Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 45: Off Duty

Reno closed his eyes and took a long sip from the ice cold glass of… some sort of juice. He would have preferred a beer, but he was still on assignment. Technically speaking, he was off duty for the moment, but, well…

He didn’t drink when he was on assignment anymore. Thus the fruit juice, instead of a cold beer.

To be fair, it wasn’t half bad, actually. Tart, but sweet, and certainly refreshing after a long day of glorified guard duty in the summer heat. It was some sort of mixed fruit drink. He was certain he tasted mango and pomegranate… but there was something else in there he couldn’t quite identify, and it was bugging the hell out of him.

“Should’ve known we’d find you in a bar…” a voice teasingly addressed him, and the redhead grinned, turning to face the new arrivals.

“Hey, Rude…” he replied, lifting his feet off of the chair they were resting on and patting it, “Saved ya a seat.”

The older Turk grinned slightly and sat down.

“… You guys are gonna have ta steal your own. They weren’t real happy about me taking up two of ’em. Didn’t think they’d let me get away with hoggin’ five,” Reno added, eyeing the rookies that had trailed Rude into the restaurant. A few short seconds later, however, they’d managed to scrounge up another three chairs.

They’d initially planned on eating dinner at the Turtle’s Paradise, but the place had been packed when Reno’d gotten there… a fact that he’d quickly relayed to his dining companions via text message. Given that they were all pretty hungry, they’d agreed to visit the famous bar when it was a little less crowded, and hit up another place tonight.

“You order yet?” Rude asked.

“Tch… no. I was bein’ polite ‘n waitin’ on your sorry ass,” he joked. “‘Sides… I can’t even read the damn menu.” He gestured to the laminated sheet in front of him, printed in Wutaiian characters. Rude smirked and reached for it, calmly flipping it over… to the english side. “… You gotta be shittin’ me!” Reno moaned, “I’ve been sittin’ here for twenty fuckin’ minutes waitin’ for you assholes to show up with our translator rookie, ‘n you’re tellin’ me they had a menu I could read right in front of me the whole goddamn time?”

Rude snickered and wrapped an arm over his friend’s shoulders.

“Reno… for someone so ridiculously smart, you can really be an idiot sometimes,” he laughed, and the rookies were quick to join in.

“Oh, fuck off,” Reno muttered, playfully shoving him away and picking up the menu. “Fine… I’m an idiot. Now let’s order. I’m a starving idiot.”

Rude chuckled and plucked the menu from his fingers.

“Hey!”

“Think I’m gonna get the odori-don…” the bald Turk mused, before turning to the rookies. “How about you guys?”

“Asshole…” Reno snickered, snatching it back and scanning through the options. He quickly spotted a dish called “katsu ika odori-don” on the menu. It was highlighted as one of the house specials. “So… what’s so great about this odori-don stuff?”

“Order it and find out…” Rude replied, with a slightly mischievous grin, “It’s a local delicacy. Don’t see it much outside of Wutai.”

“Well, I’m starving, too…” said Sykes, “So… ordori-don sounds great!”

“Um… Sykes?” Liam interjected, “You… might want to get something else. You’re not really the biggest seafood fan.”

“Oh, it’s fish?” Petra queried, “I love fish…”

“… Well, actually…” the youngest rookie began, only to be silenced by a look from Rude. Reno raised an eyebrow in suspicion and snorted softly as he stared his friend down.

“Okay, so you obviously want me to get this ’cause ya think it’s somethin’ that’ll freak me out… What is it? Raw shark brains? Fried fish testicles? Octopus stuffed in a salmon stuffed in a tuna? Something like those hundred year old egg things you bet me I wouldn’t have the balls to try?” he asked, smirking, “Partner, you know I’ll eat damn near anything…”

Rude looked pointedly over at Liam. “Don’t tell him. That’s an order.”

“Oh… so that’s how ya wanna play this,” the redhead laughed, “You’re on, pal. Bring it.”

His friend flashed him a smug grin and then turned to the rookies. “Anyone else feeling adventurous?”

