Turks Reunion!

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Characters: Rude and Reno
Progress: Complete
Summary: The Turks meet up and try to figure out what's going on.
Location: South Gate
Date: November, 1803
Warnings: Reno. Just... just Reno.


His breath was a little short and his hair flowed behind him like a bright red streamer, but Reno just kept on running. His boots hammered on the ground beneath him as he darted between trees, skittering up the sides of the larger trunks to get himself some speed. Yet, quite suddenly for the speed he was going at, the trees vanished and he was running on grass and dirt.

That was good, right? It meant he was almost there. His hands curled into tight fists and as he spotted a large gate-like structure, Reno grinned. Rude was there. He had to be. He could manage anything in this new world as long as his partner was there. They could conquer anything together. Or... at least that was how it felt sometimes.

Even being second in command of the Turks, and technically Rude's superior, Reno never really saw them as anything other than equals. Two halves of one team. Best friends, and nothing would tear them apart.

Spotting a suited man with a bald head, Reno's expression grew. "Hey! Rude!! Over here!!!" The thing was... he couldn't just stop running, and he was heading straight for his partner.

Comments

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Rude had spent the time between first contact with Reno on MoogleNET and the present doing a quick but thorough inspection of his mew communication device, the area, and himself. Pleased to find that his sunglasses and his partner were at least in the same world, the bald Turk was determined to get some information and make the best of the situation they had found themselves in. He and Reno had been in tight spots before; this wasn't so bad, really.

Granted, it was Reno, who wasn't really responsible at all times (he was second-in-command because he was damn good, especially at getting himself out of sticky situations, not because he did paperwork) and who got ridiculously irritable when he didn't have enough nicotine and who continuously stole, broke, or lost Rude's sunglasses. Reno, who had woken up under a Chocobo and had decided to run to South Gate to meet him.

Reno, who was shouting at him and running right toward him and not stopping. Great.

Steeling himself for impact, Rude still wasn't entirely prepared for the redhead's weight and momentum, but hey -- his sunglasses were still intact.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

As he came hurtling towards Rude, Reno did honestly try to stop. His boots skidded along the grass and his arms flailed at the air, yet the impact came a moment later as he ran face-first into Rude's chest, feeling pretty much like he'd hit a brick wall. After all, his friend was built like one. He was huge! It was always something Reno had envied about Rude. His strength and power. Sure, he was strong himself, and pretty damn flexible, but he couldn't take someone down with just a punch. Not like Rude could.

No, wait, he could take Yuffie down with a punch. Of that he was quite sure.

As they both clattered to the ground, Reno groaned at the pain in his nose. It felt like he'd broken it on Rude's chest and... that really wouldn't be good. If Rude was covered in his blood, from a broken nose, well, he expected he'd never hear the end of it.

The redhead lifted his head head and laughed. He was currently on top of his partner after an collision with him. Again. It really did happen more often than it should have. Still, it was the norm for them. "Heh. Heheh. You okay, Rude?"

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

The fact that he was on the ground (again) with Reno on top of him (again) in a strange place (again, though admittedly this was probably the strangest, just because it wasn't even the right world) did little more than make Rude sigh a bit and shift so that he didn't have a rock digging into his back. Reno was surprisingly heavy; though he was long and incredibly skinny, the redhead did have muscle, and it was currently resting on his ribcage.

Not that he would tell Reno that, of course; he was fine. Shifting so that he could see his partner better, the bald Turk raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses.

"Fine. You?"

There had been a bit of a crunch when his partner had collided with him, but he could have been imagining it. He really didn't want to waste any healing items, though; after all, without really knowing what they were in for here, Potions and the like could be incredibly important.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

A smirk came as Reno crossed his arms on Rude's chest, resting his chin on them for a moment. "You don't look okay. You got partner all over you. It's kinda giving you that grumpy look you have." He chuckled and used Rude's chest to push himself up, hardly even considering how it might have harmed his friend. Really, that was just how Reno was. Accidentally and unintentionally yet repeatedly causing harm to his best friend without even thinking about the consequences.

