he replied, though he couldn’t help but smile a little.

“It’s hardly my fault that you seem to be incapable of appreciating my more subtle brand of humor,” the other man jabbed back at him in response. “Enjoy your day off. I’ll see you when things thaw out a bit.” He laughed softly. “In retrospect, I probably should have informed Elena first… Knowing her, she very well may already be attempting to make it into the office by now.”

“Nah… She’s still in the shower,” Reno said, with a twisted little grin, “I’ll let her know we’re not workin’ soon as she gets out. Later, boss!” He snickered to himself as he ended the call. That ought to raise an eyebrow or two. Though Elena would probably murder him if she ever found out about it…

Speaking of…

At some point while he’d been on the phone, the water had shut off in the bathroom. He tossed the PHS back onto the bedside table, and slipped out into the other room to await the rookie’s return. He wasn’t kept waiting for long… the door cracked open and Elena peered out.

“Reno… you wouldn’t happen to have a…”

Whatever she’d been about to ask for was immediately forgotten, as Reno grabbed her by the wrist, laughing maniacally as he hauled her out and pulled her into a bear hug, then swung her in a wide circle before releasing her into the living room. Elena squealed in shock and clutched desperately at her slipping towel while she found her footing. She glared at the redhead, thoroughly annoyed.

“RENO!”

He grinned wildly, ignoring the expression on her face. “Guess what?”

“You’ve finally lost your mind?” she deadpanned.

“No more than usual. Come on… seriously, guess.”

“Ugh… Reno, I’m not going to play some demented little game with you while I’m standing here in nothing but a damp towel.” Whatever had the redhead so excited, it was going to have to wait until she was dressed. She was not going to have a repeat of Hell Week this morning. ” Besides, I need to get ready for work, and so do you.”

“Just guess…” he said, insistently. She crossed her arms over her chest, defiantly. “Come on, ‘Lena. One guess… then I’ll leave ya alone.”

“Oh, alright…” Elena sighed. Apparently she wasn’t getting out of whatever twisted little plot Reno had in mind so easily. “You’ve decided to embark upon a life of celibacy and sobriety?”

“Cute, ‘Lena. I meant guess somethin’ that might actually happen,” he replied with a smirk.

“You didn’t specify,” she shot back, and turned to march off into Reno’s bedroom to get dressed while the redhead snickered unabashedly.

“Geez… Don’t think I’ve ever seen ya so grouchy in the morning…”

Elena rolled her eyes and spun to face the entirely too amused Turk again, standing in the doorway. “I’m not usually ambushed, assaulted, and manhandled first thing in the morning, either. Why are you suddenlyin such a good mood, anyway?”

“Heh… Got a call from Tseng while you were in the shower,” he said, finally calming down a bit. “Today’s the best kind of day winter in Midgar has to offer… It’s a snow day!”

“I… What?”

“Snow day, ‘Lena… you know. A day when it snows so much ’bout all you can do is stay home and not freeze? We got dumped on last night. Can’t get to the office safely, so we get the day off. Tseng’s orders.”

“I know what a snow day is.” Elena eyed him suspiciously, looking for the punchline. She knew him a little too well not to suspect a prank of some sort. Oddly enough, he seemed to be perfectly serious. “… Really?” she intoned, hesitantly, and Reno laughed.

“Yeah, really… Boss officially cut us all loose for the day. Take a look outside if you think I’m makin’ it up.”

She moved toward the window, glancing back at the redhead, half-expecting him to snatch her towel while her back was turned. Peering out into the bright morning sunlight, though, it quickly became apparent that this was no joke.

“Wow…” she breathed. Midgar’s streets had vanished beneath a thick layer of white. She couldn’t tell how deep it actually was until she thought to look down at the parking lot. Even from five floors up, she could see that the drifts came up to the windows of most of the cars parked below. The lower spots probably weren’t nearly as deep, but Reno was right. They weren’t going anywhere for awhile.

“Told ya so,” the grinning Turk said from the doorway to the bedroom. “So? What d’ya wanna do today?”

She smiled sweetly, and strode over to the door.

“Well, for starters… I want to get dressed,” she replied, closing it in his face.

---

Elena was a little surprised to hear voices as she was emerging from the bedroom, fully dressed now, in her gym clothes… her only real option since she had packed in anticipation of spending the day at work and going home that evening, as usual. It was either sweats, or her uniform… or back into her pajamas again. Sweats had won out.

She poked her head out, looking for the source of the voices, and spotted Reno leaning casually against the doorframe, talking to someone in the hall.

“Sorry, Tessa… already got company for today,” she heard him say, and she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on, as she stepped into the living room to investigate. Finally at an angle from which she could see the visitor, the rookie found herself face to face with a young, olive-skinned woman. A streak of hot pink stood out vibrantly in her dark hair, and Elena could see part of an elaborate tattoo peeking out from beneath the collar of her shirt on one side of her neck. Her nose was pierced one one side with a diamond stud, and several more piercings decorated her ears. Much to the rookie’s surprise, she smiled when she spotted her… a little predatorily, in her opinion.

“She can join in if she wants…” the woman purred, more than loud enough to be overheard by Elena. Reno glanced back over his shoulder, suddenly realizing that he wasn’t on his own any longer and smirked.

“Don’t think she’s really into that sort of thing… but I’ll ask.” Elena quickly shot him a glare, and the redhead laughed. “Pretty sure that’s a no. Guess she wants me all to herself.”

The woman sighed. “Just my luck. Some other time, then…” She trailed a hand along Reno’s cheek before turning to leave. Reno shut the door behind her.

“Really?” Elena asked, as he made his way over to her. He grinned, and draped an arm over her shoulders.

“Well, I didn’t wanna be an asshole and just kick her out…”

Elena rolled her eyes at him. “Do you keep a… a waiting list, or something? Or do women just show up at your door at random?”

Reno laughed and started guiding her into the kitchen. “I wish,” he said with a grin, “Nah… Tessa lives two floors up. Got together with her once a while back. She just figured I might be in the market for some company since we’re all stuck for awhile. Probably woulda turned her down even if you weren’t here, to be honest.”