“Not that adventurous…” Liam snickered. “In fact, I’m just going to order some nice, safe yakitori., sit back, and watch the show.”

“… Same,” Sykes said, quickly reconsidering his order.

“Well, I’lltry it. I can’t just turn down a local delicacy,” Petra piped up, smiling. Liam leaned over and whispered something in his fellow rookie’s ear. Petra’s eyes widened slightly. “Um… on second thought… I think I’ll get the tempura shrimp.”

“Tch… wimps,” the redhead snickered, rolling his eyes. “Come on… it can’t be that bad.”

The rookies collectively glanced at one another, sharing a look between them that plainly said they thought otherwise. Reno mentally shrugged. There really wasn’t much that he wasn’t willing to at least try. After all… he’d grown up digging through garbage cans and hunting down cripshays to keep himself fed. A lot of things that would utterly turn a normal person’s stomach were just slightly unappetizing from his point of view.

Hell, cripshay was actually pretty tasty, when you got right down to it… even if the creatures themselves did look like some sort of bizarre human-beetle hybrid and their entrails stank like the Nine Hells. Not that he’d intentionally choose a cripshay steak over a pizza these days, but… he’d still eat it.

Their waitress arrived, and the group placed their orders… along with drink requests. Reno shot the trio of rookies a warning look after they opted to share a bottle of sake between them.

“Go easy on the booze, guys. We’re workin’ tomorrow. Early.”

Rude snorted a loud laugh. “Says the Turks’ resident boozehound and bartender…”

“Says the guy who made that mistake once and fuckin’ learned his lesson,” the redhead corrected him, raising his glass in salute and taking a sip, “I’m not gonna be beggin’ Veld to show mercy to ya if you three end up hungover in the mornin’. You overdo it after I warned ya, you’re on your own.”

Petra giggled softly. “Would you like to share the bottle, too, sir? To make sure we don’t get carried away?”

“Reno doesn’t drink on assignment anymore,” Rude snickered. “Like he said… he learned his lesson.”

“Damn right…” Reno replied, with a faint shudder. “And don’t bother askin’. That’s one story I don’t wanna relive.”

It had happened a little over a year ago. The war had ended, and the Shinra Army was restoring its ranks… and Reno had been tapped to accompany Veld to Rocket Town on a recruitment mission. It wasn’t something that generally fell to the Turks, but, seeing as how their own ranks had been nearly halved after the debacle in Junon, the Turk leader had taken it upon himself to scout out the little village personally and see if anyone was up to snuff. He’d taken Reno along because… Well, actually Reno still wasn’t quite sure how he’d wound up accompanying his superior and not one of the more experienced Turks. Tseng, by then, had been cleared for duty, and Remy wasn’t that busy. Whatever the logic, though, it had been Reno who found himself boarding the helicopter to the western continent that morning.

And things had gone fine. They’d even found two potential recruits.

Fine, that is, until that afternoon. A storm had rolled in and was poised to stick around for awhile, and Veld had decided they would hunker down at the town inn rather than brave the weather in the hopes of getting home that day. Which, of course, meant that, while still on active assignment, Reno was technically off duty once Veld cut him loose for the evening.

In all honesty, the redhead didn’t actually remember much after that. All he knew for sure was that he’d been challenged to a drinking contest by one of the locals, and even his tolerance hadn’t been able to save him. He’d woken up – late – the next morning in someone’s back garden, drenched from the rain and nursing the mother of all hangovers. Oh… and with a mustache drawn on his face in permanent marker. He had no idea if he’d done that himself or it if had been done to him after he passed out. Frankly, it was probably fifty-fifty odds either way. He’d certainly done dumber things while drunk.

Veld had been less than pleased with his condition when the redhead had finally managed to stagger back to the inn, and hadn’t been the least bit shy about informing him as such… for pretty much the entire flight back home. Spending nearly three hours, trapped in a noisy, constantly moving, flying tin can, while being constantly berated for tarnishing the Turks’ public image had not been pleasant… particularly when he already felt like hell warmed over and was on the verge of having his stomach violently reject everything he’d consumed in the last twenty-four hours. He was pretty sure Veld was fully aware of just how awful he felt, too, and had used it to further punish him. In fact, when he thought back on it, he was fairly certain the “turbulence” they’d hit – several times – probably wasn’t actual turbulence at all.