Once he was on his feet, Reno brushed back a few strands of red hair, pushing his goggles up a little more before offering his hand for Rude to pull himself up. "Hand up, buddy?" He grinned that cat-like smile he wore and didn't even pay attention to whether or not Rude was grabbing his hand, simply looking around the area.

It was pretty dull. Kind of bland. Nothing really interesting except that big old gate over there, but, hey, going off through the gate was kind of a bad move, when they had no idea where they were.

Reno rubbed his free hand over his nose, wincing slightly. "Oh, man... I'm so gonna have a black eye..."

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Choosing not to reply to most of Reno's comments, having long ago learned that Reno's nature was to talk and laugh and be obnoxious while his mind did... well, okay, what Reno's mind did depended on numerous variables. It was like a bomb, when it came down to it. It was flashy, dangerous, and something he found a strange sort of satisfaction in understanding.

Picking himself up, leaving Reno's hand dangling, Rude dusted off his suit and adjusted his sunglasses before looking around with his partner. He had already examined it, but double-checking rarely hurt.

At the redhead's complaint, there was a mildly amused grunt. "You'll be fine." Immediately switching gears, the bare-headed man turned to face him. "What do you have with you?"

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

What did he have with him? Well, this could be interesting. Shoving his hands in the outer pockets of his jacket, Reno pulled out some keys to a car and a house (with a weird squeaky duck for a keychain), bits of wires from bombs, a stick of dynamite and 3gil in coins. Dumping that all in Rude's hands, he then proceeded to rummage through the rest of his pockets.

All in all, including what he'd already pulled out, he produced a tangled metal slinky, nine bottletops, one and a half packs of cigarettes, a deck of playing cards, three Potions, a business card for the Honey Bee Inn, a tuft of Phoenix Down and a chunk of metal with no real purpose or reason for being in his pocket.

"Oh, and these!" Reno then withdrew his EMR, twirling it in his fingers before pocketing it again and starting to replace all the items back into his pockets.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Resisting the urge to sigh heavily, Rude patiently stood there, mentally memorizing and cataloging the items Reno had with him. Between the two of them, there wasn't much, and Rude doubted Shinra would be sending them their next paychecks. He had little more than Reno did, though the things in his pockets were (in his eyes, at least) a bit more useful.

"If we are stuck here, we're going to need to find a place to stay and a way to earn gil." Shifting, the bald man shook his head slightly. "Did you speak with anyone other than the girl who told you we were in a place called Gaia?"

While waiting for a response, the Turk pulled out his phone. Someone had to be in need of people with their particular set of skills. They could steal, of course, but earning honest money would probably be the best thing to do, all things considered. It would certainly be less messy, in the long run.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Who else did he speak to? Oh yeah! "Pffft... you're never gonna believe me anyway! It was Zack Fair. As in SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair. As in the dead guy Zack Fair." He gave Rude a serious look. A look that he rarely wore but knew when to. This was serious business and they were apparently in a world where Zack was back from the dead.

"Woah... wait. If Zack's here... then does that mean... we're dead?" They couldn't be, right? The first people he'd spoken was a girl he didn't know and Zack Fair. It was a possibility.

Wrinkling his nose, Reno rested one hand on his hip, the other hanging limp at his side. "What's the last thing you remember, Rude?"

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Trust Reno to forget something like that. Flicking his phone shut and placing it back into his pocket, Rude then pulled his sunglasses off in a seemingly casual manner, polishing them for a moment. "I don't remember anything that could imply death. Do you?"

Sliding his sunglasses back on, the bald Turk looked his partner over carefully. The last big event he could remember was the whole Remnant fiasco.

"Either way, we appear to be alive here." It was both logical and an attempt to calm Reno down, though he wasn't sure it would work. A more emotional showing would likely startle his partner, and besides, that just... wasn't him.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

"No... I guess not." He sighed slightly, running his fingers through his red hair. "Last thing I really remember is a real bright light. Then the stupid chocobo." Still, none of this was calming his nerves after speaking to dead people. That was just... too weird. Even for Reno. Shoving his hand in his pocket, he drew out his half empty pack of cigarettes. "You want one? No? Okay."

Lighting the cigarette, the redhead took a long drag and exhaled the smoke away from Rude. At least he was a considerate smoker. "So, what's the plan, partner? Walk until we find a town or... what?"

