Chapter Text
There’d been a time, however briefly, when Reno had wanted to kill Rude.
…So it hadn’t been that brief.
Whatever. He was over it, anyway. And it’s not like he’d actually followed through , so what crime was there to nail him for? Besides, he’d looked at the headline of some bullshit article once about how everyone had “intrusive thoughts” or something, so it’s not like he could be blamed for imagining how ironic it’d be if Rude’s quarters mysteriously caught fire one night while he was knocked out on pain meds after a mission gone sideways. Would’ve had a real flare of drama. They would’ve found an oversized corpse, charred and blackened with his own fire materia, and Reno would’ve strode casually by, a piece of extra crispy bacon between his teeth, and Oh golly gee, what a shame, maybe Tseng should think a little more carefully next time he tries to find Reno a partner.
So, the thoughts weren’t so much “intrusive,” as they were “meticulously planned out.”
Not that anyone’d ever believe that. Reno wasn’t exactly known for his planning . That was Rude’s boring shtick. Nah, Reno snapped into action like lightning, frenetic and impulsive, impossible to predict. (Which meant, of course, that a carefully planned murder would’ve been the perfect crime. Not his style. And everyone knew, Reno was all about style.)
The day Tseng had called Reno into his office and saddled him with his new partner , he’d nearly gone from insubordinate to straight up homicidal. Which really, Tseng should’ve been pleased with. It was what he’d been recruited for, after all.
“Reno,” he’d begun. Reno hated the way Tseng spoke. He hated how smooth Tseng tried to make his voice, how carefully he arranged his hair, like some prissy Wutaian royal, like that made him superior . Like slick hair and a silver tongue would make him better than any other gun Shinra pointed at the world.
“Congratulations,” Tseng continued breezily, and Reno’s first thought was Blow me . “We’ve finally found you a suitable partner.”
Reno froze, pale eyes cutting sharply to his superior. They’d found him a damn babysitter , more like. There was a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision then, and quick as a bullet Reno had his mag rod unholstered, flashing to the side. Lightning ripped through the air. He’d stopped his hand just a hair short. Electricity crashed into the wall, charring it black and fractured, inches away from a face illuminated by a shock of blue.
A clean shaved head, trim beard, and impeccable suit. And sunglasses. This asshat was lounging against the wall in a dark corner of a room and he was wearing sunglasses. Would’ve been a shame if the lightning had sparked out his eyes.
He hadn’t even flinched. Reno’s eyes narrowed, the corner of his lip twitching up in a sneer. Bastard didn’t even have any hair that Reno could make stand on end with his static.
“Whoopsies.” Reno’s voice was breezy and casual as he slouched in his chair, draping his arm over the back. A smile cut across his face, baring his teeth. “Sorry about that. Should know better than to startle a Turk.”
“Play nice,” came Tseng’s aggravating fucking voice again and Reno nearly lunged across the desk at him.
Instead, Reno rose from his seat, tapping his mag rod against his shoulder. “Ye of little faith .” His eyes cut back to his ‘partner.’ “Course I’ll be nice. Can’t be scarin’ off Tall, Dark, and Bald.”
“Rude.” The man’s voice was predictably deep, and damn, what a cliché .
Reno’s eyebrow arched. His eyes narrowed dangerously, violence buzzing just under his skin.
“Come again?”
The man pushed forward from the wall, taking a long stride into the light. He was tall and broad shouldered, his all-black suit perfectly tailored around his boxer’s physique. Reno wanted to roll his eyes. He practically screamed ‘hired muscle.’
“My name,” he said in that slow, measured voice of his, “is Rude.”
Reno blinked at him. Then a smile cracked across his face. He burst out laughing. Again, the man — Rude — didn’t flinch.
“Right,” Reno crowed, “’cause nothin’ inspires fear like bad manners .” He quieted himself, smile still sharp. “Just remember I outrank you.” He cast his eyes back at Tseng.
“Don’t come crying when your toy breaks.” He throws a glance back at Rude. “Nothin’ personal.” Reno turned on his heel, not waiting for a dismissal. He strode out of Tseng’s office.
“Have fun.” Reno was insulted that Tseng didn’t sound concerned.