Tseng hadn’t been any happier about it than Veld was when he’d found out… though his mentor had been far more accommodating of the nausea – which, thankfully, had eventually subsided – and the relentless headache the younger Turk had to spend the rest of the day with. Reno had vowed then and there that he’d never make that mistake ever again and had instituted a strict no-drinking-on-missions policy for himself… whether he was on duty or off the clock. If he was somewhere on Turks’ business, he was going to stay one hundred percent sober until he was back in Midgar, unless there was a damned good reason not to be. Like… the “drink, or the group you’re trying to infiltrate might decide to kill you” kind of reason.

The three rookies just laughed his proclamation off, however, as that was right about when their waiter returned with their drink order.

“So… you’re really not gonna tell me what the hell it is you talked me into eatin’?” the redhead prodded his friend. The older Turk just smiled and said nothing. “Tch… Fine. Be that way.”

“How’d the afternoon go?” Rude asked, ignoring the redhead’s goading. Reno rolled his eyes.

“Nothin’ to write home about. Rufus bowed outta the meeting early ‘n decided he wanted to tour some kinda sacred garden over by that Pagoda thing… so Remy got to hang out in the air-conditioning with the President while I spent like an hour outside sweatin’ ‘n followin’ the V.P. around, ’til his dad ‘n Godo were done… ‘n then Tseng ‘n Veld showed up to take over again,” he replied, “Oh… yeah. And Godo’s kid’s thinks she’s some kinda ninja. Caught her stalkin’ me ‘n Rufus twice when she thought I wasn’t payin’ attention. Anything interestin’ on your end?”

“Not really. Hotel’s nice,” Rude replied, with a shrug. The redhead turned his questioning gaze on the rookies.

“It was pretty quiet for us, too, sir,” Liam said, as he was pouring a glass of sake for himself. “To be honest… I kind of thought this assignment was going to be a lot more exciting.”

“Tch… Kid, trust me. One of these days, you’ll be glad when an assignment doesn’t get too exciting. Means nothin’ went horribly wrong,” Reno snickered teasingly, “And anyway… today was just more prep work. Real shit starts tomorrow.”

Before the rookies could comment any further, their waitress returned, bearing a tray of food, and Reno grinned widely as she began setting their dinners down in front of them. By the time she made it around to Rude, however, the redhead’s expression had shifted to one of… vague confusion.

Rude, meanwhile, was unabashedly smirking as his friend eyed the large bowl the woman placed in front of him.

“This is what you were makin’ such a big deal about?” he asked, skeptically. Okay… so it was raw. So was a lot of Wutaiian cuisine. It’s not like he’d never eaten raw seafood before. Granted, he’d never had squid before… but it didn’t look any more intimidating than the sashimi Remy was so fond of ordering. Well… aside from the fact that it was looking at him.

The bowl in front of him contained a mound of rice, topped with strips of, he assumed, anyway, raw squid, bright orange fish roe, a few miscellaneous veggies, and… plopped right on top, with its tentacles spread out possessively over the food beneath it, the rest of the squid.

“… Seriously?” the redhead smirked, eyeing his friend. “Gimme a break. I’ve eaten way worse.”

Rude merely smiled and reached a little container of soy sauce. He calmly poured it over the squid, and Reno’s eyes widened in something vaguely approaching uncertainty over his choice of dinner as the decapitated sea creature started to move. It’s limbs flailed wildly as it tried to clamber right out of the bowl, and Rude had to prod it back onto it’s perch with a pair of chopsticks.

Eventually, it settled down, apparently accepting it’s fate, and the older Turk lifted it to his mouth, biting off several of the still twitching legs as the three rookies looked on in horror.

“Rude, man… That’s fucked up,” Reno laughed, shaking his head.