Big decisions like that, he left to Rude. Sure he was second in command but that was because he was good at the physical stuff. The thinking? ...not so much.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Watching Reno light the cigarette made Rude shift slightly. This whole thing was weird, and the smell of tobacco and nicotine floating toward him was rather tempting. He could only take so much before some of his restraint cracked, after all, and Reno had offered (well, sort of, but it was enough to matter).

Reaching around Reno, Rude plucked the cigarette out of the redhead's hand and took a slow, methodical drag. Extending the cigarette back toward Reno as he exhaled, the Turk shook his head slightly. "We should have a destination in mind. If we're stuck here, we're going to need gil and a place to stay."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Oh. Oh. Well. Now this was serious. Rude didn't ever smoke unless it was serious business. Smiling lightly, Reno took the cigarette back and laughed as he took a drag. "Indirect kiss, pal," he joked, pulling out his sky phone, poking at the buttons with one hand while he smoked with the other. "Okay... gimme a sec..."

Reno poked at a few more buttons before speaking again. "Alright, nearest places are the Chocobo's Forest and some place called Treno. I am not going back to get sat on again. Just past Treno there's... ..." Reno stared at the screen for a long moment. The Ruins of Midgar. Ruins? Wait, but this wasn't the Planet. How was a ruined Midgar here? What the Hell was going on?!

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

With his sunglasses over his eyes, it was safe to roll them at Reno's comment. Folding his arms, he glanced over at the screen of Reno's phone as his partner spoke.

"I'm assuming the Chocobo's Forest is where you woke up. Is there any information on Treno?" As Reno trailed off, Rude followed his gaze... and immediately pulled the cigarette back out of his partner's hand, quietly muttering "Are you sure we haven't been drugged?"

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Reno swallowed thickly, leaning against Rude for a moment, almost trying to steady himself. This was too surreal. "It wouldn't be the first time I woke up in a weird place after taking something I shouldn't have..." he muttered. Rubbing the back of his neck, Reno blinked up at Rude with quite a worried expression.

"Maybe we should check it out. I mean, if people end up here, why not places?" He sighed softly, looking down at his phone again. "We're screwed if this is right. If Midgar... is ruined."

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Letting Reno lean against him, mostly because he was just beginning to realize how lucky he was to have been able to find his partner here (or for Reno to be here with him at all). Nodding, ignoring Reno's first comment, the bald man sighed slightly.

"Midgar was a mess when we left it. The incident with Kadaj didn't help." That being said, Reno was right. If Midgar was here, ruined... what about everyone else? What did its' presence here mean for the people back home? It wasn't making sense, and Rude didn't like it, especially considering how little he could really do.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

"Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz... hn, they were jackasses. Just like their big bro." He sighed a little more then gave a shrug. "C'mon, we should go to Treno. I figure it's got to be a city or something. That close to... Midgar..." Seeing that Rude was quite clearly distressed about it all, in his own stoic way, Reno gave his friend's arm a light punch, just a gentle tap.

"Come on, big guy. We've been in tighter spots than this. Don't go acting like a rookie." He gave him a grin before whipping out his electro-mag rod and pointing it in the direction they were to go. "Onwards!" With that said, Reno set off towards Treno.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

"Sounds about right." Letting himself chuckle slightly at Reno's attempt to cheer him up (which was, now that he thought about it, probably a nice distraction for the redhead; if Reno was worried about him, he might not think about the fact that he was in the situation, too... or at least not as much).

Shaking his head at Reno's pose, Rude adjusted his gloves before following after his partner. Some things never changed... but in this case, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "Do the phones have any more information about these places?"

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

"Not that I've found, yet. Just where we are and where whoever you're talking to is." He gave a shrug, twirling his nightstick like a baton in his fingers. "When we get to a city we should go for a cheap hotel or something. Save cash until we can figure out a way to get some more." Reno watched the path ahead as he walked.

Hardly noticing it get very dark very quickly, when he finally turned to look at Rude, his eyes shimmered in the dark and he looked puzzled. "Did we really walk for that long...? It's... dark." Of course, they weren't to know about Treno (and its surrounding areas) being in perpetual night.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

"Agreed." Following in silence, Rude managed to get lost in thought, not noticing the way the sky got dark. Taking his sunglasses off when Reno turned around, finally noticing the way he could barely see anything but the pale skin (and now glowing eyes) of his partner, Rude frowned.

