Regret
Written for my mother who's a huge Reno fan as opposed to my obsession with Rude. I don't own FFVII, so don't sue me for it. Rated for Reno's drunken mouth!
Rude didn't even have to look at how many bottles Reno had been nursing to see that the former-Turk was drunk out of his mind. The young red-head was hunched forward over his beer, green eyes clouded with a look of nostalgia. He must have been at least on his seventh beer by now; he'd disappeared about an hour and a half ago.
The barkeep knew that Reno would conduct himself as best he could while in public. It amazed even Rude that Reno could keep the presence of mind to behave himself. Reno wasn't a violent drunk, at least not in public. Once he got home, however, it was a different story entirely. That was what Rude dreaded most.
"Reno…"
The red-head turned his gaze from the booze he'd been nursing to Rude's large form. His vision was none-too-good in the ill-lit building, but he could make out the unmistakable glint from the older man's ever-present glasses.
"Whatever…" he growled standing and throwing down a few hundred Gil.
His step faltered and soon he found himself in Rude's strong grasp, being steered to the car and unceremoniously shoved into the back seat. Instead of buckling, he simply lay there on his back staring up at the roof as Rude drove. It was all in sync, his methodical breathing matching the pulse of the engine. In all, it was like any normal day: he got drunk, Rude came to take him home… There was nothing out of the ordinary there.
It began when Rude deposited Reno on the couch and turned to go get some ice from the kitchen. Reno began to think; and a drunken Reno was bad enough, let alone one that was thinking.
"You ever regret what we did back then?" he slurred.
Rude shrugged as he always did.
"We killed a lotta people ya' know. Men, women… Rude I shot a freakin' kid!"
"We had to do what we were ordered. We were just doing our jobs, Reno. Get over it," his voice was calm.
The red-head stood shakily, one arm grasping the side of the couch for balance. His brow furrowed; lips pursed in a thin line.
"Like Hell I'll get over it! Remember that guy in Costa De Sol? Right before I blew his brains out through his ears he told me he had a family… A family! There's some chick out there without a husband an' some kids out there without a father, Rude! How can you justify that!" he shouted.
"I didn't say I was trying to justify it, Reno. It's all in the past now; no turning back."
The first hit came to his temple, pain piercing his body. He hadn't thought Reno would start so early; with his electro-rod too! The younger man usually saved that for the finishing touches.
Reno's agility was unmatched in the Turks, and when he was drunk he was dangerous in that and his unpredictability. Rude was known for taking all sorts of abuse: verbal, mental, physical…it didn't matter. His stamina outmatched most, and that had been the reason he'd been assigned to Reno so long ago.
The next blow came to his left knee, sending him to the floor with a groan of pain. Reno was on top of him now, pinning his arms with his legs. The enraged man grabbed the glasses from his face in one fell swoop and crushed them in his grasp before bringing his fist down onto Rude's unshielded face.
"So what you're sayin' is you'd do all the weird shit they ordered you to do without question just to keep your ass alive while hundreds suffered! That's cold, even for you, Rude!"
Tears welled in Reno's green orbs, and for a minute, they almost seemed like delicate pieces of materia ready to shatter from the weight of guilt. His blows were lessening in strength, and Rude knew it was almost over.
"What would have happened if we hadn't gotten our asses handed to us by your Tifa, huh? They'd have never had the chance to take out Hojo and we'd all be little flecks of dust in the Lifestream while Sephiroth rode his freakin' Meteor around the cosmos drainin' it of all its energy and creatin' some stupid Supreme Race! Guess who'd be to blame for that, Rude! Just take a wild guess!"
During Reno's little rant, Rude had managed to get one of his arms out from under the young man's thigh. Using it as leverage, he raised up, pushing Reno from his chest before slapping the man across the face.
"Get a grip, Reno! It didn't happen and it won't! Stop blaming yourself for things that you can't change! It's history!"
Reno looked up in shock, unable to speak. That was the first time Rude had ever raised his voice, let alone yelled at him.
"Get on the couch…now."
Reno only complied, slumping down on the worn cushions as Rude applied the ice to his now-blackened right eye. After a few minutes of silence, the pain numbed and he'd calmed down. Still silent, he quietly strode over to the couch and flopped down beside Reno.
"Whatever you've got to say, go ahead. I'm alright," he said, tone back to normal.
"My hands are as red as my hair..." Reno sighed, flinging his aching head onto Rude's shoulder.
Rude glanced over at him, running a hand through the soft red strands before speaking.
"What are you gonna do about it?"
Reno smirked into Rude's shoulder.
"Dunno. I think maybe I'll shave it all off; go for that bald look all the ladies are talkin' about."
Everything ran like clock-work: get drunk, go home, fight, make up. The two began laughing hysterically.
End
Oh, for a minute you thought it was going to be gay, didn't you! I bet you did! Ha ha! You were wrong! Also, I wasn't implying that Rude and Tifa were together, just that Rude still had a crush on her. Read and Review!