“Your turn,” was all the bald Turk said. Reno snorted softly and dumped a healthy portion of soy sauce over his own bowl. Maybe a little too much, in retrospect, as the squid quite literally climbed out of the bowl and flopped onto the table, where it lay for a moment, wriggling and writhing in a disturbing dance. It took him several attempts to recapture it using the chopsticks, but he finally managed it.

Reno lifted it up to eye level, staring at the creature.

“It’s not actually alive, right?” he asked. He didn’t really see how it could be, given that the majority of its body had been detached and cut into strips… but seriously… that was pretty freaky. Rude snickered next to him.

“No… it’s not alive. But now you know why it’s call the dancing squid,” he replied, grinning, “It’s the salt in the soy sauce that makes the legs move.”

Reno shrugged and bit off several of the still weakly-twitching tentacles… and grimaced slightly when they didn’t immediately stop moving as he bit down. Once he got past that, though… it was pretty good. Chewy, but not rubbery, with an odd little almost-popping sensation as it broke apart… and just ever so slightly sweet underneath all the soy sauce.

He swallowed the first bite and took another before grinning at his friend.

“Yeah… you’re gonna have to do better than that if you wanna gross me out, pal.”

Rude snorted softly and returned to his own meal, defeated but most definitely amused. The rookies, meanwhile, looked slightly nauseated.

“… I… think I need some more of that sake…” Liam finally stated, reaching for the bottle.

“Me, too,” Sykes and Petra agreed in unison, as the two senior Turks laughed.

---

“You’ve been quiet today,” Rufus noted, as he gazed out at the sacred mountain. The view from his hotel room was lovely… and he was sure it was no accident that they’d been given such luxurious accommodations for their stay. Godo was understandably wary of Shinra after his defeat in the war. He knew what angering the Company again could cost him.

“My job is to watch your back… not join in on conversations with heads of state,” Tseng answered. Rufus glanced back at him.

“I realize you think me self-absorbed even at the best of times,” the young executive replied, with a faint smirk, “But I’m not so unobservant that I haven’t realized this is the first time you’ve returned to your homeland.”

The Turk lieutenant sighed almost inaudibly and stood up, joining his charge at the window.

“I’ve had very little reason to return since… my sister’s death.” He shook his head and looked away from the mountains. “There’s nothing for me in Wutai anymore but memories.”

“They still refuse to speak to you, then?” Rufus queried. He was, of course, well aware of the falling out between Tseng and the rest of his family. But it had been closing in on two years. Surely, by now, tempers would have cooled a bit.

“My father has not forgiven me,” Tseng replied, “Unless by some miracle that were to happen, I’m dead to them.” He sighed again and shook his head. “And he will not forgive what I did. What I cost him. It’s something I’ve just had to accept. I am forever cast out.”

Rufus pivoted to look at him, and found his friend had returned to the seat he’d only just vacated.

“But… surely at some point he’ll see how foolish this is…”

Tseng offered up a sad smile. “Your pardon, sir… but you don’t know my father.”

He could hear the heartbreak in the older man’s voice, even though he was certain he wasn’t meant to, and it unnerved him slightly. It brought back too many memories of the many sleepless nights he’d had to endure before the war had begun and Tseng had all but vanished off the face of the planet for nearly a month.

Rufus may well have been self-absorbed… but he wasn’t oblivious. He knew what losing a close family member was like. And then to hear that Tseng had lost not only his beloved sister, but essentially the rest of his family, as well… There had been times, when the man was still recovering from that loss, that Rufus truly worried that he’d never be the same. And to be fair, Tseng had changed, but not in the ways Rufus had feared he might.

Finally, he shook his head and turned back to the senior Turk.

“You’re dismissed for the evening,” he stated, and Tseng looked up at him curiously.

“Sir? What about dinner? I was under the impression you wished me to join you at…”

“I’ve changed my mind. I’d prefer to dine in tonight, and then simply relax in my room in preparation for tomorrow. Go and… I don’t know… keep that idiot protege of yours from causing an international incident or something. I’m sure he’s up to something utterly stupid by now.”