The rookie blinked in surprise. She’d nearly convinced herself that he wasn’t capable of such a feat. “You would? Why?”

“Well, for one thing, she likes to bite. Hard. In places that are way too sensitive for that shit,” he replied, shrugging. “I get that some people like that kinda thing, but I’m not one of ’em… I take enough of a beating on the job.”

“And now I’m sorry I asked…” Sometimes, she got just a little too much information from the man in response to a question.

“Yeah, you’d think by now you’d know better,” he teased, “Ah, I’m sure she’ll find some way to entertain herself without me. Anyway… you planning on goin’ for a jog or somethin’?” He plucked at the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

“I didn’t exactly pack for an extended stay,” she replied, taking a seat on one of the barstools that lined the counter delineating the boundary between kitchen and living room. “I’m just lucky I took these home to wash them the other day… otherwise, I’d be spending the day in uniform.”

Reno snickered and rounded the counter heading for the coffee pot. “You want a t-shirt or somethin’ instead, feel free to grab one outta the closet,” he offered, pouring himself a cup and upending the sugar dispenser over it, “So… on to breakfast. I was just gonna finish off some pizza from the other day, but there’s other shit in there, too, if you’re not in the mood for leftovers. I’d offer to cook, but honestly… I’m only slightly better at it than Tseng. You’re fine if ya want eggs or bacon or somethin’ else that’s almost impossible to fuck up, but beyond that…” He shrugged dismissively.

Elena hopped off the stool and opened the fridge, a little terrified of what she might find, knowing how the man usually ate. To her relief, the contents were almost shockingly normal, if a bit lacking in healthier options. Reno reached over her to grab the pizza box.

“Heh… you know, you shoulda hit up Rude for a sleepover last night, not me. You’d be eatin’ better. Hell, if I’d known we were due for a fuckin’ blizzard, I think I mighta shamelessly imposed on him, too.”

“I definitely wouldn’t be choosing between cold fried chicken and cereal with marshmallows in it this morning… that’s for sure,” she said with a laugh, eying the cartoonishly decorated box sitting on the counter. Though, actually, she mused… cold chicken really didn’t sound half bad.

“Aaaactually… you’d find that at Rude’s place, too, if ya knew where to look,” Reno said, conspiratorially. “Don’t tell him I told ya, but he’s got a thing for those little marshmallows… Keeps ’em hidden, though. Kind of a guilty pleasure.”

The rookie giggled and pulled out the container of chicken, the mental image of Rude, of all people, eating colorful marshmallow bits in secret a little too bizarre to fathom. She carried her breakfast back to the counter with a shake of her head, grabbing a plate from the cabinet on the way. Reno was already downing a slice of pizza, pointedly ignoring the crust.

“Let me guess… you only eat the good part.”

“Tch… It’s all the good part,” he smirked, and walked into the living room, “Just figured Snuffy was probably gettin’ hungry, too.” The ferret barked and trilled excitedly as Reno opened the door to his cage and passed the crust in to him. He carried it off to one corner, munching happily. Reno looked back over at her. “So ya never actually answered me earlier… what d’ya want to do today? We’re sort of stuck with each other ’til someone digs us out.”

“Or longer if power doesn’t get restored to my building,” she pointed out, “I mean… if that’s alright. I can always get a room somewhere once the roads are open… or stay at the office for a day or two.” Reno wouldn’t turn her out, she knew – probably not even if he got to be truly fed up with having a houseguest – but she still felt a little bad just inviting herself like that. He stood up from his crouched position and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Give me a break, ‘Lena… Don’t pretend like ya really think I’d toss you out into the snow and tell ya to go home. I know you don’t believe it for a second,” he replied, smiling, “‘Sides… you ever spent a weekend in the Shinra Building?”

She shook her head and bit into a drumstick, savoring the crusty, and slightly greasy, skin. It was horribly unhealthy, she knew, but it had always been her favorite part of fried chicken.

She remembered staying overnight at headquarters a handful of times her first month or two on the job, when she’d gotten a little over-zealous trying to make a good impression and ended up staying so late that she just didn’t feel up to driving home. The sleeping quarters that were part of the Turks’ headquarters were small – not much larger than her walk-in closet, to be honest – but comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep. But her previous stays had never been more than a single night.

“Don’t ever do it,” the redhead said with a laugh, “Learned that lesson the hard way. Hojo likes to prowl around on the weekends.”

“Why would he…”

“Lookin’ for specimens,” Reno said, anticipating the question. “Volunteers, supposedly, but you’ve met the fucker. I’ve got my doubts on just how many of ’em are helping him out on a strictly volunteer basis. And just so ya know… he’s got access to our office. Parts of it, anyway, including the sleeping quarters. He’s technically in charge of the on-site medical staff… Can go just about anywhere in the building in case of a medical emergency.”

“Okay, that’s… really disturbing,” Elena said with a shudder. Hojo was not on her list of favorite people. Not since he’d attempted to, in his own words, euthanize Reno after he’d been injected with an experimental, and very potent, drug.

“Yeah… even more so when ya wake up one a.m. and the guy’s starin’ at ya in the dark. Asshole’s lucky I have a preference for close range weapons, or he probably wouldn’t’ve walked outta there alive… and I’da had a hell of a time explainin’ that to Veld.”

“You have to tell me that story,” she said, sniggering. Reno grabbed the pizza box, and flopped down on the couch with it.

“Bring that over here and get comfy, then…”

Elena set a second piece of chicken on her plate, and returned the rest to the fridge before pouring herself her own cup of coffee and joining him.

“Let’s see…” Reno began, “Guess it was maybe six or seven months after Tseng recruited me… before Hell Week, anyway, so I really hadn’t been around that long. I… kinda got myself kicked out of the apartment I was living in, and I was too much of an egotistical little shit to take Tseng up on his offer to stay with him for awhile, so I took over one of the rooms at headquarters.”