"No, we haven't been. Check the time." Looking up at the sky, the bald Turk shook his head. "This is a strange world. Stay on guard." He really shouldn't have had to say anything, but with Reno, it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, if Treno was a city, who knew what would be there to distract this redhead?

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Alcohol, women, games, toys, fire, shiny lights... a lot of things distracted Reno. Sometimes, he was more cat than man. Reno checked his watch and muttered about it having stopped at the time he'd got here then decided to check the phone for the time, tilting it to show his partner.

"Gotcha." Stay on guard. Simple words but they were usually enough to keep Reno on task. He did, however, stick to Rude's side like glue because, hey, if there was some big scary monster lurking in the dark, Rude would be more intimidating.

Tucking his EMR away, Reno shoved his hands in his pockets, walking with Rude. "Hey... you think we're screwed?" Rude's opinion mattered over everyone else's and if he thought they were done for then they usually were.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Reno was sticking by his side because he was large and intimidating, but Rude was making sure that he didn't move too quickly. Reno was a bit hot-headed, sure, but he was crafty. They had been partners for a long time now, and there was no one Rude would rather have with him in a fight.

At Reno's question, however, the bald man stopped. Grabbing Reno's arm to make sure the redhead stopped with him, Rude reached around to pull Reno's EMR out of his pocket. "Keep this out, and the two of us will be fine. We're Turks."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Reno blinked a little as he was manhandled, a pale colour tinting his face for a minute. "Jeez... don't make me jump like that. I thought there was something about to get us..." He stuck his tongue out, grasping the EMR, his fingers brushing Rude's as he took it back. "Alright, but keep your gloves on, partner. I'm not fightning alone."

Playfully bumping his hip against Rude's, Reno sauntered on ahead, looking around. They'd come to a pretty big city where everyone seemed generally distressed, muttering about being in the wrong place. "Well, damn. I think this place is a dump for all the leftovers. People are saying they're in the wrong place, too..."

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

"My apologies." He meant it, too; it hadn't been his intention to startle the redhead. Maybe later, when they knew a bit more, but they were both a bit too on edge at the moment. As for keeping his gloves on, well, no problem there. "We're partners."

That was all, at least in his mind, what needed to be said. They were partners. They watched each other's backs, looked out for each other, and that wasn't changing just because they ended up on a different planet. Not if he had anything to say about it, anyway.

Pausing as Reno bumped his hip, Rude shook his head before catching up to the redhead. "That doesn't make sense. Ask one of them what happened; someone should know a bit more. I've got your back." Looking around, the bald man frowned. Why did things look like they had been sitting out for months? Things were getting weirder and weirder, and Rude didn't like it at all.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Reno grumbled to himself, twisting his EMR in his fingers. "Always make me do the talking," he muttered, swaggering over to a group of women, going from Turk-mode the Ladies-Man-mode in a matter of seconds. Charming the girls in his own feline-like way, Reno soon had a decent chunk of information to tell Rude.

Making his way back to his partner, Reno smiled up at him. "Okay, so, apparently people have been just appearing from their own worlds without reasons, as wel as places. Things had been pretty routine until there was this big old bright light and suddenly they're waking up and instead of it being July, it's November. Stuff's covered in dust and food's gone to rot..." Reno sighed heavily. "Worst part is, no one knows how to get back."

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

It was fast results like that that made Rude make Reno do the talking in the first place. Reno was the charmer; Rude was there to remind people that screwing with the two of them was not a good move. Nodding to show he'd heard, Rude looked around more. No one knew how to get back and even the natives were in turmoil. They had chosen a good time to show up, apparently.