Tseng gave a soft laugh and stood up once more.

“You could have simply said ‘go and spend some time with your family’, sir,” he chuckled. The Shinra heir scoffed, and waved a dismissive hand.

“Semantics. Keeping that moron out of trouble goes hand in hand with spending time with him.”

Tseng opted not to argue the point, and instead merely made his way to the door. He paused beside it and glanced back.

“For the record, sir, you’re just as much family to me as Reno is.”

Rufus rolled his eyes. “I’m quite certain I dismissed you… Why are you still here?”

The Turk lieutenant chuckled softly. “Yes, sir. Good night, Rufus.”

---

“Uh… you really oughta slow down on that shit, kiddo…” Reno cautioned. Liam was definitely getting a little tipsy by now, and the redhead was starting to think that maybe he should have been watching him a little closer. The kid was only eighteen, after all… and not, as far as the redhead knew, a particularly heavy drinker. In fact, judging by his current condition, Reno would have put good money on the kid never actually having been legitimately drunk in his life. He didn’t seem to have any concept of his limits.

“I’m fine,” Liam replied with a noticeable slur in his voice, grinning in response, and Reno groaned. Tipsy was well and truly visible in the rearview mirror at this point. The kid was just plain hammered.

Great.

Reno heaved a sigh and got up from his chair, walking around to the other side of the table and placing his hands on the rookie’s shoulders.

“You’re not fine, and I’m officially cuttin’ you off. You’ll thank me in the mornin’. Come on… We’re gonna getcha some water ‘n some more food ‘n hope ta Shiva you can sleep this off before you’re back on duty tomorrow.” He glanced over at the other two rookies. “In fact… you two are cut off, too, just in case. I don’t need three hungover rookies…” He nodded to the mostly empty bottle of sake. Their second of the night. “Rude, finish that off for ’em, ‘n don’t let ’em order any more.”

Thankfully, Liam didn’t seem to be one of those belligerent drunks Reno’d always hated dealing with during his bartending days. He didn’t relish the idea of fighting the rookie all the way back to his hotel room. To his immense relief, however, he came along quietly, allowing the redhead to guide him towards the door and out onto the street.

Unfortunately, that’s where his luck ended.

“Reno? What’s going on?” an entirely too familiar voice demanded. Reno froze, mid-step, and internally cringed as he turned and found himself being stared down by Tseng… who very obviously already knew the answer to his own question. He sighed and grabbed hold of the rookie… who had belatedly spun around to face the Turk lieutenant, as well, and tripped over his own two feet.

“It’s my fault, Boss…” Reno said, shaking his head. “I shoulda been keepin’ a better eye on him…”

Tseng frowned, but didn’t pursue that matter, much to his protege’s relief. Instead, and simply latched onto Liam’s other arm, and pulled him around until he was facing the direction they’d been heading in before the senior Turk’s arrival.

“Let’s get him to bed…” he said, resigned. Reno wordlessly joined him in escorting the young rookie back to the hotel, and fifteen minutes later, they had done all they could to mitigate the inevitable before tucking him in for the night. They made their way out into the hall, softly closing the door behind them.

“Man… I don’t envy the kid when Veld gets holda him tomorrow…” Reno said, repressing a shudder. “Or when he gets holda me.”

Tseng raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t seem overly inebriated to me…” he replied.

“Tch… I’m stone cold sober,” the redhead replied, “But I’m s’posed ta be keeping the rookies outta trouble when I’m not busy keepin’ Rufus outta trouble. I’m pretty sure lettin’ one of ’em accidentally get drunk off his ass doesn’t qualify.”

His mentor chuckled softly. “Welcome to my world, Reno…” he teased. “But… it’s hardly your responsibility to police them off-duty. They’re rookie Turks, not children. Did you warn him of the consequences?”

“Yeah… ‘n I specifically told ’em all to go easy on the booze. Don’t think Liam spends a whole lotta time in bars, though. He’s definitely a lightweight. He was plastered before anyone even realized it.”