“Hold on… how’d you get kicked out?” Not that she’d ever had much cause to test the claim – beyond her drunken Friday night party with Reno awhile back – but it was a widely held belief that members of the Turks were immune to little things like arrest, vehicle citations, and eviction.

The redhead snickered. “That is a whole other story, ‘Lena…” He reached over and opened Snuffy’s cage again, this time letting him climb out and perch himself on his chest as he leaned back on the couch. The ferret curled up in a ball while Reno stoked his back. “Anyway, I’d been stayin’ there a couple of days already, and it was finally the weekend. Met up with Rude on Saturday, hung out at his place for awhile, then headed back to the office to get some rest. No big deal.”

He paused a moment to shove half a slice of pizza into his mouth. “So… I went to bed,” he mumbled around the mouthful, before swallowing. “And ’bout one in the morning, I woke up. Which isn’t really that unusual for me… I wake up in the middle of the night all the time. Usually just roll over and go right back to sleep. But I just get this feelin’ that I’m bein’ watched, ya know? Learned a long time ago never to sleep too far from a weapon, so my mag-rod was in pretty easy reach. Must’ve scared him shitless when it lit up and he realized I knew he was there, ’cause the bastard took off like a fuckin’ cockroach. Didn’t dare come back rest of the night… and I know, ’cause I sure as fuck wasn’t goin’ back to sleep after that.” He chuckled at Elena’s wide-eyed expression and finished off the slice in his hand.

“Did you ever figure out what he wanted?” she asked.

“Nah… Told Tseng about it on Monday. He talked to him, but Hojo just gave him some bullshit excuse about tracking an escaped specimen from his lab. The boss didn’t buy it and neither did I, but Hojo’s pretty much untouchable ’cause of all his research projects and the cash they bring in. There’s actually a rumor he was responsible for a Turk going missing years ago, but no one ever proved anything. Or if they did, it got swept under the rug. Tseng insisted I come stay with him while I looked for somethin’ more permanent, and I didn’t argue.”

“A… a Turk disappeared?” The very idea was more than a little horrifying.

“Yeah, well… That’s what they say, anyway,” Reno said, shrugging, “Not sure of the guy’s name. Vince or somethin’ like that. Dunno if there’s really any truth behind it or not. Before Tseng’s time, and way before mine. Only person who might’ve known for sure was Veld, and he always kinda brushed me off any time I asked about the specifics. For all I know, it mighta just been some shit he made up to scare the rookies. The guy could have a little bit of a sadistic streak at times. Always made me a little leery of Hojo, though.”

He lifted the last slice of pizza from the box… but before he could do anything else, it vanished in a blur of teeth and fur as the formerly-napping ferret latched on and took off across the room.

“Hey!” he shouted after the creature, “Get your fuzzy ass back here with that!” Reno was on his feet seconds later, chasing after him as Elena dissolved into laughter. Snuffy dragged the pizza underneath the fridge and Reno dropped to his knees on the kitchen floor, peering into the space after him. He glared at the ferret, who had moved far out of his reach. A tiny growl emanated from beneath the appliance. “Fine… keep it, ya little bastard. See if I ever share with you again.”

He sighed and grabbed a second cup of coffee, noting that, between the two of them, the level in the pot had decreased rather drastically.

“Anyway, we tightened up security on our floor after that. Now, if anyone without a very specific security clearance accesses our space after hours, there’s an alarm that goes off.”

Elena watched as he downed half the cup and refilled it with what remained in the pot before returning to the couch. “Okay… now tell me how you managed to get yourself evicted…”

“Tch… What is this?” he snickered, arching an eyebrow, “Storytime with Reno?”

“Well… you did ask what I wanted to do today…” the rookie prodded.

“And you wanna listen to me talk about myself? … Talk about easily entertained. I know I’m kind of awesome, but I’m not that interesting…” Reno grinned playfully at her. “‘Sides… Just look at all that snow!”

“You’re not seriously suggesting we go out in that…”

“Why not? A little while won’t hurt anything. I might even hold still long enough for you to hit me with a snowball… Maybe.”

Elena gave a derisive snort and shook her head. She may have had exceptional aim, but Reno’s speed and natural agility made him an almost impossible target. Both to hit and to avoid. “Oh sure. I get one free hit. And then you’ll spend the next half hour pelting me with them in retaliation… No thanks. And it’s way too cold to be outside anyway. If you feel like freezing in the name of entertainment, go right ahead. I’ll come defrost you sometime next week.”

“Fine…” he sighed dramatically, “Well, if we’re stayin’ in… I just picked up Tides of War 4. And I’m only like… a quarter of the way through that movie collection you gave me for Christmas. Either’s gotta be more fun than me talkin’ all day,” he suggested. Just as he said it, the lights went out. “Annnnd… I just jinxed us.” The redhead got up and walked to the sliding doors that led out onto the balcony, opening the blinds to let in the morning sun. “So much for video games and movies.”

“And heat…” Elena pointed out.

“Nah, that’s no problem,” he replied, laughing, “I keep it hot as fuck in here in the winter… it’ll be hours before it starts gettin’ cold enough to be uncomfortable. And if the power doesn’t come back on by then, we can always take Tessa up on her offer. How do you feel about biting, anyway? I’m not big on bein’ on the receiving end, but if ya ever wanted me to bite you, I suppose I could be persuaded…”

“Very funny.”

“You’re gettin’ too used to me, ‘Lena. A few months ago, that woulda had you blushing at the very least. Now you don’t even bat an eye,” Reno commented in reply, looking almost proud of the fact. “Think I will go put on somethin’ a little warmer, though. Just in case the power really doesn’t come back on soon.”

He was right, she realized. She really had grown so accustomed to comments like that they hardly phased her anymore. That wasn’t to say the man couldn’t have turned her an impressive shade of red if he’d really wanted to… but a little suggestive commentary was hardly the worst Reno could do. Elena was fairly certain that she ought to be worried about that… either because it meant that Reno had finally well and truly corrupted her, or because it meant that she was going to eventually find out exactly what the worst he could do was. She laughed softly to herself as she realized that she didn’t actually find that thought to be all that distressing.

