By: spadetje
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own final fantasy vii, whatev.
A/N: Though I'm wondering if just uploading chapter 4 would be better, I decided to just do the whole thing. However, enjoy.

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i. smoke.

The small particles of carbonic matter swirling in the late morning air, the exhaust from the burning of an organic material like a cigarette.

The nicotine, his tobacco heaven whirled around him as the wind picked up. He inhaled deeply, feeling the brief enjoyment as the milligram of the drug rushed to his brain.

He stared at the smoke as he pulled it away from his mouth, letting a whoosh of nicotine fog into the polluted air of Midgar and closed his eyes. He loved the smell, the musky, burnt scent that buried in his clothes and home and remained no matter how many times he washed or sprayed them. Not that he could get away from the stench anyway. In Midgar - and especially his apartment location - open a window and a flood of smoke would come pouring in, soaking everything with the industrial scent he found so familiar.

Nothing like a good smoke before work.

Shinra let him smoke inside, but smoking inside meant working inside as well. He gave a mere glance to his watch and read the time. He was a bit late, and that was perhaps an understatement.

But he justified his spiteful smoke outside his building with his overwork last night.

Leaving a short butt on the ground, accompanying his many others, Reno opened the company doors and stepped inside the elevator. On the ride up the sixty floors, all he could think about was the relaxing puffs and the amount of paperwork he would have to write up today about his recent mission.

Sliding his card into place and hearing the usual electronic beep, he lazily stumbled into the Turk's lobby. Not noticing the extra figure in the room, he ambled over to the coffeepot and almost automatically started to pour.

He almost didn't hear the angry clearing throat behind him, but something made him turn around. He then noticed the two dark suits outlining the trademark white suit of his superior. Rude was standing on the left, his shades down and his usual expressionless facade on although Reno could tell this placid face meant something was up. Elena, on the right was looking at the middle figure desirously, as though he were a piece of meat - the man clad in white never noticing. Reno gritted his teeth at this, and then focused his attention to the middle figure, President Rufus Shinra.

He had a gut feeling whatever this solemn stance was, it wasn't good. Rufus took a few steps towards him and crossed his arms.

"I've had enough of you. In my office. Go."

Shrugging, Reno set his coffee down on the counter near him and followed his boss up the elevator and into his office. He took the seat across from the big desk naturally, and pulled out a cigarette. Lighting up, the president across from him sneered at him disdainfully.

"What were you doing before you waltzed in here?"

"Is this an interrogation?" Reno looked up in thinking mockery, letting little puffs of smoke out. He picked his fag from his mouth and stared at Rufus. "Well, I woke up, had a smoke, walked down here, had another smoke, and..." he tapped the ashes into Rufus' tray in front of him, "here's my third."

"You're telling me I'm paying you to smoke and sleep?"

Reno frowned at this, biting his lip not to say he'd be doing that even if he was here, but instead he smoothly took a long drag on his smoke.

Rufus leaned forward and stared intimidating at the man in font of him. "I know you've worked for my father longer than you've worked for me, but listen kid, I'm running the company now and I don't tolerate late workers. Especially my late Turks." He leaned back and tilted his head to the side at the unmoved redhead. "I don't want to see you late again. Because when I fire my workers, I don't fire them in the metaphorical sense." He glanced toward the wall, bringing Reno's gaze with him at his signature shotgun leaning against a filing cabinet.

Reno raised his arms and crushed his butt into the ashtray. "Alright, chief, it won't happen again."

"Good. Now get out of my office."

As he slid his card into the elevator's slot, Reno gritted his teeth angrily. Stupid brat, he's probably the youngest one in the building and yet he's the bloody president. Runs this place like it's a goddamned boot camp.

The Turk's lobby was empty, so he assumed when Rude and Elena had heard the irate in the President's voice, they'd ran off to their office to save their job. Sighing, he took his cold coffee into his office and sat down to work on the scads of papers decorating his desk.

--

Reno was walking across an empty parking lot. The pavement was wet as if it had recently rained, and there was a small emporium that he was walking toward. He couldn't see where the little store was connected to, or if it were connected to anything at all, but he made his way across the lot and up to the counter.

The yellow light beamed down on the employee inside, who faced the opposite direction of him. Glancing up, he looked at what was on sale.

Whiskey, £3
Cigarettes, £2
Your Choice, --

"My choice?" Reno asked, grinning as the lady turned around. "How much does that cos-"

He stopped talking as the woman at the counter turned all the way around, revealing his cohort Turk, Elena, clad in only a blue bra and knickers. Raising an eyebrow as she walked over to the counter, smiling seductively and untying her hair, letting it drape down across her shoulders.

"Your choice, Reno." She sighed as she lifted herself onto the counter. Just as he was about to embrace her, he was awoken rudely by the wailing of his alarm.

Rolling over lazily, he slapped the beeping device until it ceased, then rolled back over.

"What the hell?" he muttered to himself at the dream, about to drift back to his relaxing unconsciousness when he suddenly remembering his previous day with the president. Jumping out of bed, he felt fatigue hit him like a sack of potatoes and wished he were back in bed asleep.

Popping a cigarette in his mouth, he struggled to get on his suit he'd thrown on the ground last night. He glanced at the clock and realized he would have to call a cab to get to work on time.

An angry five minutes later, he was on the side of the road taking a long drag as a taxi pulled over. Throwing the butt on the ground, Reno hopped inside.

"Shin-Ra building, please." On the small ride over he realized he would be about five minutes early. Better be happy, Prez.

Paying the cabbie, the Turk hurried up to the sixtieth floor and into the Turk's lobby. Rude was slumped over the newspaper, asleep like usual, and Reno gave him a jolt as he walked by to the coffeepot. The tiredness was weighing in on him and he drank another cup after finishing the first one.

After his caffeine addiction was satisfied, his nicotine fix was begging him to light another cigarette. Pulling out his pack, he lit up as the door opened and a young lady in a nicely pressed suit stepped inside the room. Reno grinned as he took a long, satisfying drag.

--