“Then… you did what you could. You’re many things to them. Their superior, their trainer, their counselor, their friend… but you are not their parent.”

Reno snorted a quiet laugh. “Uh… Boss? Far be it from me ta call you a hypocrite, but…”

“You were a special case,” Tseng snickered, escorting him down the hall and back out onto the street. The night was pleasantly warm, with a light breeze blowing in from the shore. “Liam, though young, is an adult. You, quite literally, were still a child when I recruited you. It’s not the same.”

“He’s only like a year ‘n change older than I was when you brought me in, ya know…” the redhead pointed out.

“Mmm… and consider just how much you matured between your first day on the job and your eighteenth birthday. It wasn’t that long… but the change was quite pronounced.”

“I was still kind of a fuck-up even after I was a legal adult,” he countered, drawing a genuine laugh from his mentor.

“I never said you were perfect…” Tseng chuckled, “Just that you had improved considerably over the course of your first year as a Turk. They are rookies. They will make mistakes, and we cannot prevent them all. I suspect that Liam will very quickly learn that he should have heeded your warning.” He smiled slightly and paused, turning his gaze on the younger man. “And just for your own edification, you were never a ‘fuck-up’. You were merely young… which is an entirely forgivable offense.”

Reno rolled his eyes, grinning slightly. It was only then that he realized that their short conversation had carried them quite some distance from the hotel. He blinked in confusion.

“Hey… Boss? Aren’t you s’posed to be Rufus-sitting?”

Tseng smiled. “The vice president has decided to turn in early. As he has no further need of an escort, he’s dismissed me for the night. I thought I might show you a little of my homeland while we had a free moment or two. It is, after all, your first visit to Wutai, and the capitol city has quite an active night life…”

“Heh… far be it from me to turn down a guided private tour,” the redhead grinned. “Where to?”

The Wutaiian Turk chuckled and guided his protege down a small side street. Considering how late it was getting, there really were a surprising number of people still out and about. Whether that was typical of the city, or due solely to the special occasion, Reno didn’t know… but it was certainly quite the experience. There were food stands and other vendors, performers, and any number of interesting sights. Reno glanced over at his mentor curiously.

“Man… when you said this place had a night life, you weren’t kidding…”

“It’s not alwaysquite this active. The mid-summer festival draws people in from all over the country… which I don’t mind admitting was something of a concern for me, security-wise. But when the President was told of it, he all but insisted.”

“Figures,” Reno snickered, “Ifrit forbid he ever do anything to make our jobs easier…” His attention was quickly pulled away, however, by the smell of grilled meat wafting through the air. “Okay… somethin’ smells good…”

“I was under the impression that you’d already eaten…”

“Boss… come on. This is me we’re talkin about…” Reno laughed, casting him a meaningful look, to which Tseng merely shook his head. “… ‘Sides… dinner was kinda… weird. Kept tryin’ to crawl outta the bowl.”

“Oh?” the senior Turk queried, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Rude talked me into gettin’ some kinda dancin’ squid thing,” he shrugged.

Tseng snorted faintly in laughter. “Ah… I see. I’m not overly fond of squid myself, in any form, but I’m certainly familiar with the dish. Did you enjoy it?”

“I enjoyed seein’ the look of defeat on Rude’s face when he realized the whole eatin’ somethin’ that’s still moving thing didn’t bother me…” he replied, grinning, “Far as the food itself went… it was okay. Raw shit’s not really my thing, but I’ve had worse.”

“Then… I suppose we can begin with some of my favorite festival foods,” Tseng chuckled, before escorting him into the thick of the crowd. What followed was a sampling of almost a dozen different treats… many of which came hot and served on a stick. There was chicken on stick. Corn on a stick. Fish on a stick. Various fruits on a stick. Weird little sweet ball things on a stick… He’d missed the name on those, but they were good. Reno even spotted whole squids on a stick – grilled this time, rather than raw – though Tseng passed those up. Then there were the noodles… and the cakes… and the rice balls filled with something called anko that his mentor had said was made from beans. The redhead wasn’t sure if he totally bought that claim, however, given how sweet it was.