"In that case, we had best find a place to stay quickly. If the food is rotten, what's left will be scarce and expensive very soon. Think of it as a mission and we'll do fine." Even if they couldn't make ends meet legally, they were Turks. Kidnapping, assassination, and other dirty work had been part of their jobs for a long time; stealing in order to survive wouldn't be that big of a stain on their consciences. Then again, very few people knew just who they were here... it was probably best to keep it that way. "Let's keep as many details about ourselves as quiet as possible. The locals might not be open to people like us, and I'd rather not have to blow anything nice up today."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Reno nodded repeatedly at Rude's serious world but his joke knocked the redhead off balance for a moment and he snorted slightly, shaking his head. "Aw, but Rude, you know I love blowing things up." Beaming at his friend, Reno headed off along the streets. It was true that there wasn't much he wouldn't do, especially if it came to keeping Rude safe. There was nothing that would stop him from doing that. Rude was his number one priority because, when you're a Turk, your partner is all you've got.

"So, we should get a cheap room. Maybe a double. Then we get ourselves some supplies and... see about trying to figure out just what the Hell we do next?" He would only make suggestions. Rude was better at tactical decisions. He was just sly and knew how to get out of the tight spots he landed himself in. Chocobo related incidents excluded, of course.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Letting the corner of his mouth quirk up at Reno's snort, knowing he'd taken the redhead off-guard with his comment, Rude followed him along the streets. Pulling his sunglasses back out of his pocket and sliding them back on, the city lights making them a bit more practical to be worn again, Rude scanned his surroundings. Treno reminded him of Midgar; their Midgar, not the still unseen ruins. They would be getting a cheap room, all right.

"We should check out this Midgar, but perhaps we should stay around here. It's easy to blend in here; it's dark, and we know how to survive in slums. We're going to have to make sure we know exactly what we have with us, though. As for a cheap room, there appears to be a motel a bit further ahead. I should have enough gil to cover a room, but we need to hurry. If numerous people are misplaced..." The chances of them being able to get a room with more than one bed was already slim.

_{(( wtf Rude stop talking o.O ))}

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

"Mmhm! Plan. Sorted. Cool." He grinned back at Rude, teasing him just a little. That was just his way, though. Reno liked to tease Rude because Rude was the only one who didn't take any mean jokes to heart. Reno would never purposely hurt his friend, not at all, and the redhead was sure Rude knew that. They just had a lot of things that went unspoken that really didn't need to be said. Of course, there was a whole lot of stuff that should've been said that Reno wasn't man enough to bring up and Rude probably didn't notice which left a weird aftertaste sometimes.

Heading inside the motel, which was apparently called an 'inn' here, Reno strolled over to the desk and tried to talk the woman into giving them a room with separate beds. No luck. One double bed, or one single. Clearly they weren't going to fit in a single together, so they were stuck with the double. Getting the key after paying with the gil from his wallet, Reno returned to Rude. "Sorry pal, we're bunking together. Top and tail or are you cool with me sleeping up the right end of the bed?"

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

The sad part was that Rude didn't notice. That wasn't to say that he didn't have his own unspoken things that probably should have been brought up, but, well... He was the strong, silent one. Reno was the fast one, in both movement and speaking. Rude liked the way things were now, the trust and friendship. He didn't want a repeat of things that had happened before, but every day until they had ended up here, he had been waiting for the call to come that Reno, as second-in-command, was needed somewhere else. Now that they were where, selfish as it was, he couldn't help but feel just the tiniest bit relieved that (at least for now), the redhead wasn't going anywhere.

Nodding once, looking at the key to get the room number, Rude started for their room. Pausing outside the door, waiting for his friend to unlock the room, Rude finally answered. "I'm not giving you a chance to kick me in the head. Sleep the right way up. It's fine."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Reno followed after him, silent as he did. That had also been one of his own fears. That he would get called up to go and deal with something where he wouldn't be allowed to have his partner near. He knew that it could happen. He could get called to do something that took him entirely out of the field, as such, and leave Rude to get a new partner. A new friend. A nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach always came whenever new assignments were posted on the Shinra Turks noticeboard. He remembered hating that time. When there was the chance that their names wouldn't come together but his alone and Rude's with one of the rookies'. Selfish as it was, he too, was relieved that there was no way they could be forcibly split up here.

"Pfft... you really think I'll kick you in the head? ...okay, maybe." He laughed and unlocked the door, tossing the key on the bedside table and instantly shedding his jacket. Almost as if it was a second skin he really didn't want to be wearing. "Think this place has hot water...? I reek of chocobo butt."