While Reno left to hunt down more suitable clothes, Elena crossed the room and peered under the fridge. Snuffy was still happily gnawing away on the stolen pizza.

“I’d watch it if I were you, Snuffy…” she cautioned him, “Reno might be a lot more forgiving than me when it comes to your kleptomania, but if you make a habit of getting between him and his breakfast, you’re really going to be in trouble…”

“Heh… You tell ‘im, ‘Lena!” the redhead’s voice called from the bedroom… and she was fairly certain she heard him mutter something about a ‘spoiled little furball’ before he finally returned. He’d pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, black shirt with the image of a zolom among flames emblazoned across the front. Elena snickered softly.

“What?”

“A zolom? Really?” she asked, “After what we went through in Mythril Mine?”

Reno gave her a casual shrug. “It’s not a zolom. It’s Petrified Zolom. Local group, usually plays shitty little clubs and dive bars over in Sector 5. Been listenin’ to them for years… Remind me to take you to see ’em some time.”

“Doesn’t exactly sound like they’d be my taste…” She could just imagine. Probably screaming, unintelligible lyrics, and the volume cranked up so loud her ears would bleed.

“You might actually be surprised. Yeah, they’re hard rock, but they’re not too far off mainstream, so they kinda appeal to people like you, too,” he said, grinning.

“And just what’s that supposed to mean?” Elena had the distinct impression that had been a not-so-subtle dig at her musical tastes… which, admittedly often trended towards the top 40. But she liked other stuff, too, dammit!

“Nothin’… Absolutely nothin’,” Reno said, as innocently as possible. “Just sayin’… I’ve seen your workout playlist.”

“There is nothing wrong with my playlist,” she defensively replied.

Reno nearly doubled over laughing as she openly glared at him. “I got two words for ya, ‘Lena – Jason. Ladue.”

Elena groaned in shame. The teenage pop star was disgustingly popular… mostly with pre-teen girls who didn’t know any better and over-fifty women teetering on the verge of a mid-life crisis. It was the sort of syrupy-sweet, love-song laden fare that those who were just discovering boys simply ate up. Unfortunately, it was also very catchy and upbeat, which made it great to run to. And – even though it creeped her out a little to admit she thought it – the seventeen year old singer wasn’t half bad-looking, either.

Reno shook his head in teasing disappointment. “That shit’s almost worse than your romance novel addiction. You’re not one of those adult fans that gets all pervy over the kid… are ya?”

“He’s only six years younger than I am, you know!” she suddenly blurted out, before clapping a hand over her mouth in disbelief. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Reno stared at her, slightly shocked for a moment, before resuming laughing hysterically.

Elena growled in annoyance, and snatched a throw pillow from the couch. The redhead was too distracted by his own mirth to see it coming when it collided with his head. “Just… shut up, you jerk! You’re hardly one to talk!” she yelled, continuing to pummel him with it, even after he’d dropped to the floor in an attempt to escape her wrath. Seeing her chance at victory, she pinned him, straddling his chest, and forcing his arms against the floor with her shins.

“‘Lena… if I made a habit of creepin’ on teenage girls like some of you Ladue fans do to that poor kid, I’d probably end up in jail. Or the hospital…” he finally managed, as he tried to free himself from the hold. Elena smirked as she realized that the move was one that he’d taught her himself, and shifted her weight to apply more pressure to his arms.

“Ow! Okay! Okay… I give. You don’t have to cripple me,” he said, still sniggering, as she raised the pillow threateningly. “Alright… You wanna listen to some kid singin’ about how he’s always, always, always gonna love, love, love you or however that piece of crap goes, go right ahead. Long as I don’t have to hear it.”

“Oh yeah? Well… At least I can understand what he’s saying. Half of what you listen to just sounds like angry screaming and guitars being tortured.”

“One of these days, ‘Lena, I’m gonna educate you on the finer points of death metal…” he stated. “But in the mean time… much as I enjoy havin’ an attractive woman on top of me… can I get up now?”

The rookie rolled her eyes and slammed the pillow into his face one more time before finally letting him loose. She sat down on the couch in a huff, still a little miffed at him. Reno chuckled and joined her moments later.

“Aw, don’t be mad…” he said, gently nudging her with his elbow, “I was just screwin’ around. Nice pin, by the way.” When she remained silent, he sighed. “Alright, fine… If I tell ya how I ended up gettin’ myself thrown outta my first apartment as a Turk, will you forgive me for makin’ fun of your horrible, horrible taste in music?”

Elena glanced at him sideways. “Maybe…” she replied, having to force back the smile that threatened to ruin her angry expression, “It depends on how good of a story it is.”

“Oh, it’s good…” Reno propped his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back, making himself comfortable. “So… awhile back, there was a senior Turk by the name of Sato who had a thing for… shall we say… homemade ordinance. Which, on a tangentially related note, is also why there’s no longer a senior Turk by the name of Sato. Okay guy, from what I knew of him, but completely nuts. How the fuck he ever passed the psych eval, I’ll never know. Don’t think anyone was exactly shocked when one of his toys took him out… I think Tseng may have actually been more shocked it didn’t happen sooner.”

He cupped his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to recall all of the details.

“Now, there are two things ya gotta know here. One… At the time, me ‘n Rude were neighbors.” He paused a moment, grinning to himself, and laughed, “And when I’m done here, you’ll understand why he lives across town, now. He was on the ground floor. My place was upstairs, right over his. And two, Rude was seein’ this girl… eh… pretty regularly. Wouldn’t quite call it serious or anything, but… ya know. He liked her. She liked him. She spent the night more than a few times.”

Elena’s eyebrows rose in curiosity. Rude kept to himself so much… for some reason, she’d never really pictured him dating.

