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

[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.