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

"Rather not risk it." Really, Reno had quite the kick. At the redhead's question, Rude shrugged, examining the room as he answered. "It might be rusty; the water's probably been sitting in the pipes for a few months." Turning around to lock the door, he continued. "Don't think they'll have any complimentary hair products, either."

Moving away from the door to sit on the bed, Rude pulled out his phone. If Reno was going to shower, he wanted to get started on memorizing the map. It could be incredibly useful, after all, and he didn't like being so dependent on a piece of technology. That was part of the reason he fought the way he did. Speaking of...

"Do you notice anything different about yourself? Specifically your fighting and movement styles?" He wasn't sure how to explain it, but it felt like some parts of him were gone, while others had been enhanced. He was almost certain that he wouldn't be able to cast magic, with or without materia, but he felt like he could punch a Behemoth and have it fall over.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

At the comment about hair products, Reno flipped Rude off, out of natural instinct. "At least I have some." Typical. A back and forth about hair. That was quite a common topic of insult between them. Nudging open the door to the bathroom and coughing slightly, he wafted away a cloud of dust. "Jeez... this is stupid. Everything is layered in dust." It wasn't exactly going to help the situation if they were choking on dust. Sure, he wasn't the cleanest of guys but at least he dusted now and then at home. When it was thick on the surfaces... not that he spent much time at his appartment.

"Different? I don't know... I feel faster maybe. I was quicker than normal earlier... but I think that was adrenaline." He turned on the faucet, sitting on the edge of the tub to watch the water splutter out. "I don't figure that with materia I could manage magic. Almost like I forgot how to... but I still vividly know how to do my Pyramid." That trick always made him grin in battle.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

The banter was nice. They were still Reno and Rude, no matter where they were; still partners, still best friends. "Yours is just around so I have something to grab when I have to save your ass." Making a slight face at the cloud of dust, Rude stood up and examined the bed. "Looks like they just cleaned out here to try and make a good impression. The water should help with the dust, you know."

Turning to look at Reno as he spoke, still working on memorizing the map even during the conversation, Rude nodded slightly. "I don't think I could, either. This world... we'll have to be careful." Shifting, he frowned slightly. Reno had spoken with Zack; other familiar faces were bound to be around. Rude just hoped none of them were looking for a fight, at least with them. It was hard to say whether or not the thought had occurred to Reno, but he didn't want to bring it up. The idea of a pissed off Sephiroth or anyone the Turks had taken care of in the past coming after them here, in a strange world, was not a pleasant one.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

It hadn't crossed his mind, but then again, it probably would at two in the morning and he'd demand Rude sit up and talk to him all night. He'd done that a couple of times in the past when things had been serious and they had possibilities of losing each other. He just needed reassuring sometimes that if things got bad then Rude would stick with him through it. He knew he would but... it was nice to hear it out loud.

Unbuttoning his shirt, Reno leaned down to look at what Rude was checking out on his phone. The map. Typical Rude move. It brought a smile to the redhead's thin lips and he rested his head against Rude's as he looked at the phone, continuing to unbutton his shirt. "Hey, we'll be okay if we stick together. Like always." Blowing a raspberry on Rude's bald head, he dodged out of the way quickly, before getting any abuse, tossed his shirt and his friend and locked himself in the bathroom.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

The raspberry was something he should have been expecting, and so (of course) he hadn't been. Reno's shirt settling on his shoulder, Rude shook his head, eying the bathroom door. Reno was safe for now -- Rude wasn't going to break the door down only to have to pay for later -- but he'd get him back. Somehow.

Draping Reno's shirt over a chair, Rude decided that he might as well settle in. Taking off his shoes, jacket, tie, and dress shirt, the Turk put them away before returning to the bed and the map in his pants and the white muscle shirt he wore under his uniform. He could get Reno back later, if he really felt like it; for now, he wanted to try and get something done while the redhead was in the shower.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Reno took his time alone to rest against the shower wall, just letting the water, that was entirely too hot, redden his skin a fraction. They were in a whole new world with no real gil, nothing to do but wait and hope they got home one day. Nothing to really cling to but each other... and that was something that frightened him inside. His attatchement to his underling. To his partner. Rude was older than him. Smarter. Better at the job. He should've been the second in command but the redhead's tenacity and possibly his mild insanity were what got him his position.