“Anyway… sixteen year old me got this bright idea in his head that I’d play a little joke on ’em. And sixteen year old me was kind of a dick sometimes, so it really wasn’t a very funny joke, but… yeah. I talked Sato into buildin’ me a little noise maker. It wasn’t supposed to do anything more than make a nice loud boom. See.. the way the building was arranged, Rude’s bedroom was right under my living room. I figure… I shove the furniture outta the way, set it up in the middle of the floor, and scare the ever living fuck outta Rude and his date while they’re tryin’ to have some fun of their own. No real harm done, we laugh about it at work tomorrow… maybe he kicks my ass a little more than usual during training, but that’d be the end of it.”

“Why do I get the feeling things didn’t go quite as planned?” Elena asked, trying not to giggle.

“‘Cause if they had, this story probably wouldn’t be worth tellin’,” he reminded her, “Had everything all set. Just had to wait for ’em to be in the right place… and it wasn’t really that difficult to figure when they got there. It was a pretty low-budget complex. Thin walls… thin floors. Anyway, once I was sure they were down there, I gave ’em a couple minutes to get comfortable, and then I lit the fuse. Unfortunately, when Sato’s little toy went off, it made a hell of a noise, but it also set off a hell of a shock wave. And there mighta been a some flames and shit, too… I don’t really remember too well, because the next thing I knew, I was fallin’ straight through the floor. Landed right between ’em in bed… couldn’t’ve been more perfect if I’d actually planned it that way. She was screamin’ in terror… and Rude looked like he was about to kill me, so I did the only thing I could think of.”

“Which was?” the rookie prodded, after Reno’s dramatic pause went on a little too long.

“Asked if I could join ’em,” he laughed. “It went over about as well as ya might expect. Rude stopped short of actually clobberin’ me, but he still booted my scrawny ass out of his apartment with extreme prejudice. So I decided it was better to cut my losses and just went back upstairs to inspect the smoking crater in my living room. Which was right about when the cops showed up. And the fire department. And my landlord.”

He shook his head and sighed in feigned dismay. “Apparently setting off explosive devices in your living room isn’t something Turks can get away with… Landlord threw me out on the spot. Cops arrested me. Fire department put out the sofa that was starting to smolder.”

“W-wait… you were evicted and arrested?” Elena managed, struggling by that point to keep a straight face.

“Yeah… Tseng was pretty pissed off when he had to come bail me out. And Rude was so pissed off, he wouldn’t come bail me out… though he did at least rescue all my shit after my ex-landlord tossed it out into the street. Girl broke up with him a couple of weeks later.”

“I can’t image why,” she said, dryly.

“Oh, it had nothin’ to do with the prank,” Reno said, “Well… not directly, anyway. She already didn’t really like me much, ’cause I hung around Rude constantly back then, and… well, let’s just say she wasn’t quite as okay with me sayin’ some of the shit I say as you are. Me endin’ up in bed with ’em was kinda the last straw. She gave the poor guy an ultimatum. Me or her.”

Elena snorted in disbelief. “And he chose you? After that?”

“Hey, I mighta been kind of an annoying little prick back then, but… Rude’s always had my back,” he said, having the decency to look a little ashamed of himself, “Even when I really didn’t deserve it.” He sat up and looked over at her. “So… that’s the story. Good enough for ya?”

“How have you not been brutally murdered by one of your own teammates yet?” she teased him. A wide grin spread over Reno’s face.

“Believe me, I’ve asked myself the same question. Just lucky, I guess. Heidegger came a little too close for comfort once, though…”

If that wasn’t bait, Elena didn’t know what was. And the moment he said it, she knew she was going to take it. “You know you can’t just say something like that and not elaborate.”

“Oh, no… You wanna hear another story, you gotta tell me one first.” He smirked and resumed his previous position. “What’s that phrase? Quid pro quo? Power’s still out, coffee’s gone, and I wanna be entertained, too.”

“Oh, so that’s your game.” She should have known. Elena shook her head. “I… I don’t think I really have any good stories, to be honest…” she said, hesitantly. She’d always been a bit of a goody-two-shoes when she was little. And on top of that, her parents had been fairly strict. Aside from a couple of things he already knew about, there wasn’t much in her life that could compare to Reno’s… which, when she thought about it, was probably why she liked his stories so much.

“Aw, come on… you must’ve done somethin’ incredibly stupid at some point. Anything. Stole a car to impress a date? Got drunk and went home with a guy who was definitely a girl when ya started drinking? Fell off the Plate?” he suggested.

Elena stared at him somewhat incredulously for a moment. “Umm… Reno? Exactly how many of those things have you done?”

“… Purely hypothetical suggestions.”

Somehow, she had her doubts. Elena hugged her knees to her chest on the couch, resting her chin on top as she tried to think of something.

“Well… I ran away from home once when I was little…”

“Yeah?” Reno responded, leaning forward slightly, interested, “What happened?”

“It was Bel’s birthday… I would’ve been nine at the time, I guess. I can’t even really remember what happened, but I got in a huge fight with him and I was the only one who ended up getting punished… and I decided that wasn’t fair, so after they sent me to my room, I started packing.” She stopped for a minute, giggling. “I packed really stupid stuff, too… I don’t think I took any clothes or food or anything that would actually be useful. I had my favorite doll… and I took some of Bel’s toys just to spite him. Oh! And for some reason I thought I’d need my mom’s rolling pin wherever I was going…”

“Guess you could consider it a weapon. ‘Least ya left armed…”

“It’s more likely I was thinking I’d want to make cookies wherever I wound up.” She was fairly certain personal safety was the least of her concerns at the time. She hadn’t grown up in any of the more affluent sections of the Sector 3 plate, but it had been a nice area, nonetheless. “I ended up going to the park four blocks down the street. I just remember thinking… they’ll be sorry when they realize I’m gone.”

“Were they?”

“I… don’t actually know. Er… I mean… I’m sure they would’ve been upset and worried. If they’d actually noticed that I left,” Elena laughed, “I wasn’t supposed to leave my room, and everyone was so busy getting ready for Bel’s birthday party that I guess they never checked on me until the party was about to start. And by then, I’d gotten hungry and gone home…”

Reno chuckled. “Not exactly committed to it, were ya?”

