Chapter Two

Reno of the Turks

A/N: okay, this is just a random conversation I wrote between Rufus and Reno during maths a couple of weeks ago. I figured I should include it. Skip over it of you no like. Oh, and the ball idea was inspired by a picky I saw on deviantArt by Nashya, called Fk the Party. Go look, it's brialliant.

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"Reno…"

"Yes, sir?"

"How many piercings do you actually have?"

Reno started to count on his fingers. He ticked off the multiple rings in his ears, the two in his left eyebrow and his lip ring. "Fourteen…" He was hit in the back of the head by Tseng, and winced, remembering the rules. "…sir."

Rufus gave him a Look. It was a Look he was fast growing accustomed. It signified irritation and faint disgust. "That's repulsive."

"Hey, I used to have more than twenty!" Reno yelped, feeling defensive.

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

"………"

"I want them all gone by tomorrow."

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Tseng nearly hit him again, but this time he ducked, slipping out of range. "What I choose to shove in my body is my own freakin' concern, not yours!" That sounded vaguely wrong… Hope no one else noticed… Judging from the infinitesimal smirk on Rufus' face, and Tseng's raised eyebrow, they had noticed. He tried to contain his blush.

"Actually it is." And that sounded even wronger… is wronger even a fucking word?

He glared at Rufus. "Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too… My gods, this is childish." Rufus rolled his eyes.

"I agree," said Reno and Tseng at exactly the same time.

"But it still isn't," Reno added. Rufus glared at him. Reno glared back.

"Reno… Just have them gone by tomorrow."

"Can't I keep a couple?"

"Two."

"Three?" Reno gave him the most pleading look he could manage, considering his huge attitude problem.

"Very well." Rufus just looked bored.

"Four?"

"Don't push it, Reno."

Reno sighed and stared moodily at the wall. This sucked.

The door opened and a soldier walked in, not even bothering to ask if he could actually come in. "President Shinra wants to see you," he said flatly. Rufus' eyes narrowed, going cold and distant. He said nothing. Tseng sighed. Reno pushed himself away from the wall he'd been leaning on. "Firstly, learn how to fucking knock," he said in an even voice as he walked towards the suddenly frightened soldier. The man swallowed. He'd heard stories about the newest Turk. "Secondly, it's Vice President Shinra, or at least sir. Thirdly, get the fuck out before I'm tempted to shove my EMR up your sorry ass. Tell President Fuckface we're busy."

The man fled.

There was silence for a long time. "Reno?" Rufus said finally.

"Yes, sir?" Reno turned around and gave him a quietly enquiring look. Rufus was smiling.

"You can keep your piercings, if you want."

"Thank you, sir."

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Reno lay on his bed, running over the past few weeks in his mind, still startled at how quickly his life had changed. Who would've guessed that the gutter rat he had been could have ever become a Turk?

It'd been six weeks since Reno had been brought back from the training camp, six weeks since he'd legally become a Turk. There'd been some bullshit ceremony and everything. He didn't remember much of it, having spent most of the time staring at Rufus and trying not to fall asleep - said ceremony had taken place at dawn. Reno had fallen asleep the night before with his EMR on the bedside table, like he had every night since the… incident at boot camp, and Tseng had nearly been fried when he went to wake Reno up. After the ceremony and the awarding of assorted object including the more official handing over of his EMR. The metal stun-baton still had a bit of dried blood smeared on the grip from where Reno had brained some would be assassin with it the night before. There hadn't been time to prime the thing, so when the bastard had come running up waving a knife, Reno had just smacked him in the face. That bit of quick thinking had actually earned an approving nod from Tseng, and a half smile from Rufus. For one of the first times in his life, Reno had been proud of himself. That feeling had swiftly faded about six seconds later when the President had walked in and demanded to know why the assassin had even got that far, then blamed him getting in on Reno. The redhead had bit his lip ring and forced himself not to reply. He still had the bruises from the last time he'd spoken back to the President in Rufus' presence. He hadn't understood why at the time, and he still didn't, but Rufus had beaten the crap out of him once they were alone. There were times when Reno wondered about the loyalty that he had swiftly formed for the icy blonde. He had a feeling it tied into that time in the helicopter, when for some unknown reason Rufus had let Reno break down in his arms.

Reno sighed softly, staring up at the ceiling of his apartment. Rufus hadn't mentioned the embarrassing incident again, for which Reno was very grateful. He had no idea what the hell he had been thinking…

But having Rufus as an ally wasn't such a bad idea, so the redhead had formed a tentative friendship with his employer, one he'd been grateful of when the time came round for him to have the mandatory Mako injections, which all Shinra SOLDIER's and Turks had to have. Rufus had given him time off until the burning pain from having the pure energy put into his bloodstream had worn off. Apparently that was a lot more than he did for most his employees.

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Reno rolled off his bed and walked from his closet of a bedroom, out into the kitchen. He was sitting on the kitchen bench, only wearing a pair of black jean with his hair a scruffy mess, eating peanut butter from the jar with a spoon when the door opened and the two people he least wanted to see him like that walked in. Tseng turned and looked at Reno, who had a spoon stuck in his mouth and a horrified expression on his face, with amusement. Rufus just stared around the messy apartment in horror. "How could you get it all so dirty? You don't even own all that much stuff." he asked coldly. Reno didn't reply - he couldn't, the peanut butter had somehow stuck the spoon to the roof of his mouth, and he was struggling to dislodge it, pouring himself a glass of water from the tap and swilling it around in his mouth. Rufus was still looking around, not having even bothered glancing at Reno yet (for which the redhead was very grateful). "This place is the dictionary definition of 'squalid'. Why do you even live here?"

Due to how Reno was trying to multitask in both finding a shirt to put on, doing something about his hair and unsticking his mouth, Tseng was nice enough to answer for him: "Because you told him to, sir."

Rufus rolled his eyes and turned around. "And since when has me telling him to do something… had… any…effect…" He trailed off as he finally caught sight of the desperate and shirtless Reno. His pale cheeks were suddenly red. For a second he just stared, mouth slightly open. Then he quickly regained his habitual cool, his skin returned to the usual icy pale and he closed his mouth. "Reno…" he started, not quite knowing what he was going to say, but knowing that he had to salvage the situation somehow. He shook his head slightly and tried to remember what he had come here to say.

Reno got in first. "Um… Why are you here, sir? It's my day off."

Thanks god for Tseng. "There is a ball scheduled tomorrow night. Vice President Shinra is expected to go and I… cannot attend: the lord throwing the ball is strictly anti-Wutain. It isn't expected that there will be any real threats but, nevertheless… You will go with Rufus and keep him safe. Understood?"

Reno just nodded, absently licking peanut butter off his fingers. He stopped when Rufus caught his eye, looking grossed out.

A/N: Yes, yes, this sucked and was way too short. I'm just trying to set things up for a random ball scene. Enjoy. And my new page break, which i hope will actually work, is random groups of three numbers. Just so you don't get too confused.