Snippets of Dysfunctionalities - Pandemonium
By Crystal Snowflakes
His life had always been, for lack of better word, chaotic. Ever since the day he was born prematurely to a crack whore in the alleyway somewhere in Sector Two, he had been living day-to-day, uncertain where his next meal would come from—if his next meal would ever come. It was a miracle he had even managed to survive through infancy; he honestly couldn't remember how. And for as long as he could remember, he didn't expect himself to live until the next day, much less until adulthood.
Somehow, he had made his way into the ranks of the infamous Turks. It was as high on the food chain someone like him—someone with no education or connection—could ever possibly get. Sure, he was a mere guard dog, but at least he no longer needed to worry where his next meal came from.
Even then, he was constantly in survival mode; people with his career didn't usually have the luxury to live past thirty. He spent each day with reckless abandon as he drowned his thoughts and nightmares with whiskey in the evenings. Somehow, even with the way he lived his life, he was still left alive; apparently it wasn't his time to go. He had survived so many death-defying circumstances that for a while, he really believed that the Lifestream just didn't want him; maybe it thought his presence would taint it somehow. It wouldn't surprise him—nobody else had ever wanted him around.
And then for the first time in his life, there was a sense of tranquility, and he found that he didn't know what to do with it. Sure, the world had gone to shit, but his life was the most peaceful it had ever been.
Unfortunately, it made life boring, dull, and pointless.
The realization that he was the type of person who couldn't tolerate this type of drab lifestyle shocked him because he had always wished for a 'normal life' when he was younger.
Each morning he woke up, he would realize that it was just another day, and that he was merely going through the motions of living—of getting to the next day. So he kept his routine of going through his days with as much thrill as he could while still drinking his evenings away.
Until he met her—or rather, she forced her way into his life, and introduced herself obnoxiously. The funny thing was, he knew who she was and he had no doubt she knew who he was. Despite the fact they had run into each other countless times over the years, they had never truly exchanged any words—shocking, given both their personalities.
And just like that, the peace and quiet ended.
She was a force to be reckoned with—with her massive weapon, her impish grin, her goddamn boots and those fucking shorts. He found himself wanting to retaliate—to taunt her the same way she constantly pestered him—and before he knew it, the competition to one up each other had become friendly. She kept him on his toes, and he got a kick whenever he managed to get under her skin. Watching her eyes flash and her lips snarl whenever she was worked up from something he said was dangerously intoxicating.
Until he found himself missing her on days he didn't see her, and he had to force himself to admit that he enjoyed her company a little too much. Except at that point, he had to remind himself that she was nothing but an acquaintance that he got a thrill of pissing off.
And just as he got used to that part of his life, she cornered him in the alley late one night after he had left the bar and dragged his face down to hers to kiss him with ferocity. Before he could even react, she had turned around and bounced away, her loud cackles echoing through the night.
He knew then that she'd never stop keeping him on his toes.
But he didn't expect it to happen again, because, well, expecting it again would probably lead to disappointment. He told himself she'd probably had a little too much to drink that night and vowed to mock her the next time he saw her again. Except when he saw her next, she had flashed him a confident smirk before bounding over and peered up at him, asking him if he was free for a movie that night.
Intrigued—and bewildered—he had agreed.
She had come into his life like a hurricane, bringing chaos and tearing down his defenses without trying.
Every day they spent together—fighting, arguing, wreaking havoc to everyone around them—was exhilarating, wild, and brought reason to his life. And for the longest time, he didn't dare think that it would last and continue, but when it did—day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year—he couldn't imagine someone more important to him, though it nearly killed him to admit that.
He was wrong, of course.
Reno's chest nearly burst when tiny fingers held tightly onto one of his, and he felt that everything he had ever suffered for since the day he was born was worth this one moment in his life—was readying him for this moment in his life. His gaze couldn't stop looking at the dark tufts of hair on the top of his head, or at the way his eyes were staring so intently at him.
"How d'you feel?"
It took him a moment to realize that Yuffie was talking to him. She looked so tired, like she was ready to fall asleep the next second, but her eyes shone so brightly, and for the first time in his life, he was speechless as he stared in awe at the baby in her arms.
It took him a moment to find his voice. "Like I'm about to fuck up."
Her eyes crinkled in mirth as her laughter echoed in the small hospital room. "That makes two of us." And she looked at him with such adoration in her eyes, her lips quirked up in that impish grin that he liked so much, that he felt like he didn't deserve either of them.
His fingers brushed against the baby's cheek softly. "I'm gonna make sure you don't grow up fucked up like your old man."
"Or like your mom," she chirped in playfully, her eyes dancing.
He brushed his lips against her forehead before letting out a small snicker. "Our kid doesn't stand a chance."
"He's got Teef and Rude; there's a small chance he'll turn out okay."
"A small chance," he echoed.
"A very small chance," she repeated with a teasing grin.
"Poor kid."
Author's Notes: Wrote this in the midst of editing the more angsty parts of 'Entanglement', so I needed some fluff to wash it down. Also, this snippet was the influence for the next long-fic...that you'll see whenever (if ever) I finish writing it.
Completed: March 31, 2021