She rolled her eyes and gave his feet, which were still propped up on the table, a gentle kick… just enough to knock them to the floor. “Oh, give me a break. What nine year old is actually committed to running away?”

“I was. Though, technically, I was ten, so maybe that doesn’t count,” he said, smiling lightly.

“You ran away from home, too?”

“If you can call it a ‘home’. It was more of a handy place to dump kids without parents so they weren’t in the way. Your family didn’t miss ya ’cause they didn’t have the chance to notice you were gone. The assholes in charge of that place didn’t miss me ’cause they just didn’t give a fuck.” He shrugged, and moved his feet back onto the coffee table. “So one day, I just left and didn’t go back.”

“What do you mean you didn’t go back?” she asked, somewhat disbelievingly, “For how long?”

The redhead wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against his side as he laughed. “‘Lena… sometimes you really do ask me the weirdest shit, and I gotta remind myself that the way you grew up was nothin’ like the way I grew up. I never went back. I found some mostly-abandoned piece of crap building and started livin’ there.”

Elena couldn’t think of anything to say… Her own short-lived attempt at striking out on her own suddenly seemed incredibly petty and naïve by comparison. She’d left home for… what? An hour or two? And over some argument she couldn’t even remember now, because her nine year old self had just discovered that things in life weren’t always fair.

And now she remembered – though she wasn’t sure how she’d managed to forget it – the part of hearing about Reno’s life that she didn’t always enjoy… not all of it was fun and jokes and silly, drunken escapades that could be laughed at.

“And then sometimes I gotta remind myself that I shouldn’t be tellin’ you shit like that, ’cause every time I do, you go all quiet and sad on me…” he said, tightening his grip on her a little. “Usually seem to remind myself of that a little too late. Sorry…”

The rookie snaked her arms around him and nestled her cheek against his chest. “Don’t stop telling me those things, okay?” she found herself saying. “I don’t want you to stop.”

“Got a thing for sob stories, now?” he teased, and tucked a few strands of hair back behind her ear.

“No… I just… It does make me a little sad to think about some of the things you’ve been through. But it also makes me feel closer to you. I think it’s worth a few tears to be able to say that.” She sighed softly as Reno pressed a gentle kiss against the top of her head.

“‘Kay… but no more today. Snow days are ‘sposed to be fun.”

Elena drew back a bit, and grinned. “Then tell me why Heidegger tried to kill you, instead…” she said, drawing a snicker from her friend.

“I actually already told ya the why… I just didn’t explain how ticked at me he really was when he walked into the office during my Hell Week and found me standing there naked… Ya ever notice the vein in his forehead when he’s really angry? Thought that thing was gonna pop.”

“But Tseng wouldn’t have really let him hurt you…”

“Nah… ‘course not. And I knew that… but when that jackass has you suspended a foot in the air, hangin’ by the throat, it’s a little hard to keep that in mind. You ever havesomeone pick you up by the throat?”

“No…” she said, eyes going wide. She’d always known Heidegger had a temper, but letting things get as far as actual assault? On a sixteen year old? That was a little extreme, even by Turk standards.

“I don’t recommend it. Didn’t last long, thankfully. The boss stepped in and put a stop to it pretty quick, and soon as he had the chance, Rude hauled me out of the room while Heidegger was still yellin’ at Tseng, and stayed with me ’til he left. I wasn’t hurt or anything… mostly just kinda freaked out for a little while. Tseng suspended Hell Week exercises for the day and took me out to lunch. He felt pretty bad about the whole thing, even though it was more my own fault than his. Now, though… we both think it was pretty damn funny.”

Elena stared, incredulous. If it had been her, she didn’t think ‘funny’ was the word she’d have used to describe it, even nearly ten years later. “One thing I still don’t quite understand, though,” she said at last, “Why was Heidegger so mad at you? Sure, I guess standing around naked at work is a little… unprofessional… but still… It seems like a pretty massive overreaction.”

“Weeeeell…” he admitted, somewhat hesitantly, “I might not’ve been completely honest when I said I was just standin‘ there when he walked in… I mighta also been doin’ a pretty good impression of him, talkin’ about what he and Scarlet were gonna be doin’ that weekend. Mighta been dancin’ a little, too. And it’s very possible that I mighta been on top of Rude’s desk at the time.”

Her jaw dropped. “Okay, that’s it. You’re officially the craziest person I will ever meet in my life.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Reno agreed, grinning widely before sobering a bit, “Truth is, though, I just did shit like that back then ’cause I wanted people to like me. Kinda figured if they were laughin’, they had to be enjoying havin’ me around, no matter how bad I screwed up. I… was actually really insecure for awhile after I first got brought in. I was so sure that Tseng would decide he’d made a huge mistake recruiting me and toss me back down to the slums, and I didn’t want to go back. I was finally out and I wanted to stay out. Eventually got it through my head that he wasn’t gonna give me up so easily and calmed down a lot… and Tseng was probably pretty relieved when I did. I never told him… but I think he knew anyway.”

“I was worried about that, too,” she confessed. “That’s why I put in so many extra hours those first few months… Nothing I did ever seemed to impress you at all, and I was convinced that if you weren’t impressed, Tseng couldn’t possibly have been.” She looked up at him with a wide smile. “I was really proud of myself right after I found out I was being promoted… right up until I met you. And then I couldn’t figure out why I got picked over the other recruits at my final evaluation, because, literally, the first thing you ever said to me was ‘Don’t act so weak’.”

Reno let his head fall back against the couch and groaned. “Don’t remind me of that… I fuckin’ hated havin’ to do it. And I don’t think I’ve ever really explained why I did…”

“Tseng did…”

“Oh, yeah? When?” he asked, obviously curious.