And his partner. It took a really tough guy to stay partnered with Reno for long and they'd been best friends for years. Always living in each other's pockets.

Reno's shower didn't take long once he'd finally dragged himself off that wall and forced himself to actually wash up. Coming out to Rude in just his boxer shorts, ruffling at his hair with his towel, Reno had his pants, shoes and goggles in his free hand. "Hey... shower's free if you want it. There's probably some hot water left." His voice came out a little quiet so Reno quickly made up for it with a grin before he tossed his stuff on that chair, running his fingers through his hair.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Flipping his phone shut when Reno came out, Rude nodded, studying his partner as inconspicuously as he could. Even with his sunglasses on, Reno could usually tell; the other man could read him better than anyone else. It went both ways, though, and Reno's grin didn't exactly make up for the quiet tone or the way the paler man's skin was still a bit red from the hot water. "I won't be long." Removing his sunglasses and setting them down by his phone, Rude proceeded to pull off his undershirt, setting that with his other clothes. Trying not to think about the mechanics of laundry when the two of them only had one set of clothing, Rude stepped into the bathroom to take his own shower.

True to his word, the shower was quick. The knowledge that Reno and pipes that hadn't been used for a few months were being put together made him wary, and the water temperature had started to quickly go down within a few minutes. Stepping out of the bathroom as Reno had done, in just his boxers with his pants in tow, Rude shook his head turned back to shut the door behind him. "Water's not too bad."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Rude's impromptu striptease, however unteasing it was meant, hadn't gone unnoticed by the redhead. He admired that body to no end. It was strong and powerful. Often the only thing between him and death.

By the time Rude came back, Reno had sat himself on the bed and was going through his own phone, making a few replies, mostly to Zack. "...Aerith is alive." That was all he said for a moment. Rude would need to take that in as much as they'd had to take the knowledge of Zack being alive into account. The dead weren't dead. This wasn't a good thing. It really, really wasn't.

After letting Rude process that for a few minutes, Reno looked at him with a deathly serious face. "If Sephiroth... or any of his Remnants drag their sorry butts outta the woodwork, we steer clear. Got it?" A direct order from the second in command, but a serious suggestion from Rude's best friend. "The President ain't here to tell us to go screwing with those jerks, so we don't alright?" He really didn't want to get involved with anymore enhanced super-humans. It was bad enough he had to work with those mako-enhanced SOLDIERs. Always thinking they were Shinra's gift to the world.

Apparently, mako treatement made you a cocky bastard who thought he could change the world on his own. Where were SOLDIER now? Dead. The lot of them. Reno always felt a sick satisfaction at that thought.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Swapping the pants in his hand for his sunglasses, Rude sat on the bed next to his partner. Reno was thinking along the same lines he was, and that was good. They could be prepared, just in case something did happen. Besides, it was unlikely that everyone here was going to be nice little Boy Scout SOLDIERs and flower girls; they should be prepared anyway. Knowing who might show up would just make those preparations a little more exact.

Looking over at Reno, Rude nodded. The Remnants had done a lot of damage, and Sephiroth, of course, was Sephiroth. That being said, he didn't have to be a hero, but he wasn't going to let someone who could actually be a threat chase him across the world. He was a Turk, and while living to fight another day was definitely high on the priority list, he wasn't going to be a cowering dog before them. Besides, if he could help Reno... Shaking his head to get rid of that line of thought, the bald man shifted.

"Not unless they screw with us first. Keeping a low profile should help keep them off our trail. Sticking together, no going off to do something stupid." Rude was more worried about Reno's habit of hopping between bars and beds than anything else. The redhead was very good at attracting attention, often times on accident, but in this case it would be bad. Besides, the idea of his partner going out and having a good time while he sat at the motel waiting for him to get back around three thirty in the morning wasn't exactly a pleasant one. It never had been, but now they were in a different world with no one but each other.