He’d enthusiastically tried everything.

In between snacks, Tseng had pointed out things unique to Wutai, and explained the significance of the street performers costumes and instruments, and happily led him through the crowds. Reno couldn’t help but snicker quietly to himself as the man who, for over three years, had been his calm, collected mentor, became more and more enthusiastic about introducing the younger Turk to his birthplace.

And… it occurred to him just how much Tseng must miss his homeland at times. He hadn’t, after all, been back to Wutai since before the war had begun. Not since Mayu had been killed in the weeks leading up to the conflict, and not since the rest of his family had essentially disowned him for his role in her death.

He talked about them occasionally… but only in the past tense, almost as though they, too, were no longer living, and he was merely remembering them fondly, having grieved their loss. And, in a sense, they may as well have been dead. The way Reno understood it, Tseng’s father regarded him as… non-existent. He didn’t have a son named Tseng, and he never had.

And he knew that that had to have hurt so much more than if they had actually died. Knowing they were still out there, but had given him up. Had actively chosen not to acknowledge him as one of their own, as if he had never existed at all. That level of shunning seemed unspeakably cruel to him.

There weren’t many people Reno could honestly say he hated. Hell, he could probably count them on one hand… that asshole, Jericho, being at the top of the very short list for what he’d done to Lira years ago. Reno had never met the guy, but he was pretty sure he hated the Tseng’s father. He wasn’t real thrilled with the rest of his mentor’s family, either, but they at least had the excuse of being beholden unto the family patriarch. It wasn’t much of an excuse, in Reno’s opinion, but… he couldn’t entirely blame them for not wanting to share the same fate.

Eventually, the pair ducked out of the crowded side streets. They settled themselves on a little bridge that straddled the river winding its way through the center of town to enjoy the bright green tea-flavored ice cream that had been their final purchase before making their escape.

“Heh… Okay. Ya finally found a kind of tea I like, Boss,” the younger Turk snickered, catching a drip with his tongue before it could make it’s way down the side of the cone and onto his hand. He couldn’t quite describe the taste. It was sweet… and also slightly bitter, but not in a bad way. It tasted almost… earthy.

“And all I had to do was have it infused with sugar and cream, and frozen into a dessert…” Tseng teased, smirking faintly and enjoying his own treat. He paused and then laughed softly. “I have to confess, I am especially fond of it in this form, myself. It’s been a favorite of mine since I was little.”

“Oh, yeah?” Reno acknowledged, “Ya never seem too into sweet stuff back home…”

“It only seems that way because you would eat raw sugar by the bag if permitted to,” Tseng laughed, “But yes… I would plead with my parents to buy it for me at every available opportunity. They didn’t always give in to my demands, of course, but festivals were… special. Father never denied me at festival times.”

When he went silent, Reno glanced over at Tseng, and found him staring into the growing darkness that was settling around the Wutaiian capitol. He frowned.

“Boss… I didn’t mean ta –” the redhead began, but Tseng shook himself from his brief reverie, and smiled somewhat sadly, having little trouble guessing what he’d been about to say.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Tch… Bullshit.”

Tseng reached out for him, gently placing an arm around his shoulders, and pulled him closer.

“You’re entirely too perceptive, at times,” he sighed, “You’re right, of course. It matters a great deal.”

His hand rose to the back of the redhead’s neck, tenderly massaging the pressure point, and Reno let his eyes reflexively close in content for a brief moment.

“I consider myself rather fortunate, however, regardless…” the older Turk continued, “I still have you, after all… Given the choice between you and having them all back in my life, I could never trade you.”

The younger man lifted his head slightly. “You’d pick me over your real family?”

“You are my real family, Reno. I could no more cast you aside than I could my own child. That may be something my father is capable of, but I’m not my father… no matter how much he may have wanted me to be.”

“… Sounds like I’m the lucky one…” the redhead replied, turning his own gaze back towards the encroaching darkness. For some time after that, the pair just stood there, enjoying the remains of their ice cream… and one another’s company.

~end chapter 45~