“Before Christmas… We kind of got to talking about… stuff…” she said, somewhat vaguely. The conversation had actually centered somewhat around Reno’s skirt-chasing habits and gone off on a bit of a tangent. She felt a little awkward about it now, talking about him behind his back like that. “He said you wanted to make sure I would stand up for myself when I needed to.”

“That… and I needed to do somethin’ about that over-confidence thing you had goin’ on.”

“Hey! I was not over-confident.” Elena prodded him roughly in the side, and he squirmed back slightly.

“Like hell,” he replied, smirking, “Ya think final evals was the first time I ever laid eyes on you? Please… Unless you were dealin’ with a superior or bein’ reprimanded or somethin’, you were always a little too confident in training… ‘specially when you had a gun in your hand. And it put you in the mindset that you didn’t need a team and were better off trusting yourself than someone else. Confidence in your skills is one thing… over-confidence’ll get ya killed. Had to stamp that outta you.”

She felt his hand shift from her shoulder to her back, taking up a gentle, soothing rhythm along her spine, and she relaxed into it. “Best day since we met was when I could finally let you stop hatin’ me… You have no idea what a relief that was for me.”

Elena suddenly started to laugh and for several moments couldn’t stop.

“Oh sure…” Reno said in a mockingly serious tone, “I pour my heart out to ya, and you laugh at me… Typical.”

She shook her head, and finally managed to find her voice. “It’s not that. It just occurred to me… if someone had told me after that first day that I’d be perfectly happy to be snowed in and curled up with you on the couch, I’d have thought they were nuts.”

“I might’ve, too… I was pretty sure you’d never completely forgive me for all the shit I was about to put you through.” He chuckled softly and shifted, reaching into his pocket. “Speakin’ of shit I’ve put you through… Gotta show ya somethin’…” he said, drawing out his PHS. He pulled up his photos and flipped through them for a moment, angling the phone so she couldn’t see what he was looking for. “This is my favorite picture of you… Rude took it, and I made him send me a copy.”

He turned the phone so Elena could see the screen and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Why is that your favorite?” she asked. The photo was of the two of them, looking utterly exhausted, as they rode the train out of the slums. Elena’s hair was freshly dyed from the mission in Wall Market. She remembered all too well the aftermath of that little disguise. It had taken weeks to wash out, and she couldn’t get a moment’s peace the entire time any time she went out in public.

Reno grinned and studied the picture. “Because I can’t help thinking of you as my little sister. I always wanted one, ya know. Even as a kid. And you look like ya really could be in this. I’ve seen you ‘n Del next to each other. No one would ever question whether or not you two were related. And I know I look a lot like my mom did, but I don’t have any photos of her anymore. I just think it’s… kind of nice.”

“Not all brothers and sisters look alike, you know…” she pointed out, “I mean, Del and I do, sure… And we both look like our father. Bel looked just like mom, though, and nothing like the rest of us. Really dark brown hair and green eyes. I don’t have to look like you to be family.”

“Yeah, I know. I still like seein’ it, though,” he said, smiling at her.

She giggled softly. “Well, you’d better hold onto it, then, because after that nightmare I’m never dying my hair red again…”

“Better not let Lira hear you say that… she’ll make it her personal mission. She thought ya looked great as a redhead,” he teased her. Without warning, the lights flickered back on, and Elena heard the soft hum of the furnace kicking in to restore the heat lost during the power outage. Reno grinned maniacally. “Oh, good… we’re not gonna freeze to death! And, more importantly, I can make more coffee…”

---

She really should have stopped him after the fifth cup. No human being needed that much caffeine in their system. Reno, in particular, didn’t need it. Elena shivered violently as an icy gust of wind whipped past her, and tugged the hood of her coat up over her head.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this…”

Reno glanced up from what he was doing. “Come on, ‘Lena… we can’t just waste all this…”

She eyed the snow-covered incline with trepidation. It led straight down into a wide drainage channel that, in warmer weather, carried storm runoff to the edge of the Plate and to other, more interior systems that dumped into the slums. “We’re going to die. You know that, right? Or at the very least, end up crippled for life.”

“We’re not gonna die. I’ve done this a million times,” he assured her, “Now… you want front or back?”

Elena smiled as she sighed in defeat. “Back… that way, when we slam into that wall down there, I’ll have some padding between me and the concrete.”

“Tch… we won’t even make it to that wall. Can’t build up enough speed on this little hill to get much more than halfway down the spillway. Now the one over by Tseng’s place… that’s dangerous. And a lot more fun, but I don’t think we’d make it over there right now without havin’ to be rescued from a snowbank. Get on.”

The redhead climbed aboard the sled himself first, holding onto the railing as it teetered precariously on the ledge of the overhang. It was about a five foot drop onto the 45 degree incline, and then a straight shot of thirty feet or so downward into the channel, ending in a concrete wall and a large grate some forty yards farther down.

“I seriously can’t believe I let you talk me into this…” She wedged herself in behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and readying herself for the drop. She remembered seeing a group of kids doing this when she was little and begging her mother to let her try it… only to be rebuffed and informed that it was ‘very dangerous’ and she’d get hurt and that her mother was going to call those boys’ mothers and tell them what they were up to just as soon as they got home. She never knew if any of them had actually been injured, but for some reason, she’d taken the warning to heart.

“Ready?” Reno asked her, turning back and grinning wickedly.

“Not really…”

“Good!” With that, he launched them over the edge. Elena grunted softly as they hit the top of incline and started to pick up speed. The sound was easily drowned out, however, by a joyful cry from the redhead. “See? I told ya this’d be fun!”

Hesitant as she’d been at first, she quickly found herself agreeing with him as they left the incline and continued down the spillway. Reno shifted his weight slightly as they came to a slight curve in the channel, rounding it with practiced ease, and Elena found herself parroting his laughter… right up until she realized that the wall at the end was getting decidedly close. They were definitely more than ‘halfway down the spillway’ as Reno had claimed, and still going rather fast… probably, she mused, because there was a lot more weight with two of them than what Reno was used to. She felt him tense, as he noticed it, too.