All those thoughts of near-jealousy and dependence were probably going to drive him crazy much quicker than something like Sephiroth showing up would.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Reno could easily understand the borderline jealousy and dependancy between the two of them. Often there were times Rude and Tseng would have conversations that were entirely above his level or Rude and Elena would speak about something that was supposed to be entirely 'none of his business'. Okay, so usually that turned out to be plans for his birthday or something along those lines but he still got jealous and angry really quickly when it came to someone hogging time with his partner.

Shaking away those posessive and selfish thoughts, Reno wriggled down under the blankets, tucking an arm under his head and staring at the ceiling, the dim light in the room painting his skin in a pale glow, shimmering off his blue eyes and making them brighter than they really were, giving his hair a vibrant tint in places. "You think Tseng and Elena are okay? Hope they're not dead..." His voice came out in that all-too-quiet way again and he didn't even bother to hide it.

Sometimes, the redhead had to show he did actually think about that sort of stuff and that he was capable of caring about other people. Rude didn't count; he had always cared deeply for Rude.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Getting up to switch the already dim light off, making the room even darker, Rude was across the room when Reno asked his question. Pulling his sunglasses off, the bald Turk fiddled with him a bit before turning around and setting them down. "I don't know." He wanted to say that he was sure they would be fine, but after the events with the Remnants, he had been more wary. They had lost comrades before, but Tseng and Elena... well, the four of them had been through a lot together.

Moving over to the bed, Rude carefully slipped under the blankets, looking up at the ceiling. He felt like he should add more, but he didn't know what. Reno was clearly worried, and so was he, but there was nothing he could do. For a Turk, that was probably the worst thing.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Rude's words... they didn't help. Reno knew Rude knew that as well, which made things worse. Shifting onto his side, Reno turned his back to Rude, pulling the blankets up to his jaw, shuddering beneath them slightly. This just wasn't right. They were going to just go to sleep? In a world where they weren't sure whether they'd be alive by morning. Not that Treno had a morning. Not that they knew that. Sighing softly, Reno took the elastic hairtie from his damp hair and wrapped it around his wrist.

"This is just... it's not right." Rude knew that. Of course he did. It just felt like the words needed saying. Reno closed his eyes for only a second before he scrambled over to face Rude, trying to hide the look of worry that creased his brow. "We'll go check out Midgar tomorrow... and then see about finding some source of income after that. Even if we're the only Turks here... we're still Turks." A faint smile came and he shifted his arm to rest his head on it, peering at Rude over it through the dark.

"If you're with me, partner, we can do anything. We can survive in this new world."

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Rude turned his head to the side, having felt the slight shudder beneath the blankets. Noting the hairband around Reno's wrist, Rude took a moment to look at his partner with his hair down. It wasn't a sight he saw very often, if ever, and it was always... well, it was always a sight. Shifting so that he was a bit more on his side, Rude nodded.

"Definitely." Really, that was the only word Reno required; it was what Rude would give most people. But Reno wasn't most people, and what was required and what was needed weren't always the same thing. "We can, and we will. Together, partner." Just the way things were supposed to be, when it came right down to it.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Reno smiled at his partner, nestling down more in the bed. Definitely. That really was a good word to hear. Rude was confident and that always made Reno feel capable of pretty much anything. If his partner was so sure they'd make it, then he had to be doubly sure. Twice as confident. That was just how things were. Reno was the one with the outward confidence and Rude was the strong, silent type.

Now, the point of his hair being down was simple. He didn't like to sleep with it tied back. Rude hadn't ever seen him asleep, not in a proper, comfy bed, only out on the field in tents or roughing it on the job. He hadn't wanted to get it covered in dirt out there. In bed, Reno was a lot different about his hair.

"Mn... together," he mumbled, finally closing his eyes and letting himself relax beside Rude. He really felt like he could, as well. There was no one he'd let himself be so vulnerable around. Not even Tseng and he'd known him just as long, perhaps longer, than he'd known Rude. Rude was his partner and he trusted him wholly.

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

With Reno relaxing beside him, Rude turned back over. Tomorrow would be a new day. They would see Midgar, they would look for a way to get money, they would survive... and they would do it together. They could do it. They just had to remember that they were Turks, and that they were partners and had each other's backs, and they would be okay. Eyes drifting shut, Rude let himself fall asleep.