“Oh, crap…”

He jerked the front of the sled to one side, forcing them to skid sideways… which might have effectively stopped them, had they not been launched over a small drift of snow at the same time. Instead, both Turks found themselves tumbling head over heels off the sled and into the snow. Elena rolled to a halt, still a safe distance from the wall, and laid there, staring up at the sky as she tried to find her bearings.

“‘Lena?!” She heard a worried voice call out to her, followed by several seconds of swearing as Reno righted himself and hurried over to her. “Fuck… You alright?!”

Elena blinked and sat up.

“Seriously, ‘Lena… you okay?” he asked, concerned, as he looked her over.

She grinned widely at him. “Let’s do it again!”

---

Elena yawned as she pulled into the Shinra Building’s parking deck Monday morning. The power in Reno’s building may have only been out for an hour or so… but hers remained dark until Saturday evening. It wasn’t really a problem, though. Reno had insisted she and Snuffy stay another night. Longer, if she needed to… In fact, he’d actually seemed a little disappointed when they’d noticed the lights on over at her building. So much so that she’d all but dragged him bodily back home with her for dinner and a mini marathon of terrible horror at her place.

She’d woken Sunday morning to find herself wrapped snugly in her favorite quilt. The redhead was still sound asleep next her, propped up contentedly against the arm of the couch, and she’d been curled tight against his side, the remote for the DVD player still in her hand. Elena had waited as long as she possibly could before daring to shift positions and inevitably startle him awake as well.

But Sunday was over. Today was Monday, and that meant getting back to work. She caught sight of Tseng stepping out of his car just as she was pulling into her own space. The Turk leader noticed her as well, pausing in his bid for the elevator to wait for her.

“Good morning, sir!” she called out, hurrying so as not to keep him waiting too long.

“Hmm… as good as it can be after a decidedly carefree long weekend, at any rate,” he replied, chuckling softly. “I trust you enjoyed the extra time off as well?”

“Yes, sir. Though I’m surprised Reno wasn’t sick of me by the end of it. We spent almost the entire time together.”

“Oh?”

Elena nodded as they made their way towards to elevator. “There was a blackout at my place on Thursday. The power was off until Saturday night, and then I ended up inviting him over for dinner, since I’d been imposing on him for so long. We fell asleep watching Death of a Minuteman.” She paused, thinking. “Or maybe it was Workout of the Damned…”

“Thank Leviathan that Reno has finally found someone who shares his interest in those movies…” Tseng laughed. “Frankly, I always dread having him ask me to join him. I’m afraid I can tolerate only so much bad acting.”

“But sir… that’s half of what makes them so great!” she protested.

“Which is precisely the argument Reno always uses when he attempts to recruit me for such things.” He shook his head in mock dismay. “If I’d known that he would be training you as a clone of himself, I believe I would have postponed approving any promotions. Indefinitely.”

Elena giggled at the obvious joke. At some point, she’d come to the realization that Tseng’s somewhat unyielding formality wasn’t aloofness. It was just a quirk of his personality. Knowing that somehow made her more relaxed around him… though she still couldn’t quite bring herself to call her superior by name most of the time.

Before she could respond, however, Tseng suddenly turned and ducked, pulling her down into a crouch along with him, just as something sailed through the air. It narrowly missed his head and smacked into the elevator door.

“Aw, come on!” a familiar voice lamented from somewhere amongst the parked cars.

Elena shook herself from the minor state of shock she was in at having just been ambushed, and glanced back. The remains of a snowball clung to the metal door.

“Nice try, Reno…” Tseng called back. A head poked out from behind a large truck. Reno sighed in defeat and made his way over to the pair of them.

“So fucking close…” The man was shivering, teeth chattering in spite of the lop-sided grin he wore.

Tseng shook his head and nudged him along towards the elevator, ushering both Elena and the misbehaving redhead inside ahead of him. “Just how long were you out there waiting for me?” he asked, as the car began its journey upwards to their offices.

“Couple hours,” Reno responded with a violent shudder, “Thought you’d be in a lot earlier today…”

“Are you crazy?! It’s ten below this morning!” Elena cried in disbelief.

“Believe me, I noticed…”

“You were seriously sitting out there in the freezing cold for two hours just so you could hit Tseng with a snowball?” she asked, incredulous, “Reno… what is wrong with you?”

“Obsession,” Tseng stated simply, “He’s been making the attempt every winter for the past ten years. And failing at it quite spectacularly, I might add.” The doors slid open and the trio stepped out into the brightly lit hallway. “I will say, though… it does keep me in practice at dodging ambush attacks. Elena, would you mind making him some coffee before he succumbs to hypothermia?”

“Yes, sir…” She hurried off toward the lounge to fulfill the request. Meanwhile, Tseng and Reno made their way into the Turks’ main office.

“Just wait, Tseng… I’m tellin’ you, this is gonna be the year I finally getcha.”

“Not if you’re in the hospital with pneumonia…”

“Ah, you worry too much. ‘Sides, I’m already warmin’ up. Not even shivering anymore.”

Elena reappeared just the words left his mouth, holding a steaming mug in her hands.

“In that case… I suppose you won’t want this.” Tseng carefully relieved her of the drink, and held it, tantalizingly, in front of the redhead for a moment before taking a sip. He immediately grimaced, and nearly gagged, at the cloying taste of the heavily sweetened beverage. Reno smirked.

“What’s the matter? You forget how I like my coffee, Tseng?” he teased, snickering unabashedly at the Wutaiian’s expression of disgust. Elena, too, couldn’t quite stop herself from laughing softly. Reno preferred a little coffee with his sugar… not the other way around… and she’d just dumped a decidedly unhealthy amount of it into the mug for him.

Tseng shook his head and set it down on the corner of Reno’s desk, “I’m not sure this even qualifies as such at this point. It’s very nearly syrup.”

The redhead shrugged carelessly and reached for the cup, downing half of its contents. “Only way to start a Monday,” he said, grinning.

~fin~